Advocacy

Nomination of Ambassador Samantha Power as USAID Administrator

January 14, 2021 | Christian Connections for International Health commends President-elect Biden for nominating Ambassador Samantha Power for USAID Administrator. Additionally, his decision to elevate the USAID Administrator position to the National Security Council is a recognition of the importance development assistance, and especially global health, is to our national security. Ambassador Power’s experience and clear focus on women’s rights, religious freedom, protection of religious minorities, addressing human trafficking, and assisting refugees make her an ideal candidate to lead USAID moving forward.

Statement on Racial Justice

June 2020 | CCIH released a statement on Racial Justice. CCIH joins the global community in insisting that we respect all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation. We are compelled as followers of Christ Jesus to love all and treat all people with dignity. We condemn every occurrence of racial and ethnic division. This is a global plague that destroys families and communities. We all harbor biases, conscious or unconscious, against others that we must work to overcome. See the Statement

CCIH Joins non-profit community in support of COVID-19 Relief

The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic facing the country is having a profound impact on the economy and has greatly expanded the need for charitable organizations to provide additional services in an unprecedented manner. At the same time, the economic downturn will undoubtedly result in a contraction in contributions and other sources of revenue which are the lifeblood of many charitable organizations. CCIH signed a letter to provide support to America’s charitable nonprofits so the people they serve can receive life-saving mission services at a time when our efforts are needed like never before by the most vulnerable in our communities. See the Letter

Advocacy Resources and Stories

Future of Advocacy Briefing

In June 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released the findings of extensive consultations with local leaders, funders, and advocacy experts, a literature review, and the 10-year experience of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Advance Family Planning (AFP) initiative to answer three questions:

1. Why do donors promote local ownership of health and development programs?
2. What factors increase the sustainability of local leadership and the advocacy agenda?
3. Which funding mechanisms most promote local ownership and sustainability?

Key points revealed by the initiative:

• Donors have long wanted to shift programs to local ownership. But the shift has been problematic. Programs are still largely donor-driven.
• Full local ownership is unlikely, but collaborative partnership of donors and local entities is a proven model that can both improve health and promote civil society.
• If donors expect sustained advocacy after their support ends, they need to support capacity building directly or through higher indirect cost allowances.
• Depending on their investment aims, donors can choose from four options for strengthening local capacity for partnership.
• A proposed model for strengthening local advocacy capacity worldwide envisions a global project, regional advocacy hubs, and networks of local NGOs.

See the Briefing

CCIH Advocacy Teams Share Faith-based Work in Global Health

CCIH mobilizes Christian global health advocacy. On June 10th, 2019 CCIH hosted its annual Advocacy Day. This year, we had 10 CCIH members from Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zaire, and Zimbabwe, as well as six CCIH members based in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan. The teams met with 15 Congressional Offices (14 in the Senate and 1 in the House of Representatives). Read More

CCIH members promote Christian global health advocacy and share the value of U.S. foreign assistance and why advocating and speaking out for those without a voice is important to them as Christians.

REACH Act Resource: Fact Sheet from World Vision

The REACH EVERY MOTHER AND CHILD ACT (S. 1730, H.R. 4022) will bring solutions that work to the mothers and children with the greatest need. If passed, this legislation will set ambitious goals – helping achieve the U.S. commitment of ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths by 2035. This fact sheet from World Vision explains the need for the Act, how it will help, and exactly what to ask your U.S. representative.  CCIH and other faith-based partners have sent a letter of support for this bill to the U.S. Congress.