CCIH 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 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.
Advocacy Resources
How Faith-based Organizations Can Help Reduce Abortions
This fact sheet discusses how family planning helps reduce abortions with compelling quotes from key prominent Christians working in public health on the effect of family planning in preventing unintended pregnancies to help protect the health of mothers and children.
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.
Issues & Actions
February, 2021
Christian Health Networks Call for Vaccine Equity
CCIH joined other Christian health organizations, service providers and networks to appeal for global equity and solidarity in access to COVID-19 vaccines. We are grateful for the remarkable swiftness of developing safe and effective vaccines that are expected to help bring the pandemic under control. In particular, we commend the public financing to the pharmaceutical industry for research and development that has helped to make this possible. We are concerned however with the emerging trend of rich countries hoarding excess doses to vaccinate their entire populations two or more times over, inflating vaccine prices for poor countries and the overall picture of low or no vaccinations in low-income countries. We are equally concerned that even in rich countries, racial/ethnic minorities and low-income persons are being marginalized in access to the vaccines. Providing vaccines for all must be part of a global plan to end the pandemic. A global response based on solidarity and equity must be everyone’s interest.
See the StatementFebruary, 2021
Support for the Appointment of Samantha Power as USAID Administrator
CCIH joined other members of the Interfaith Working Group on Foreign Assistance, a network of faith-based organizations advocating for the world’s most vulnerable people, in signing on to a letter to the U.S. Senate leadership supporting the appointment of Ms. Samantha Power as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The faith community plays a very active role in providing humanitarian and development assistance to millions impacted by violence, poverty, and hunger. Through USAID, the United States leads the world in addressing these global concerns as the largest government provider of foreign assistance. the letter urges for strong leadership at USAID in order to leverage U.S. resources on global development initiatives and to increase the impact of FBO work for the world’s most vulnerable populations.
See The LetterMarch, 2020
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 LetterMarch, 2019
HIV/AIDS Programs at CDC and NIH
CCIH joined the Global AIDS Policy Partnership (GAPP) in signing on to a letter to the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to request support for programs that advance the global HIV/AIDS response in the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Programs Appropriations bill. GAPP is a coalition of advocacy, research and implementing organizations committed to ending AIDS for the next generation by expanding and improving global HIV/AIDS programming. The letter urges the subcommittee to include at least $128 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global AIDS Program and support for strong, increased investment funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
See The Letter