Global Christian Leaders Shape Health Care Future
Leaders from 29 countries will strategize about the future of global health and the critical role of faith actors in delivering care and services during a conference in Washington, D.C., this month. Christian Connections for International Health, which will be held at Catholic University, will bring together heads of African and Asian Christian health associations, faith leaders, health-care practitioners, program managers and development partners.
The conference comes at a pivotal moment as confidence in healthcare has plummeted in recent years.
Change for all
The conference theme, “Change Agents for All,” underscores the role of faith leaders in caring for others and effecting positive change in a time of conflict and significant political and environmental changes, as well as shifting disease burden. Plenary sessions will examine the effects of global instability on health systems in low- and middle-income countries and explore how faith communities, including Catholic and Protestant networks, can continue to respond effectively and compassionately.
With more than half of all participants coming from poorer countries and 15 out of 16 sessions featuring speakers from the majority world, the conference highlights locally driven solutions and the leadership of those closest to the challenges. Key announcements at the conference will include:
- The Christian Medical College of Vellore (India) will receive the Change Agent award for the expansive and scalable impact of its distance education unit.
- The release of the first-ever global survey of Christian Health Worker Training Institutes.
- A new guide for faith actors addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
“Faith-based organizations are often the backbone of health systems in underserved regions,” Executive Director Doug Fountain said. “This conference is a unique opportunity to collaborate with local leaders who know the challenges their community faces and are ready to join forces with other local and global actors to enact sustainable solutions,”
For more information, visit their website here.
–Dwight Wdaman
