FBOs and religious groups play an important role as partners in UNICEF’s work with children accross the globe. Religious communities working with UNICEF go from those of the Buddhist and Islamic faith to several denominations within the Christian faith, whose tenets of religion include an interest in the health and wellbeing of people and particularly of children.

UNICEF and religious groups act as advocates in a variety of programs, among them:

- educational projects for out-of-school and abused children,

- advocacy and education for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention,

- combating sexual commercial exploitation of children and child labour,

- best possible health care for children,

- promotion and defence of children’s rights, and

- integration of child rights promotion and child protection into social action programs led by churches and religious groups.

Link:  http://www.unicef.org/media/media_4537.html

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The Religion for Peace Women of Faith Network, in partnership with UNESCO, brought together women of faith from Kenya, Sudan and Uganda to enhance their skills in conflict transformation and to increase their visibility as substantial leaders on this subject. A similar training was conducted for women from Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda.

http://www.wcrp.org/files/RfP%20Annual%20Report%202007.pdf

Futures Group International and Religions for Peace designed and implemented the project “The Role of Religious Communities in addressing gender-based violence and HIV”, sponsored by USAIDs. This project was planned considering that religious leaders are often key catalysts for positive and social change. The project has three components: regional training, national action plans and regional leadership forum. Training workshops were carried out in Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The regional training in Kenya was funded by UNIFEM.

The Role of Religious Communities in Addressing GBV and HIV

UNIFEM provides funds for a project in India which uses the theater as a means of preventing human trafficking covering all across Goa, Sikkim and vulnerable districts of North Bengal. Sex tourism and trafficking is proliferating in that area. Youths and children are also trafficked for exploitative labour. West Bengal is a source, transit and destination. Various other institutions, as well as NGOs and FBOs, are working in this project.

http://geotourism.changemakers.com/en-us/node/8022

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), under the Sudan Work Plan 2009 (Humanitarian/Early Recovery Component) has initiated the project “Support Livelihoods and Food Security Initiatives for Women”. The objective of this project is to promote simple and appropriate agricultural technologies among women groups, to strengthen women’s livelihoods through capacity building on entrepreneurial skills and to facilitate the availability of market information and access to credit facilities. Five hundred women will benefit from this project in Southern Sudan that will end on December 2009. The implementing partners are Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), UNIFEM, CBOs, FBOs, NGOs, International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO), the State Ministry of Agriculture (SMoA) and the Ministries of Social Development.

http://ocha.unog.ch/CAPprojectsPDF/Reports/projectsheets/CAPProjectSheet_832_22922_2009113.pdf

The World Bank has undertaken some projects around the world on faiths and environment and on faiths and forest initiatives as part of its development and conservation activities. According to the World Bank, the world’s major religions have shown that they represent a very powerful voice for environmental stewardship. (See more).

The World Bank works:

In Cambodia

- With Buddhist, by supporting a sustainable development project that is funded under an agreement with the Alliance of Religions and Conservations (ARC), working closely with governmental offices. The project works with 14 pagodas in rural areas in Kampong Speu province and Kampong Thom province.

http://go.worldbank.org/CQ009WHKF0

In Indonesia

- With Muslims and Christians, in various environmental issues such as education, conservation and dissemination of information.

http://go.worldbank.org/O0H7ZLQAR0

In Thailand

- The Khora Initiative based in the province of Nakon Ratchasima which is an Education Training Project in Forestry for the monks and lay people.

http://go.worldbank.org/7COCZD7R90