Advancing reproductive health and family planning through religious leaders and faith-based organizations

Relationships with FBOs are essential to community-based health work, but can be difficult to forge. Some religious traditions reject the use of contraception. Others may accept family planning within marriage, but do not feel condoms should be distributed to young unmarried people. Some religious leaders believe that prayer is enough to protect their followers from AIDS. To address these issues, Pathfinder engages FBOs in discussions about their goals and beliefs, often resulting in a strong partnership that provides reproductive health education and services for the FBO's membership and community.