Faith Leaders Turn Health Advocacy into Action Across Africa
“Advocating for healthcare is not separate from ministry. It is Ministry.” – Pastor Alexander Agyapong, Mid-Ghana Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
In July 2026, CCIH virtually reconvened delegates from the African Faith & Health Leaders Consultation held in Nairobi in November 2025. Participants reflected on the most significant changes they had seen since the consultation and shared how they were putting its lessons into action.
The 2025 consultation was co-hosted by CCIH, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), and the Africa Christian Health Associations Platform (ACHAP). It brought together Christian leaders from 10 African countries to examine pressing health challenges and explore how faith and health leaders could work together to address them.
As CCIH prepared for the July follow-up event, delegates shared stories of advocacy, collaboration, and change. Their experiences demonstrated that the Nairobi consultation was not the end of a conversation; it was the beginning of meaningful action, as faith leaders realized they can use their influence, relationships, and moral authority to help communities gain access to better healthcare.
Changing Perspectives
A story showing how impactful the consultation and follow-up was for the participants comes from Rev. Chipasha Musaba of the United Church of Zambia. He described how his confidence grew with new knowledge and advocacy skills. He now sees himself as a bridge-builder who connects faith communities, health leaders, and local and international partners.
A critical turning point came when Rev. Musaba met with Rev. Claudia Schulz, who leads an international network of 35 Protestant churches known as Cevaa, to present the needs of the Mbereshi Mission Hospital. He highlighted gaps in the hospital’s infrastructure and its urgent need for furniture and equipment. The conversation led to a shared commitment to support infrastructure improvements and provide essential furniture. The United Church of Zambia Women Christian Fellowship also pledged to provide a theatre bed.
The experience demonstrated what can happen when advocacy is clear, strategic, and connected to practical needs. Rev. Musaba has since advocated more intentionally for greater church budget allocations, stronger partnerships, and wider recognition of the essential services mission health facilities provide, particularly in underserved communities.
“One of the most encouraging outcomes of this growth has been the noticeable increase in local participation and support for mission health facilities,” said Rev. Musaba. “Community members, church members, and international partners are now actively contributing to the sustainability of [health] services, whether through financial support, in‑kind donations, or participation in planning processes. This is strengthening trust and ownership at the local level, which is critical for long‑term impact.”
After the consultation and advocacy training, Ms. Joyce Daphine Khayiyi, All Africa Conference of Churches Youth Network (pictured above), held two webinars to raise awareness about the ODA cuts and their impact and to encourage solutions. “Listening to different faith and health leaders from across Africa share their experiences highlighted the common challenges we face and the opportunities that arise when we speak with one voice,” she explained.
Four Themes from the stories of change
Although the stories shared by the advocates reflected different countries, organizations, and health challenges, four common themes emerged.
1) Collaboration creates lasting change
Participants demonstrated that collective leadership is more powerful than working in isolation.
“Faith-based nonprofit institutions are increasingly approaching government as coordinated partners rather than isolated actors,” said Ms. Adellah Ankunda of the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau. What began as collaboration, she explained, has grown into “a lasting movement capable of influencing health policy and improving access to quality healthcare.”
2) Advocacy is ministry
The story above from Rev. Chipasha Musaba of the United Church of Zambia provides a concrete example of advocacy within church structures producing practical support.
3) Health unites where differences divide
Churches may differ in doctrine, denomination, and tradition, but the stories showed that health can provide common ground. A shared commitment to health and human dignity can bring Christian leaders together for collaboration and collective action.
4) Trust is the currency of change
“Faith leaders were no longer peripheral; they became co-architects of resilience,” said one faith leader in the DRC. By bringing faith and medical expertise together, leaders helped transform fear into trust during an Ebola outbreak. His experience demonstrated that, in an emergency, “trust became the most valuable medicine.”
Above Photo: After the consultation, the Council of Protestant Churches of Cameroon (CEPCA) convened 30 church and health leaders to adopt a joint advocacy declaration and engage government leaders on strengthening faith-based health systems amid the global funding crisis.
From Listening to Action
Another story showed how faith leaders can turn listening and advocacy into practical support for communities facing growing hardship. In February 2026, Pastor Sussie Ndanyi, Deputy General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), met with widowed women in Mukuyuni Village, Bungoma County, to document how cuts to official development assistance (ODA) were affecting their lives. (See photo at top)
The women described reduced access to medication, mosquito nets, and water-treatment supplies; increased deaths linked to inadequate health support; and the painful choice between buying food and paying for healthcare. Caring for dependents without a stable income also placed growing pressure on their mental health.
Pastor Ndanyi responded with both encouragement and practical assistance. Through CCIH, she provided seed capital to strengthen the group’s existing table-banking initiative, a community-managed savings and lending model that gives members access to affordable, mutually guaranteed credit. By building on a system the women already trusted and managed themselves, the support helped strengthen their ability to respond collectively to financial and health challenges.
A Continuing Movement
The stories shared during the July event carried a clear message: African faith and health leaders are transforming dialogue into action. Through collaboration, advocacy, trusted leadership, and a shared commitment to health, they are contributing to lasting change in health systems and communities.
Resources for Faith Leader Advocacy
Faith leaders are powerful advocates for better health. To support them in this role, CCIH released 12 brief, customizable talking-point guides.
The guides address HIV/AIDS, immunization, malaria, domestic resource mobilization, noncommunicable diseases, and other important health concerns. Each resource is provided as a Word document that faith leaders and organizations can adapt to their own settings.
Explore the Faith Leader Advocacy Talking Points
Hear More from Participating Faith Leaders
On August 13, 2026, CCIH held the webinar “One Faith, One Voice: A Shared Commitment to Health and Wholeness.” Leaders from Cameroon, Ghana, Uganda, and Zambia who participated in the consultation shared how they are using their voices to advocate for health and wholeness.