Let’s start with a story! In October 2015 Women at the Center was honored to speak on a panel with one of our favorite reproductive health and sustainability leaders, Roger-Mark de Souza of the Wilson Center.

Someone from the audience asked how to get religion out of family planning and reproductive health issues.

Roger-Mark flipped the script and responded: “To me it’s not how do we get religion out of these issues, but rather, how do we get religion into these issues?”

All over the world, faith leaders are leading the charge for access to family planning and reproductive healthcare. It’s just that their voices are often drowned out by a small but vocal minority. Our partners at Christian Connections for International Health are champions in this arena, and have amplified the voices of many Christian faith leaders, particularly throughout Africa, who are sharing their perspectives on the value of family planning to women, families, and young people.

This photo and visual story highlights the voices of some of those faith leaders, as well as some great resources for anyone interested in making the connections between reproductive health and rights and issues of the spirit.

Providing young rural families with sexual and reproductive health services