Faiths Act

Faiths Act is a multi-faith global movement which inspires and mobilises people of faith to take action towards the Millennium Development Goals. In particular, it focuses on eliminating deaths from malaria.

Complexities and conflict in today’s globalised world often have religious issues at their very core. But most people would see a different side of religion if the stories they heard were about care for the poor and the sick, instead of prejudice, conflict and violence.

The great religions all provide profound care for the needy within their own communities. If we can harness their values of respect, justice and compassion by encouraging people of different faiths to work together, there is no injustice that we cannot combat.

Why should faiths act together?

Faith can play a positive or negative role in the world. There are four billion people of faith in the world. Those who try to use religion to promote conflict may be small in number, but they are well organised and often effective. We need to ensure that those who seek peace and harmony between religions are organised, equipped, and vocal enough to tackle this threat.

Global problems need the energy and outreach of the world’s people of faith to solve them. We need you to be a part of this global movement. By coming together with other people of a different religion, we can deliver social change and save lives. At the heart of Faiths Act is the belief that faith can be a force for good. When people of faith act together they achieve more than they can alone.

Sign up to take action today. Faiths Act aims to offer practical ways for people of faith work together, thereby demonstrating that although religion can be used for ill, it can also be a force for good.

How does Faiths Act work?

Faiths Act works through:

Faiths Act supporters and volunteers
Faiths Act has supporters and volunteers in over 140 countries, who help raise awareness and funds for Faiths Act projects on the ground. 

What impact has Faiths Act had?

World Malaria Day events in over 40 countries
During World Malaria Day 2012, 19,000 Faiths Act supporters in over 40 countries organised World Malaria Day events using Faiths Act ribbons to help raise awareness about malaria. As well as the tens of thousands of dollars raised by these events, Sumitomo Chemical donated a life-saving anti-malaria bed net to families in Tanzania and Ghana for every 10 people involved.

Raising awareness and funds to combat malaria
Between 2010 and 2012 our Faiths Act Fellows demonstrated what can be achieved when young people with a shared vision come together. The interfaith pairs inspired hundreds of events to raise awareness and funds to combat malaria, educated 40,000 people and raised over £285,000. They engaged over 1,000 faith communities and contributed to 17,580 hours of interfaith service. In the process they fostered solidarity, friendship and understanding between the communities they worked with which has endured far beyond their year of interfaith service.

Where's the Net?
Malaria still kills up to 750,000 people each year despite it being entirely preventable. Where’s the Net? is a global interfaith initiative aimed at raising awareness about malaria across the world. The campaign launched in February 2012. A symbolic anti - malaria bed net travelled between people of different faiths in 21 countries across the world spreading vital messages and education about malaria prevention. The relay represents global connectivity and serves to demonstrate that we all have a role to play in ending the scourge of malaria.

Official Net Bearers representing different nations and faiths were selected to mobilise their local communities around the campaign. Where’s the Net? was embraced by people from all walks of life and different faith backgrounds; students, teachers, members of parliaments, Health Ministers, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Faith Foundation founder the Right Honourable Tony Blair, and UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers.

The net’s journey began in Sierra Leone where a third of children who die under the age of five are killed by malaria and returned to Sierra Leone in July for the closing ceremony hosted with the Wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Kadija Sam-Sumana.