Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM)

 

The Inclusive and Affirming Ministries (IAM) Transformation Network is a regional network in Africa focused on transformation of religious communities to be more Inclusive and affirming of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people and people living with HIV (PLHIV).  

 

Grantee type: Regional

Grant: $376,200

Grant period: 2016-2018

Lead organization: Inclusive and Affirmative Ministries (IAM)

 

As of 2018, the IAM network included organizations and advocates from nine East and Southern African countries – Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – and was on track to include new partners from West and Central Africa, including Ghana.

• Around the world today, over 9 million of the nearly 37 million people living with HIV don’t know that they carry the virus, and an additional 5 to 6 million HIV-positive people are not accessing HIV treatment.
• Stigma and discrimination are important reasons why people are not accessing HIV testing and treatment. Stigma against PLHIV, and against many of the populations at greatest risk for HIV, creates discriminatory policies and actions in health care settings, limits employment opportunities and access to education, and increases the potential for social exclusion and violence in people’s families and communities.
• Gender inequality also contributes to the lack of HIV testing and treatment. In communities where women and girls are economically dependent on men and exposed to sexual and gender-based violence, they may be hesitant in negotiating safer sex or in seeking testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.
• Religious leaders and  allies can be important champions for human rights and agents of change when they themselves are openly LGBTI or HIV+, and when they speak out about the dignity and worth of all people, and importance of care and love for all.
• The IAM Transformation Network has found that faith leaders can be important educators and advocates for human rights, non-discrimination, and services for people living with HIV and people who are lesbian, gay or transgender. To be effective in their advocacy, the leaders need to develop their personal capacity to lead dialogue about sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions (SOGIE). This means a personal journey of not only understanding the issues but integrating this understanding into their personal spirituality.

 

RCF funding 2016-2018
The IAM Transformation Network received US$ 376,000 in funding from the Robert Carr Fund during 2016-2018. This funding was allocated to both core and strategic program costs, investing in the organizational capacity and collective work of IAM and its regional partners. In 2019, the Robert Carr Fund awarded the IAM network an additional US$ 450,000 in funding for continuation and expansion of its work.

 

Geographic coverage
The IAM network include organizations and advocates from nine East and Southern African countries – Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – with plans to include new partners from West and Central Africa, including Ghana.

 

Population coverage
IAM is a network focused on transformation of religious communities to be more Inclusive and affirming of LGBTI people and PLHIV, and so supports the empowerment, leadership, health and rights of LGBTI and PLHIV.

 

Activities 2016-2018
With RCF funding in 2016-2018, the IAM network secretariat deployed its staff, predominantly black and female and led by Reverend Ecclesia de Lange, to support country partners in nine African countries to develop their personal capacity to lead dialogue about spirituality, sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity, and to initiate and engage in dialogues with faith communities about sexuality, gender identity, the importance of human rights, non-discrimination, and health services for LGBTI people, PLHIV and other inadequately served populations.

 

Results 2016-2018
The results of the work of IAM and its partners include:

• Network strength and influence: With steady core operational support from the Robert Carr Fund since 2013, the IAM network has been able to increase the number of country partners. IAM’s partner organizations have been trained in governance, management, program strategy, and monitoring, evaluation and learning, and the network is functioning well. IAM has now gained 501(c)(3) charity equivalent certification in the United States, which will help IAM to raise additional funds from US-based contributors beyond its current three US-based funders – Arcus Foundation, the St Francis Lutheran Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
• Human rights:  With additional full-time staff hired with RCF funding during 2016-2018, IAM reached over 1500 clergy in workshops, trainings, and other dialogue and thousands more through media and distribution of resources in all of the nine countries where IAM works — Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. As the result of this work, IAM’s partners are using their training to extend the reach even further. For example, IAM’s partner in Kenya, NYARWEK, wrote an extensive manual to be used by religious leaders and activists to effect change, including LGBTI & PLHIV, in religious communities. The National Aids Control Council is now officially partnering with NYARWEK to use this curriculum to engage with religious leaders and service providers nationally to create access to services for LGBTI people and other inadequately served populations. Another example is the legal case initiated in South Africa in 2016 by religious leaders affiliated with IAM to challenge the Dutch Reformed Church’s decision to not recognise same-sex marriages. In March 2019 the South African Supreme Court ruled against the Dutch Reformed Church in a victory for LGBTI equality.