Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities

08/25/2026

🚀 Launching the JLI Latin America and Caribbean Learning Hub in Mexico

Last week in Mexico City, JLI brought together 34 participants from diverse faith traditions, organizations, and professional backgrounds to launch the Latin America and Caribbean Learning Hub, led by Andrés Martinez, JLI Latin America and Caribbean Regional Coordinator.

The gathering created space for dialogue on the roles of faith actors in peacebuilding, governance, organized violence, and anticorruption, while identifying evidence gaps and priorities for future regional learning.

The Hub builds on JLI’s commitment to collaborative, locally led knowledge generation, bringing regional actors together to shape evidence and learning agendas that can inform policy and practice.

We look forward to continuing this work across the region.

05/21/2026

We are honored to share Suzie’s story and excited to spotlight her video as part of the 100 Mile Campaign. 🚶‍♀️💙

This Saturday, May 23, the 100 Mile Campaign continues with Suzie Greco walking 10 miles in advocacy for safer faith communities and in solidarity with survivors of abuse around the world.

Learn more and how to support at 100mile.org.

03/30/2026

The 100 Mile Campaign kicks off April 3–4. Join JLI Regional Coordinator for South Asia, Noor Rehman, on his walk - either in-person in Pakistan, or by sharing this video and supporting the campaign at 100mile.org.

This year, our walk returns as a global effort, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support.

03/25/2026

We are pleased to launch the Evidence Brief: Faith, Gender and Immunization – Overcoming Barriers to Polio Eradication in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 🌍✨
Commissioned by UNICEF ROSA and developed by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) under the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families & Communities (FPCC) programme, this brief shares critical insights on:
🔹 Addressing gender-related barriers
🔹 Strengthening community trust
🔹 Improving immunization in complex contexts

This work is a testament to the collective power of religious scholars, institutions, and partners like Alliance for Rethinking Coalition Pakistan (ARC), the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Mutaheda Ullama Council in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, TAVOON Ullama Council in Afghanistan, and our colleagues at UNICEF, RfP, WHO, and GPEI, as well as many others who participated in national consultations and regional dialogues.

Special thanks to the frontline workers whose dedication is driving us toward a polio-free future. 🛡️

📥 Get the full brief here: https://jliflc.com/resources/faith-gender-and-immunization-overcoming-barriers-to-polio-eradication-in-pakistan-and-afghanistan/

02/27/2026

📣 Join JLI for a parallel event: Practicing Hope: Inner Capacities for Gender Justice in Times of Crisis at the United Nations 70th Commission on the Status of Women.

🗓️ Date: March 12 2026, 3:00-5:00 PM
📍 Location: Tzu Chi Foundation Office
229 East 60th Street, New York, New York 10022

This event is co-organized by: Andromeda Turre, Tzu Chi Foundation, Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University, Episcopal Relief & Development, and the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities.

At , we invite you to join us for an immersive gathering features a live sound experience by Andromeda Turre, alongside a Hope Archive activation, gestalt-informed dialogue, and cross-sector learning.

Together, we will explore what it means to practice hope, as a discipline that sustains courage, solidarity, and action in the face of uncertainty. We will reflect on how hope can be cultivated within ourselves and our movements to carry gender justice work forward.

Register today!

01/21/2026

🌟 Partner Spotlight: Shafak Organization

JLI is proud to highlight منظمة شفق Shafak Organization, a non-profit and non-governmental organization founded in 2013, and operating in Syria and Türkiye to provide integrated humanitarian and developmental responses that meet the needs of conflict-affected communities.

Under its slogan “For Humanity We Work”, Shafak Organization aims to contribute to the empowerment of marginalized individuals and communities by providing humanitarian and developmental responses based on rights principles and transparency, while strengthening effective and sustainable partnerships.

Their programs evolve around the areas:
-Social Cohesion
-Mental Health: Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)
-Role of Religious Actors
-Integration Strategy

Shafak Organization seeks to build resilient communities by providing services in the fields of health, education, food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), protection, and accountability to affected populations.

Their partnership with JLI is grounded in a shared belief in mutual learning and the value of building knowledge networks that connect local and international actors.

Their advice to others is simple: “Remain open to flexible knowledge exchange. True partnership requires humility and recognizing the strength of local community practices.”

Read more here 👉 https://jliflc.com/2025/12/partner-spotlight-shafak-organization/

01/14/2026

12/04/2025

The campaign continues until December 10. JLI stands with the Multifaith Advisory Council and faith communities worldwide in the global effort to end all forms of gender-based violence.

📣 Today, we spotlight our explainer on digital violence and digital safety tips. Respect for women and girls, including in online spaces, is deeply rooted across religious and wisdom traditions. These teachings affirm dignity, safety, and the responsibility to prevent all forms of sexual harassment and violence.

We also highlight the council's commitment to advocating for change and supporting faith communities in holding leaders and institutions accountable.

As one example among many sacred teachings:
From the Seventh Generation Principle in the Haudenosaunee Indigenous Tradition, “If our women are not safe, our people are not safe. Violence against women is violence against the future.”

This principle reminds us that protecting women and girls is essential to ensuring the well-being of generations yet to come.

There is for online abuse.

Learn more and join the campaign at unwomen.org 🔶

12/01/2025

📝 During a recent JLI Team meeting, we all took some time to pause, play, and reflect through a word-association drawing activity.

From the words “Localization” to “Fair & Equitable” to “Research Capacity Building,” we explored how the same words can carry different meanings, and how important it is to define, question, and stay curious.

🎨🗣️Language matters. It shapes how we collaborate, imagine solutions, and walk toward justice together. As we grow, we return to two reminders: let go of assumptions to make room for true understanding, and stay committed to seeking knowledge, because , offers us tools like , , and questions.

This is a glimpse of our , and an invitation to continue thinking deeply about the words that guide your own work. 🌍

11/26/2025

Join us for ! 🧡

From 25 November to 10 December, the Multifaith Advisory Council stands with faith communities worldwide for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign to end all forms of violence against women and girls.

This year, the UNiTE theme calls on everyone to and take bold action to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in all its forms.

Now through December 10, we’ll spotlight how sacred texts are sometimes misused online to silence or shame women and girls, and how faith voices can reclaim these teachings as sources of dignity, justice, and equality.

JLI is proud to support this global movement and raise awareness for a world where technology becomes a force for equality, not harm.

There is for online abuse.

Learn more and join the campaign at unwomen.org 🔶