“Such Conversations Are Not Done in the Families”: A Qualitative Study of the Determinants of Early Adolescents’ Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Information in Rwanda.

Background Acces to sexual and reproductive health and rights information during adolescence is a basic human right. This study investigated the key informants’ perspectives on the benefits, sources of information, and the determinants (enablers and hindrances) of sexual and reproductive health and rights information among early adolescents in Rwanda. Methods a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with purposively selected public and private key informants in Rwanda was conducted. Interview transcripts were imported in Nvivo 11 for thematic analysis. Results In total, sixteen interviews involving an equal number of male and female participants were conducted. Despite it being perceived as a taboo topic, participants acknowledged sexuality education as beneficial for early adolescents and confirmed that there are various channels for accessing gender and sexuality information. The school comprehensive sexuality education was depicted as a common source of information, while parents were not. Participants highlighted disparities in information access between rural and urban settings. Faith-based organizations and public institutions did not share the same perspective on the topics that should be covered in gender and sexuality education. Faith-Based Organizations focused on moral values of abstinence and virginity, while public institutions emphasized ways of having safe sex including the use of modern contraceptive methods. Participants noted the need to address the confusion about the concept of gender. Participants’ reflections on gender dynamics revealed that compared to girls, boys culturally override sexual health. Participants thought that access to gender and sexuality information by early adolescents depended on multiple factors at the individual (curiosity, age, behaviours), relationships (discussions with parents, peer sexual norms), community (the content of the curriculum, culture, religious beliefs), and societal (economic challenges, policy, and laws) levels. Conclusion Participants from various backgrounds acknowledged the benefits of sexuality education, as well as the various channels available to younger adolescents for accessing SRHR information, even though their perspectives on the content differed. The study’s multi-layered analysis revealed potential areas for improving early adolescents’ access to gender and SRHR information.

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Counter-Radicalization in Nigeria: The Case of Boko Haram

This article examines the role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in counter-radicalization in Nigeria, with emphasis on the Boko Haram terrorist group operating in northeast Nigeria and the greater Lake Chad region. A qualitative methodological approach is employed that makes use of primary and secondary documents, key informant and stakeholder interviews, and focus group discussions with critical religious actors and organizations. The findings of the article suggest that FBOs play a critical role in the disengagement and deradicalization process of countering the ideological and radical messages of Boko Haram. However, challenges such as the lack of effective stakeholder involvement in the various initiatives by the state in counterterrorism, fear of reprisal and attacks, lack of unison by various FBOs and clerics in countering these negative messages, and the inability of relevant stakeholders in addressing structural factors such as poverty, social and economic exclusion, and unemployment that give rise to radicalization amongst other challenges, have impeded the effectiveness of the FBO sector in its counter-radicalization efforts in Nigeria. To address these challenges, the article proposes a bottom-up approach to counterterrorism that provides room for the multi-sectoral involvement of major stakeholders, especially FBOs, to complement pre-existing initiatives and other measures to counter the negative weaponization of religion by radical and rogue clerics, and also to prevent Boko Haram from expanding its frontiers.

The Role of Faith Based Organizations in Development: A Critical Analysis

There has been a relatively new dimension of development discourse to analyze the role of Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) in global development. In doing so, most of the academic literatures have addressed how FBOs positively contributed to the global development over the years. In contrast, there are some criticisms against the FBOs. This article attempts to elucidate three major criticisms against the FBOs including a. sectarian service provision, b. proselytization and c. terrorist financing. This article finds a mixed result arguing that there are limitations of FBOs in the concerned cases but those limitations do not reduce the significance of the FBOs in global development. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#63-64-; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2018 P 81-108

Multiple Identities in Faith-based Organizations: Exploring Status and Value Homophily in Idealized Partnerships

Research suggests that organizations tend to collaborate with others that share similar ascribed status, but focuses less on the role of value homophily. To advance a fuller understanding of how organizations select partners, this study examines the roles of—and relationship between—status and value homophily in interorganizational collaboration (IOC). Specifically, it examines the influence of value homophily (i.e., similar service, staff, and organizational identity) on three forms of status homophily ( attribute-based, geography-based, and institutional) in nonprofit collaborative aspirations. Survey data from 141 U.S. faith-based organizations (FBOs) revealed the differential impact of organizational and service religiosity on FBOs’ collaboration preferences. Specifically, findings suggest that organizational religiosity makes FBOs more restrictive, but service religiosity makes FBOs less restrictive in ideal partner selection. The results suggest theoretical contributions to communication research on IOC and social networks, as well as implications for navigating multifaceted organizational identities and cross-sector partnerships.