We’re proud to announce that our FaithAction team have been commissioned by the Public Health Division of Birmingham City Council to work with Sikh and Christian communities across the city to help alleviate health inequalities.
The team will be shaping local faith leaders, through both support and funding, to become champions of health within their community—by providing information as a trusted source, signposting to relevant services, and running their own funded initiatives to support the health of local people.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the inequalities of health in certain communities, while also having a profound negative effect on health—exacerbating many existing issues and introducing new ones that continue to have a presence to this day.
Birmingham City Council recognised the need for a targeted response to these inequalities, which resulted in commissioning a number of partners, including FaithAction, to work with local people to develop bespoke health-focused projects for the areas that need them the most.
The FaithAction team often say that faith is ‘first in and last out’, with faith groups providing key support throughout the pandemic, from delivering food and medicine to acting as vaccination centres. It is this ethos that gives these Faith Champions a unique insight into the issues of their community and a unique reach to support those in need.
FaithAction are currently holding a holding a series of focus groups for the Christian and Sikh communities to identify current health-related issues that are prevalent in the area and to discuss ways in which the faith community can help to address them.
These focus groups are open to those that wish to share their experiences and views on what health issues their communities face, and for those who are interested in finding out more about the funding available for local faith settings.