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The Barefoot Guide 3:
Mobilizing Religious
Health Assets for Transformation

Health, freedom and social justice cannot be separated. Anyone who loves a neighborhood, a nation or a small planet enough to work for its future, inevitably measures success by its health and well-being. How long do the neighbors live, and with what degree of freedom from the burden of illness? Do they have water, food, shelter and access to medical services?

Martin Luther King, who fought and died for political rights, could say that “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.” Health is one way to describe our capacity to be alive and to play our role as members of families and neighborhoods, indeed as citizens. But how does one choose life for the community? How do we as leaders make sure that our lives are about life and health?

The journey this Barefoot Guide will take you on is a response to those questions! The connection between religion and public health is important. This is not just an opinion but a fact. For example in Africa, depending on the country, anything between 20-70% of public healthcare is delivered through religious institutions or groups. This BFG focuses on understanding and working with that reality. Religious assets for health are everywhere, they matter to a lot of people, and they can be mobilized for the health of all.

It has chapters on: thinking differently about the health of the public; revisiting the history of the link between religion and public health; working with and mobilizing religious health assets; supporting the ‘leading causes of life’; understanding ‘healthworlds’ and the strengths of ‘people who come together’; boundary leadership; thinking about systems; and ‘deep accountability.’

What you are getting in this Barefoot Guide, then, is a way of understanding why we say that, and how you can use these ideas to take up the challenge of health in your own communities—whether you consider yourself especially religious or not! It is an invitation to take a journey, one whose goal is a better life for all.

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The Third Barefoot Writers Collective
Barefoot Guide 3

Primary authors:
James (Jim) R. Cochrane – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Gary R. Gunderson – Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA
African/International Health Assets Programme members who have contributed to one or
other element of this Guide:
Mary Baich – Vesper Society (until 2012), USA
Teresa Cutts – Center of Excellence in Faith & Health, Methodist Healthcare, Memphis, USA
Steve de Gruchy – University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Frank Dimmock – Lesotho, previously in Malawi
Paul Germond – University of the Witwatersrand (until 2010), South Africa
Mimi Kiser – Interfaith Health Program, Emory University, USA
Sinatra Matimelo – EngageHIV, Zambia
Deb McFarland – Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, USA
Sepetla Molapo – University of Pretoria, Lesotho
Jill Olivier – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Barbara Schmid – University of Cape Town, South Africa
Fred Smith – Wake Forest Medical Center, North Carolina, USA
Liz Thomas – University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
CDRA supportive contributions from:
Doug Reeler – Community Development Resource Association (CDRA), South Africa
Tony Saddington – Independent , South Africa
Editorial team: Jim Cochrane, Gary Gunderson, Teresa Cutts, Doug Reeler
Artist and Illustrator: Teboho Cochrane
Layout artist: Paula Wood (Paula Wood Design)

WHAT HAVE OTHERS SAID ABOUT THE bAREFOOT gUIDES...

The Barefoot Guides have been the key influences in my life and work… my constant companions in my community and organisational development work. 
Marie Corcoran-tindill, Trainer, Facilitator of community and group processes, Dublin 

The Barefoot initiative is itself an exciting expression of social change. 
Inez Hackenberg, Utrecht University 

As a trained action learning facilitator their guides have helped me work with grassroots communities in Myanmar and Thailand. 
Kevina Maddick, Program Manager at Right To Play, Bangkok 

The Barefoot Guide's transformative process… shows us the way to transcend borders, sectors, limits, to break the silos! 
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Barefoot Guide has been creating phenomenal content for the critical process of experiential reflection at both individual and organizational levels. 
Jesse Chen, Changemakers, Washington 

…a wonderful contribution to open access knowledge, grounded on a great depth of experience and horizontal learning from across the world. 
Samantha Button, East Africa Program Head, Maliasili 

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Muta Wakilu Tamasco, Ghana 

The Barefoot Guide Connection has a unique and truly transformational approach to collaboration, learning and facilitating social, transformational change across borders. 
Tobias Troll Director, EDGE Europe at EDGE Funders Alliance, Bruxelles 


This unusual and exceptional volume (and series) is hugely accessible yet deeply rooted in solid theory and extensive practice across a wide range of contexts and fields. Expect from it something truly unique in its combination of insight, reflection, experience and highly usable mixed text/visual presentation. It is not "dumbed down." I have seen it bite as deeply at high academic and professional level as at grassroots community leadership level, an astonishing achievement worth honouring. 
Professor Jim Cochrane Cape Town 

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