The Faithful House: Confronting Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships in the Church

This ten-page report, published by Catholic Relief Services, assesses the effects of The Faithful House (TFH) curricula on TFH trainers' attitudes and practices. TFH is a curricula focusing on fidelity. Facilitator trainees underwent a week of training in TFH in Rwanda (RW), Central Uganda (CU), and North Uganda (NU). Using the metaphor of a house, couples are progressively led through different rooms that include, among others: a foundation in God; four pillars of love, respect, faithfulness, and communication; walls representing their values; and windows of forgiveness. The study found attitudes were positive about HIV testing and about the ability of youth to practice abstinence.

The study was designed to determine what attitudes and behaviours changed due to couple discussion and peer mentoring during an interactive 5-day workshop. It aimed to better understand the attitudes and behaviours of church attendees related to multiple concurrent partnerships (MCP) and identify attitudes and behavioural intentions most and least consistently impacted by TFH curriculum. The ultimate objective was to increase the curriculum's effectiveness.

The study focused on couples who were being trained as facilitators in the programme. Ugandan respondents had previously participated in a Faithful House workshop whereas Rwandan respondents were comprised of a mixed group of couples who were new and those with previous exposure to the programme. Participating couples completed pre-tests, followed by a post-test immediately after the five-day training.

The study found that 88-94% of participants reported already having been tested for HIV; however, participants desiring spousal testing increased from 52% to 71% in CU and remained high at 74% in RW. The report states that there was a significant change in those who were likely to discuss sex with their children after the training (15% to 48% NU, 48% to 94% CU, 15% to 96% RW). The study found perceived levels of MCP in the church to be low: 29% of participants in CU, 50% in NU, and 49% in RW believed that less than 10% of men are involved in MCP. Participants ranked physiological reasons, social pressure, and entertainment as reasons for MCP. Among parishioners, 14-35% were willing to seek out church leaders to discuss infidelity.

Respondents expressed a change in pre- and post-test surveys regarding whether they felt they had the adequate skills to remain faithful. The results were statistically significant in CU (increased from 81% to 100%) and in RW (increased from 80% to 96%), while respondents in NU also reported an increase in their faithfulness skills (increased from 80% to 96%). To assess the attitudes of participants about equality in marriage, a question was asked about who was responsible for child care. Before the training, 77% in RW, 91% in NU, and 81% in CU said that both husband and wife were responsible for child care. This number rose in all countries to 94% (RW), 92% (NU) and 98% (CU). Before the training, RW had the highest number, 22%, of people who said that the wife alone was responsible for childcare. This decreased to 6% after the training.

The report notes that the attitudes that changed the least were those that are rooted in the deepest cultural beliefs and practices. For example, there was only a moderate shift toward greater disagreement with the statement that "men can produce offspring outside the marriage if their spouse is infertile". The report states that changing these more deeply ingrained beliefs and practices may require a strategy that incorporates more approval of alternative behaviour that is endorsed and promoted by a traditional or faith authority.

The study suggests that the greatest changes resulting from TFH training were found where the person exercises the most control: i.e. HIV testing, talking to kids about sex, and communicating with spouse about finances and sex. The study concludes that there is a need to train community and church leaders about what to do when confronted with MCP. Community leaders also need to be called upon to model good behaviour, and church leaders and TFH trainers need to receive more training. The study states that that even though avenues to address MCP, such as premarital counselling, already exist within church structures, these need to be strengthened to more effectively face new challenges.

For more information, contact:
Catholic Relief Services
info@crs.org