Partnering with faith leaders to build vaccine confidence

Building trust through faith: a new approach to childhood health in south east London

NHS South East London has partnered with Food for Purpose to promote child health within Black faith communities across Southwark and Lambeth. By working directly with trusted church leaders, the project aims to support healthier lives for Black communities in south east London.

Since May 2025, Food for Purpose has been engaging with Black African Majority Christian church leaders to explore their views on childhood immunisation, particularly the MMR vaccine. The project recognises that faith and culture play significant roles in shaping health beliefs and behaviours, and aims to create resources that are culturally, spiritually and scientifically grounded.

A group of key community leaders - including lead pastors and an African Christian health visitor, have helped shape this approach. Through conversation workshops with a diverse group of over 35 Nigerian and Ghanaian church leaders, community leaders and parents, as well as targeted surveys, the group have identified what matters most to the community.

Key themes and recommendations:

• The vital role vaccines have played in protecting children in Africa
• How to support healthy immunity during pregnancy and childhood
• Addressing concerns about autism and the MMR vaccine
• Understanding how Christian faith and vaccination align
• Information about other vaccines, including HPV, RSV and flu
• The connection between faith and preventive medicine
• How vaccines are developed, tested and monitored for side effects across different ethnic groups
• Hearing from Black Christian healthcare professionals during service time
• Content that reflects people’s culture, language and experiences

Next steps and how to get involved

Building on these insights, the key opinion leader group and NHS health experts co-produced a culturally relevant video that balances medical facts with the community's faith perspective.

The video was launched on 13 December 2025 at a breakfast meeting hosted by House on the Rock International Church, SE1 4TR.

Watch the video

This resource is intended for use within Black-led Christian churches, to support:

• Church-led discussions and workshops
• Parent and youth education sessions
• Community health events
• Faith-based conversations about immunity and prevention

Food for Purpose is reviewing feedback from the launch to understand its impact and decide next steps.