From Dialogue to Community Action: Mind-Heart Dialogue Trainings in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Malawi

Between July and August 2026, The African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace held three-day Mind-Heart Dialogue (MHD) skills training for religious leaders, traditional leaders, women and youth Trainers of Trainers (ToTs) in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Malawi. The trainings adapted the Journey of Change approach on harmful social norms, focusing on female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage.

As part of the Faith and Positive Change for Children, Families and Communities (FPCC) initiative, Mind-Heart Dialogue brings together evidence, faith, values and lived experience to help religious and community actors examine deeply rooted social norms and translate reflection into positive behavioural and community change.

Dr. Rozilla Adhiambo, Regional Advisor – Integral Human Development Programme at ACRL-RfP, led the three trainings using the MHD methodology.

Each training followed the same path. Day one explored faith, childhood and harmful social norms; day two focused on identifying desired changes, positive alternatives to harmful practices and facilitating community dialogue; day three examined community roll-out and sustaining change.

Sierra Leone ( 29–31 July 2026)

Training was held with UNICEF Sierra Leone, and brought together 26 participants, including three Paramount Chiefs. UNICEF technical officers took part, as did a UNDP representative who chairs the national CSOs association.

Pre– and post–training assessments indicated increased participants’ knowledge and readiness to facilitate dialogue. One religious leader who is also a social media influencer stated that they will use platform to advocate for ending FGM and child marriage. Participants also discussed how terms such as FGM, Bondo and Sunnah are used interchangeably, highlighting the importance of clear and context-sensitive terminology when engaging communities on harmful practices.UNICEF committed to supporting a harmonized taxonomy of FGM terminology and digitization of the Mind–Heart Dialogue Facilitator’s guide.

Guinea (10–12 August 2026)

The training brought together religious, traditional and community stakeholders. Youth, women, an Imam and a Reverend jointly led the opening prayer. They reviewed DHS data on FGM and child marriage, examined myths  and realities using the Seeds of Change toolkit and practiced community dialogues.

Participants were divided into four groups to examine the experiences and challenges of children at different stages and reflected on the messages of sacred texts relating to the protection  and health of children.

Moving from reflection to action, participants developed action plans that will be consolidated into a single plan for the Guinea Interreligious Council. Participants also committed to cascading MHD beyond Conakry.

One participant summarized  the experience by stating: “ What we have learnt goes straight to the heart”

Malawi (25–27 August)

The training was co-facilitated with UNICEF. A key takeaway from the discussion was that both boys and girls can be affected by child marriage, nevertheless, girls are disproportionately impacted, highlighting that they get pregnant and drop out of school. The discussion identified adolescents aged 13–17 as particularly at risk.

Participants shared numerous stories, both positive and negative. One was of an orphan at risk of child marriage who was moved from rural area to Lilongwe and supported through college. She is now a teacher, married and a mother of three. This story represents the impact of timely intervention.The other brought focus on the need for communities and leaders to identify risk before harmful practices occur: tragic report of a 13-year-old girl who was forced into early marriage and died during childbirth.

Participants also reflected on the case of a 13-year-old girl who had been forced into an early marriage and later died during childbirth, underscoring the importance of identifying and addressing risks before harmful practices occur.

Contributors used the Dialogue Circle, String Game, Bean ranking and Power Walk Activities and practiced dialogues in three groups representing Machinga, Mangochi and Dowa. The groups also discussed using social media and local radio and emerging traditional leaders, teachers, government authorities.

On the final day, the groups developed 90–day action plans to guide the roll–out of MHD, which PAC Malawi will consolidate into one plan for the institution.

Across the three countries, the trainings reinforced that Mind-Heart Dialogue is not intended as an end in itself, but as a pathway towards community action. Participants developed plans to cascade dialogue within their communities, engage religious and traditional leaders, and strengthen efforts to address harmful practices. The next phase will focus on supporting participants to translate these commitments into concrete community-level action and documenting learning from implementation.