Religion and Public Life: Engaging and Empowering the Community

Faith Community Internship and Research
EOSA Sponsored

Study #2: Interfaith Initiatives for Health and Wellness: Empowering Communities for Improved Wellness in Eastern North Carolina
Dr. Mary Nyangweso

RELI 4900/3500

Interfaith Initiatives for Health and Wellness: Empowering Communities for Improved Wellness in Eastern North Carolina.” The goal is to explore how interfaith conversations and initiatives on health disparities can empower behavior towards improved health in Eastern North Carolina. Health disparities are linked to social determinants such as income, social status, social support, availability of health services, cultural beliefs, and inequality. Marginalized communities are mostly affected by health disparities as minority groups suffer a greater prevalence of illness and experience higher death rates than other populations due to health disparities. Health concerns such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental illness, and reproductive health, are common in minority populations.

This project is funded by East Carolina University’s Engagement and Outreach Scholars Academy (EOSA) program which promotes engaged education for regional transformation and improves quality of life. The realization that health disparities are linked to social determinants including cultural beliefs, and religious values is central in developing holistic approaches that empower marginalized communities’ health outcomes.

Internship Opportunities

RELI 4900 / RELI 3500: Interfaith Initiatives for Health and Wellness: Faith Organizations Transform Communities. Interested students are invited to join Dr. Nyangweso to pursue an internship project on faith-based initiatives and Health Outcomes. In collaboration with the Churches Outreach Network of Greenville North Carolina, Dr. Nyangweso leads projects that engage community-based scholarship and research designed to investigate and highlight the intersection of interfaith congregations, policy making and community development. Churches Outreach Network is one of our community partners, but other partners can be explored with individual students. The project is designed to explore, engage students, interested faculty and community partners towards collaborative efforts towards social transformation and community development.

Community Partners links: Churches Outreach Network: Feeding and Helping the Hopeless