HomeOur WorkFaith & DevelopmentCelebrating Families

Celebrating Families

Through practical tools and courageous reflection, Celebrating Families helps parents, caregivers, and communities heal, reflect, and actively build peaceful, safe, supportive environments where children flourish.

Guided by faith, grounded in love

Celebrating Families is a faith-based positive parenting program that equips parents, caregivers, faith leaders, and communities to create safe, nurturing environments where children can thrive. This model addresses the underlying beliefs, convictions, and cultural norms that contribute to harmful child-rearing practices, promoting more nurturing beliefs, convictions, and cultural norms in the home and community.

From Principles to Practice

Through three-day workshops, participants gain practical tools, skills, and insights to strengthen family relationships. Parents reflect on their own childhoods to better understand their parenting styles, break negative communication patterns, and adopt strategies that foster peaceful, respectful interactions with their children.

The program culminates in a written commitment to change, building personal accountability and a shared responsibility to protect and uplift children, with follow up peer support groups that meet after the workshop. This process both transforms individual families and cultivates a broader culture of care and protection.

Independent research by Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (2018) in Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Tanzania confirmed that Celebrating Families strengthens family relationships and contributes to positive outcomes in child protection, health, and nutrition. The studies also found the model to be effective in challenging and changing harmful cultural, social, and gender norms.

World Vision began implementing Celebrating Families in Tanzania in 2013. By 2018, the program had expanded to 14 of the country’s 33 regions, reaching 41 districts. The sessions helped parents strengthen bonds with their children, deepen their understanding of education and play, and promote more loving and respectful family relationships.

The program contributed to notable reductions in female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and child runaways in the areas studied. It also fostered healthier marriages by encouraging forgiveness and teaching love languages. One unexpected yet powerful result was the informal spread of Celebrating Families messages — shared at family gatherings and community events, these principles extended well beyond church settings into broader society.

In partnership with Fuller Theological Seminary, World Vision conducted a six-month evaluation involving over 2,200 parents and caregivers across 12 countries. The evaluation confirmed that Celebrating Families transforms hearts, minds, and parenting practices.

Initial results showed that participation in workshops and follow-up support groups led to major shifts in attitudes and behavior:

  • Parents were less than half as likely to shout at their children six months after the workshops (Fig. 1).
  • Reports of physical discipline declined significantly (Fig. 2).
  • Children were less likely to witness domestic violence (Fig. 3).
  • Children reported greater hope, stronger relationships, and increased awareness of God’s love.
  • The greatest parenting improvements were seen among the poorest families.

These changes underscore the program’s potential to break cycles of harm and create nurturing environments where children can truly flourish.

Celebrating Families Research & Resources

View All Research & Resources
Secret Link