FAITH transcends the role of an organization by fostering a community built by and for those we serve. We are deeply committed to empowering individuals, encouraging active participation in decision-making, and enabling them to take control of their lives. This commitment is embodied in our name, Friends Affected & Infected Together in Hand (FAITH). We integrate this ethos across all levels of our organization, from the executive board to general membership and, where feasible, our staff—many of whom come from the communities we serve. All decision-making positions are held by women, underscoring our unwavering dedication to meaningful inclusion and empowerment.

At FAITH, we prioritize equality and equity as foundational principles, rejecting all forms of discrimination and affirming the inherent dignity of every individual. Our mission to dismantle stigma and bias drives our work at both grassroots and national levels. Through persistent advocacy, media engagement, and public outreach, we challenge stereotypes, confront biases, and spark critical dialogue on issues such as stigma, discrimination, violence, and the denial of basic human and health rights.

As a pioneer organization in Nepal, FAITH utilizes media and technology to transform societal norms surrounding marginalized populations. By producing documentaries, short films, public service announcements, and music videos, we humanize marginalized communities, educate policymakers and the public, and amplify the voices of those we serve. Our in-house media mobilization team ensures the creation and dissemination of impactful content that promotes positive role models and inspires change.

FAITH envisions its role as a collaborative bridge, working across diverse sectors to ensure marginalized populations lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Recognizing the interconnectedness of human rights movements, we align with the broader women's rights movement and foster strategic partnerships. Our collaborative approach strengthens networks and amplifies collective efforts to advocate for the rights and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized communities.

FAITH is broadening its scope to address the evolving needs of marginalized populations. Our initiatives empower and support female and trans sex workers, women who use drugs, women living with HIV, girls and women from indigenous and Dalit communities, individuals with disabilities, and those marginalized by geographic isolation, political exclusion, or economic hardships. We are committed to fostering equity, dignity, and empowerment for all within these communities.

At FAITH, along with our stakeholders, we have developed four strategic priorities that are important to achieving our vision. These represent areas where we must focus our efforts and assign resources. They build on our core strengths – innovation, advocacy and social mobilization – while expanding the work to mission-critical areas. It also commits us to being creative, agile, always learning and prepared to take risks to accelerate transformations in the society around us and beyond.

Successfully implementing our priorities will require us to invest in ourselves and lean on our distinct assets – our staff, board, and the larger, supportive community – as we seek to:

1. Design breakthrough and innovative campaigns for advocacy

We are recognized by our peers for innovative use of media platforms to draw national attention to important issues. As an organization, we will continue to invest in innovation – through art, theatre, documentaries – that confront harmful stigma and discrimination while promoting positive role models for the impacted communities. We also recognize that we need to pursue lasting partnerships with organizations that see the promise of new forms of media to shatter stigma associated with sexuality, gender, or people living with HIV, TB and other marginalized populations.

2. Advance Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Sex is still taboo. Parents don’t speak to children about it, teachers shy away from it and our textbooks skip the topic entirely. This can lead to unsafe and unhealthy sexual beliefs and practices, and, in cases, promote unhealthy relationships among partners. In extreme conditions, it can lead to discrimination and violence against women including female sex workers, sexual minorities. We believe it is important to expand our scope to advance the sexual health and reproductive rights agenda.

3. Mainstream Gender

As a community, we have made notable progress in raising awareness about HIV and achieving universal coverage of HIV services in Nepal. Women, however, continue to face harassment and discrimination and denied their right to treatment and support along with their sexual and reproductive health. The challenges faced by poor, marginalized women are substantial and we must continue to champion this agenda.

4. Transform into a learning organisation

We have a compelling vision – one that seeks to engage and inspire all of us. Achieving it requires us to transform FAITH into a learning organisation, one that is open and keen to learn from the community it serves, the staff, the board, and broader stakeholders. We have learned a lot through this journey but we haven’t always been good about documenting or translating the lessons into our organizational policies. As we look forward, we recognise that each of us – our employees to our network – must be equipped to create, acquire and translate lessons to transform our societies. We are committed to review ourselves from the ground up, while ensuring that learning occurs in every process, every unit, and every project.  We are compelled to learn and be prepared to take risks to accelerate change