Men As Partners® Expands Its Global Reach and Impact

Spring 2007 Focus Men As Partners® Expands Its Global Reach and Impact

Manoj is a man on a mission. His work is his passion, and he is always looking for new, innovative ways to reach people. A peer educator and counselor in his home state of Uttar Pradesh, India, Manoj is motivated to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic by a very personal reason: Manoj was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 2002. Recently, Manoj participated in trainings and workshops given by EngenderHealth’s Men As Partners® (MAP) Program, and he is excited about his new knowledge and skills. He says, “It’s the first time that something like this is happening in India.... MAP is a very unique approach because it not only makes men aware of their responsibilities, it also makes their sexual partners aware of their rights.”

Working with Men to Promote Health and Gender Equity Around the world, women carry disproportionate responsibility for reproductive health. And while women receive Men march to a police station in Soweto, South Africa, to the bulk of reproductive health education, gender dynamics submit a petition calling for action against domestic violence. can sometimes render women powerless to make decisions. Recognizing the need to reach out to men with services and HIV testing; advocates for change in public policies about education that enable them to share in the responsibility for health; and leads mass media campaigns to challenge reproductive health, EngenderHealth launched the MAP widespread attitudes about gender. Established in 1998, Program in 1996. The program helps men play constructive the South Africa MAP Program has garnered much atten- roles in promoting gender equity and health in their fami- tion in the international community, including a nomi- lies and communities. nation for a prestigious Red Ribbon Award at the XVI Since its inception, MAP has become a global phenom- International AIDS Conference in August 2006. enon, expanding to 13 countries to date. EngenderHealth In addition to South Africa, EngenderHealth and its does not employ a “one size fits all” approach when bring- partners maintain longstanding MAP programs in India, ing the MAP Program into a new country—instead, MAP Kenya, and Nepal, and lead activities in countries such is tailored to the unique needs of each community. as Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, and In South Africa, for example, a country with high rates Nigeria. Some of MAP’s recently launched projects include: of both gender-based violence and HIV infection, MAP partners with local and national organizations to tackle Empowering HIV-Positive Men in India these twin epidemics. The South Africa MAP Program The MAP Program has made a dramatic entrance into implements workshops to explore gender roles; promotes India, which is currently home to the world’s largest popu- the use of counseling services to encourage voluntary lation of HIV-positive individuals. In Uttar Pradesh and

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Participants in a march to promote HIV awareness assemble in Gujarat, India.

Gujarat, two of India’s most populous states, the MAP home and their high mobility, truck drivers are generally Program trains HIV-positive men to educate their peers regarded as a high-risk group for HIV infection. Their about HIV prevention. So far, more than 40 peer educators desire for entertainment and female companionship, are spreading the word about male responsibility to prevent coupled with their relatively high salaries compared with HIV transmission. the rest of the population, makes them more likely to Entire communities are also being mobilized to take use the services of commercial sex workers. In workshops an active stand against HIV/AIDS. On World AIDS Day led by MAP trainers, truck drivers are encouraged to 2006, a MAP-sponsored march to promote HIV aware- challenge attitudes about gender that can increase the risk ness in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, attracted more than 1,000 of HIV infection. people, including local celebrities and government offi- cials. Among the speakers at the march were HIV-positive Educational Theater in Botswana and Swaziland peer educators trained by the MAP Program. Botswana and Swaziland have been hit especially hard by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with more than a quarter Reaching Truck Drivers in East Africa of their populations infected with HIV. EngenderHealth In September 2005, EngenderHealth joined the South Africa is currently introducing the MAP approach to Transportation Corridor Initiative (TCI) Roads Project, Botswana and Swaziland through thought-provoking educa- which aims to prevent HIV infection among truck drivers. tional theater to raise awareness about HIV. Led by a consortium of international organizations, the TCI The productions involve MAP participants at all stages, Roads Project focuses on three main transport routes in East from script development to the actual performance. Young Africa, including the heavily traveled route from Mombasa, people in each country first attend a skills-building work- Kenya, to Kampala, Uganda. shop to discuss and challenge their own attitudes about gen- Due to the long periods of time they spend away from der. They then write a theater piece that integrates their own

• www.engenderhealth.org Men As Partners® Expands Its Global Reach and Impact lessons about HIV and violence against women. Following the workshop, they perform for various communities throughout Botswana and Swaziland, constantly evaluating and refining the drama to best communicate their message.

Leading a Global Movement EngenderHealth is one of the founding members of MenEngage, a global alliance committed to research, interventions, and policy initiatives that engage men and boys to reduce gender inequalities and promote the health and well-being of women, men, and children. Established in

2006, MenEngage also includes several major interna- Members of MenEngage gather in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, tional organizations, such as Instituto Promundo (Brazil), for a regional meeting. Save the Children–Sweden, and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, as well as local and national groups. in Latin America is scheduled for summer 2007. MenEngage is currently building membership MenEngage has already attracted considerable atten- networks in five regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin tion in the international community. At the meeting in America, South Asia, Europe, and North America. Two Kathmandu, MenEngage was invited to partner with the meetings have been held, one in Dar-es-Salaam (for United Nations Development Programme, the United African organizations) and one in Kathmandu (for Asian Nations Population Fund, and the United Nations organizations), at which regional and country-wide Development Fund for Women on a five-year campaign to professional networks were established. A similar meeting end gender-based violence in South Asia.

Local residents near Manzini, Swaziland, watch a play that explores communication within romantic relationships.

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Demonstrated Effectiveness, Continued Expansion In recent years, evidence has mounted that programs such as MAP are effective in transforming attitudes and behaviors. Together with the World Health Organization, MenEngage is publishing an evaluation of 57 different programs showing their meaningful impact on public health. Identifying more than two-thirds of the programs as either promising or effective, the report is the first large-scale analysis showing the value of working with men and boys. EngenderHealth’s contributions to the report include the success of its MAP Programs in Nepal and South Africa. The MAP Program in Nepal (led by the ACQUIRE Project, of which EngenderHealth is manag- Men participate in a MAP workshop to prevent gender-based violence and HIV infection in Soweto, South Africa. ing partner) is addressing high rates of maternal mortal- ity by training peer educators to teach other men about participants (71%) believed that women should have the pregnancy complications and the need for obstetric care. same rights as men, compared with only 25% of men who As a result, communities in Nepal have shown an increase did not participate in MAP activities, and 82% of the in contraceptive use, an increase in the number of men MAP participants thought that it was abnormal for men who have accompanied their wives to clinic appointments, to sometimes beat their wives, compared with 38% of and an improvement in men’s knowledge of and attitudes men who did not participate in the MAP program. toward their pregnant wives’ health needs. Building on these accomplishments, the MAP Program Dramatic indications of success have also emerged continues to thrive and innovate, with plans to expand to from South Africa’s MAP Program. A rigorous evaluation Ethiopia, Namibia, and Tanzania soon. As one MAP advo- of men who participated in MAP workshops in Western cate says, “We’re on a forward journey from which there Cape Province revealed that such interventions translate is no looking back. For me, this is a mission that gives me into measurable changes in their attitudes. Most MAP the strength to survive and a future to look forward to.”

©2007 EngenderHealth. Men As Partners is a registered trademark of EngenderHealth. Printed on recycled paper. Photo credits: p. 1, L. Gubb/EngenderHealth; p. 2, S. Seth/EngenderHealth; p. 3 top, A. Levack/EngenderHealth, and bottom, K. Klindera/EngenderHealth; p. 4, O. Gutierrez/EngenderHealth.

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