Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

MALE NORMS INITIATIVE
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS:
COUNTRY:
HIV PROGRAM AREA:
EngenderHealth
Instituto Promundo
Ethiopia, Namibia
Prevention, Care and Support
OVERVIEW:
Based on the Men As Partners Program (developed by EngenderHealth) and Program H (developed
by Instituto Promundo), the Male Norms Initiative seeks to increase the capacity of organizations to
address negative gender norms that affect HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. The
program achieves this by increasing capacity of existing programs to integrate male engagement
strategies at all levels (individuals, community, family, service provider, policy and advocacy),
depending on the focus of each organization’s HIV/AIDS program. This can include, for example,
training in how to reach out to men using a group education process, training health care providers in
male-friendly services related to HIV and AIDS, or helping organizations develop curricula that
address male engagement. The program also addresses gender-based violence in the context of HIV
and AIDS. The program to date has assisted 50 organizations and institutions in Namibia and 10–12
in Ethiopia. The program has learned that to effect change, it is important to avoid labeling men solely
as perpetrators. Also, working with different stakeholder levels is essential to creating change. If work
is done only with individual men while the larger community is unaware or has not bought in to new
norms, the men will face pressure to revert to the previous gender norms.
BACKGROUND
HIV & AIDS
Program Goals
The Male Norms Initiative is a subprogram under the Access, Quality, and
Use in Reproductive Health (ACQUIRE) Project. Its main goal is to increase
the capacity of organizations and institutions to change harmful gender
norms that put men and women at risk of HIV transmission, and to promote
the positive engagement of men in this process.
Gender Strategies
Addressed
Reducing violence and coercion
Addressing male norms and behaviors
Increasing women’s legal protection
Increasing women’s access to income and productive resources
Other:
Description of
Intervention
The Male Norms Initiative provides technical assistance (through
EngenderHealth and Instituto Promundo) to organizations and institutions
to strengthen their capacity to address gender-related issues within preexisting
HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs. The Male
Norms Initiative uses principles drawn from the Men As Partners program
and Program H to teach specific, evidence-based strategies to address
male norms, reduce gender-based violence, and promote gender equity
within existing community-level programs. At a national policy level, the
program advocates for including attention to male norms within HIV
programming.
The program helps organizations encourage men and communities to
understand how existing gender norms contribute to gender-based
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