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

• Community leaders including traditional religious and municipal
leaders, teachers, etc.
Level of Intervention • Individual
• Family
• Community
• Municipality
Geographic
Location
• Eastern Cape Province – OR Tambo municipality
• KwaZulu-Natal Province – Nkandla municipality
Timeframe November 2006–November 2008
Funders
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Partner
Organizations
Implementation partners:
• Sizanani Village Trust
• Nkandla HIV/AIDS Network
• Umtata Child Abuse Resource Centre
• Siyakhanyis
IMPLEMENTATION AND RESULTS
Start-up and
Implementation
Process
The project conducted a participatory needs assessment with focus group
discussions with male, female, and youth stakeholders, between the ages
of 14 and 65, in Mthatha in 2006. These discussions focused on attitudes,
feelings, beliefs, and experiences about men’s roles regarding gender roles
and relations, HIV and AIDS, and child protection. They particularly focused
on identifying strategies that men could use to prevent violence and
respond to HIV and AIDS, and the ways in which these issues affect
children. One part of the discussion identified the barriers that prevent men
from participating more in fatherhood, care and support, or advocating
against violence against women and gender inequality. A common theme
among these discussions was that men must speak out and act against
violence in their community. Findings were used to shape the design of the
project.
In the initial phase of project implementation, local baseline research was
conducted around violence against women and children, health promotion,
HIV treatment and prevention, and care and protection of orphans and
vulnerable children. Sonke also trained partner organizations in using the
One Man Can methodology, which emphasizes community action for social
change through the formation of community action teams (CATs) in both
Nkandla (KwaZulu Natal Province) and in OR Thambo district (Eastern
Cape Province).
In addition, in the first nine months, project activities focused on 1)
developing new materials suited to encouraging men in rural areas to take
action, and 2) establishing support for and collaboration on the project
among a number of different stakeholders from government and civil
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