Introduction of the Fathers Club
The overall objective of the Fathers Club is to promote men’s equitable and nonviolent involvement as partners in maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), two key Sustainable Development Goals. Through this reflection, male participants become aware how gender-based discrimination negatively affect the lives of their partners, their children, and also men themselves. The Fathers Club provides a save space in which participants can reflect on their experiences as well as learn from the experiences of others. The goal is to help them begin developing and acting out gender equitable solutions that will have a positive impact on MNCH and SRH within their community.
Some of the topics discussed at a Fathers Club Meeting
- Value Clarification – The purpose of this activity is to debate and reflect on different perspective and opinions about men and women’s gender roles in society.
- Hours in a Day – The purpose of this activity is to discuss how men and women spend their time differently, and to identify ways that men and women can work together to enable women to work outside the home.
- The Man Box – This activity is to recognize the challenges men, especially fathers, face in trying to fulfil social expectations about gender roles, to understand the costs of such behaviour, and to convey that change is indeed possible.
