Reconsidering Notions of Masculinity in Africa to Improve Women’s Health

In a bid to equally distribute the responsibility for reproductive health between women and men, the programme takes a community approach to increase health-seeking actions using targeted social behaviour change communication strategies. Through these strategies, we are seeking to transform the attitudes of communities and empower men to be allies in support of improving women’s and girls’ access to quality reproductive healthcare. The programme has so far reached more than 1.4 million people, including over 300,000 who have been educated on family planning.

In West Africa, Pathfinder’s AmplifyPF project is working with youth in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Togo to address unhealthy gender norms that hinder their sexual and reproductive health. The project uses a peer-education approach where teams of young champions (male and female) are trained to provide information on and referrals for sexual and reproductive health care in their communities. The initiative has so far reached approximately 824,000 young people, creating a culture of mutual trust where young people view the champions as relatable and reliable health agents, and champions view their peers as the real decisionmakers when it comes to their own bodies.