By Vincent Gunde
The Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare is conducting district-level dissemination of the National Male Engagement Strategy, aimed at positioning men and boys as agents of change for gender equality.
The Ministry says engaging males is a critical intervention if Malawi is to achieve gender equality, protect women and girls from violence, prevent HIV, and improve Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Officials noted that meaningful social change requires men and boys to be co-opted, capacitated, and transformed so they can positively influence their peers toward a more gender-equal society.
The National Male Engagement Strategy 2023–2030 provides guidance for planning, implementing, coordinating, and monitoring programs that involve men and boys as partners in advancing gender equality.
It is being implemented in collaboration with key government ministries, NGOs, the private sector, and Faith-Based Organizations, among other stakeholders.
Presenting the Strategy to Dowa District Council, the Ministry’s Principal Gender and Development Officer, Japhet Chirwa, said it sets the direction for interventions that enhance male participation in gender equality, GBV prevention, HIV response, and SRHR.
Chirwa said the long-term goal is a Malawi that is gender equitable, healthy, and free from Gender-Based Violence and HIV and AIDS.
He added that the Strategy seeks to promote effective male involvement in ending GBV, reducing new HIV infections, and increasing participation in SRHR services, including HIV treatment and care.
“The Strategy will use gender-transformative, integrated, multi-sectoral, participatory and community-led approaches,” Chirwa said.
“It will also apply human rights, peer-to-peer, leadership mobilization, and intergenerational methods to reach more men and boys.”
Chirwa said the Ministry has already disseminated the Strategy to 23 District Councils, targeting Gender Technical Working Groups and District Executive Committees.
He stressed that community-based approaches are essential for shifting attitudes and behaviors among men and boys.
Integrating male engagement activities into existing programs, he added, will be key to effective implementation.
In his remarks, Dowa District Council Director of Planning and Development, Phillimon Maseko, thanked the Ministry for mobilizing resources to bring the dissemination to the council.
Maseko appealed to the Ministry to allocate additional resources so the Strategy can reach communities directly.
He assured the Ministry that the council, working with Civil Society Organization partners, will support implementation and ensure no one is left behind.
The dissemination was conducted in collaboration with the National AIDS Commission, with financial support from the Global Fund.
