WINGS for Men

 

The importance of including men as partners in sexual and reproductive health programming has become an increasingly important global development priority since being a focus in both The International Conference on Population and Development and The Fourth World Conference on Women in 1994. Men’s participation plays a crucial role in efforts to address the world’s most pressing reproductive health problems, fostering safe motherhood and practicing responsible fatherhood. Men are often denied their right to reproductive and sexual health through gaps in information and service provision on a global level. Yet, men commonly hold the decision-making power in the home, which compromises women’s ability to make decisions regarding their reproductive and sexual health.

Initiated in 2007 and the first of its kind in Guatemala, the WINGS for Men program aims to ensure that men in Guatemala are participating actively and positively in their sexual and reproductive health. To achieve this goal, the program utilizes a multi-component approach that provides education and referrals for services in a manner that protects the reproductive health of both men and women and that encourages greater sensitivity to gender issues. The principal program activities include:

  • Community workshops:  WINGS for Men educators lead groups of 10-12 men in the departments of Escuintla and Chimaltenango through six educational modules covering  sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, responsible fatherhood, partner communication, sexually transmitted infections, and family planning methods;
  • Communication campaign:  the Program implements a behavior change communication campaign targeted at men that promotes sexual and reproductive health and responsible fatherhood.  Information is distributed by means of posters, postcards, and pamphlets as well as through radio spots aired on national and community radio stations and spots distributed with music CDs to bus drivers;
  • Peer education: the Program trains men in Escuintla and Chimaltenango to serve as advocates and information resources for sexual and reproductive health for men in their communities; and
  • Capacity building:  the Program provides public sector health provider trainings and capacity building for other institutions on how to provide sexual and reproductive health care for men and how to create more male-friendly spaces in health centers.

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