Lesotho:Khubetsoana Men’s Club

Khubetsoana men’s club initiators to end gender based violence in the community.

Khubetsoana Men’s Club (KMC) is designed to strongly advocate, restore, empower develop and mobilize men to be dignified men, husbands, fathers and mentors in their families and the community. The aim is to become the initiators to end gender based violence in the community. Men need to be on the front line because if men are willing to stand up and take action for this, it will make  greater impact.

To teach men about Gender Based Violence (GBV) on activities against men and women, to help men understand and accept that GBV exists and is mostly caused by man. The organization is encouraging both men and women to open up and report GBV activities, to also create or organize conducive liaisons with men and local authorities or leaders. In addition, it is going to support existing structures and ideologies to eradicate GBV and create possible income generating projects that will assist men to support their families at the same time there will be reduction in economic abuse among family members.

The project has 5 women and 49 men that are benefited from this project, while indirect are 30 women and 15 men.

The Khubetsoana men’s club does not have budgets at the moment but used M6 200 in cash that was contributed by members to do other entertaining activities such as braai as to attract new members.

A total of 30 spouses have been indirectly empowered since the group members commenced monthly and weekly meetings on GBV, negative reports about our members have stopped. Further, about 30 men have changed positively towards gender issues.

Monitoring the success of the project, there are new intake of members, the organization is in the process of registration with law office. Looking out the type of monitoring and evaluation method and tool the organization is also meeting monthly, where there will be an agreement among members on how each will contribute to make sure that the number of people are growing.

In the group there are still members who say women are the same because they are victims of abuse by women, they have been in very disturbing relationships, this is one of the challenges the organization is going through. They members are still under on-going counselling to overcome challenges.

The project impacted other men in a positive way, for instance, members received the positive responses from about 30 men who have changed their behaviour and they most of them were not even aware that they were abusive to other people. Not only men but women too, they benefited indirectly especially the partners of men who are members of this association. Women are also having the association as a results of this organization.

We are seeking funding for other major activities intended to be carried out, with enough education group members are inviting more men to join them and preparing to do more lots of visits or outreach to other men’s groups. The trainings are flexible and the messages pass regardless of the locations, however, targeted places are taverns and other places men like to be in groups. These are the good ways to pass the massage in a successful way and have great results at the same time.