Men as part of the solution

Involvement of men in gender equality has been a major gap, not only in Southern African countries but a concern the world over. In Malawi, the NGO GCN is collaborating with Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) – Malawi to implement two key aspects of the Protocol: Gender Based Violence, and Health, HIV and AIDS.

MEGEN is a regional movement of men in 7 countries: Malawi, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, DRC, Mali and Rwanda formed in 2001 with the main objective of creating a core of male supporters for the long term campaign to eliminate GBV and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region.

This network is a society of men and women activists who engage in community sensitisation and education work, advocacy and campaigning to challenge unequal power relations between men and women and put an end to GBV.
One of the most remarkable activities of MEGEN during the Sixteen Days of Activism is the men’s community outreach programme called “Men Travelling Conference”. The network organises bus ride to from the urban areas to rural communities for men from all levels: Policemen, Military officers, members of the press, government officials, NGO members, magistrates, members of CBOs, chiefs, and villagers (See Figure 5above). The key focus is men reaching out to men and women in their homes, communities and villages with GBV and HIV/AIDS messages through theatre, distribution of IEC materials, and rapid response teams responding to questions from the communities.

Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) was initiated during a Men to Men consultation on gender – based violence (GBV), held in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2001 as an initiative to strengthen the women’s movement and was attended by men from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia and South Africa.