MenCare is excited to welcome new country partners in Pakistan, Portugal, and Switzerland to the global campaign! Equimundo-Europe in Portugal, masculinities.ch and the Swiss Institute of Masculinities and Gender Issues in Switzerland, and the AMAL Human Development Network in Pakistan joined MenCare this year to work on research and community campaigns that support men’s active involvement in fatherhood and caregiving.
PORTUGAL
In March, Portugal launched its MenCare campaign, “Eu sou pai” (in English, “I am a father”), led by Equimundo-Europe, using health centers as a key entry point for spreading messages about the importance of paid paternity leave and the benefits of active fatherhood. The campaign is working to raise awareness and decrease stigma around involved fatherhood by engaging men and health providers as agents of change in their families and communities. Learn more about the campaign launch below.
SWITZERLAND
Switzerland’s MenCare campaign aims to create a shift in social norms and to prevent child abuse by engaging men in gender equality, by increasing their participation in caregiving, and by targeting and transforming inequitable attitudes and cultural values related to fatherhood. Led by masculinities.ch and the Swiss Institute of Masculinities and Gender Issues, MenCare Switzerland will be implemented from 2015 to 2017.
PAKISTAN
AMAL Human Development Network, a youth-focused HIV and AIDS action group, also joined MenCare in March as a country partner in Pakistan. AMAL works to raise awareness and advocate for the prevention, treatment, and awareness and of HIV and AIDS, particularly among marginalized youth and women. The organization’s MenCare work will focus on men’s attitudes and behaviors related to caregiving, as well as the linkages between fatherhood, masculinities, and gender-based violence in Pakistan.