OBJECTIVES

There has to date been little attention paid to how to engage young men in preventing gender-based violence. PROMUNDO aims to address the issue of gender inequity, domestic violence, and SRH problems, by working with “model” young men—men who hold more gender-equitable attitudes and behaviors, to attempt to change peer group norms.

BACKGROUND

The project began in 1996, and is currently being evaluated. PROMUNDO receives funding from various sources. The condom social marketing component received funding from John Snow Brasil.

SCOPE

The target population is young men, ages 15-24, in low-income “favela” areas of Rio de Janeiro.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

To recruit, train and supervise “gender-equitable” young men to serve as peer promoters in gender-based violence prevention and SRH education work.. PROMUNDO believes that having an opportunity for the youth to discuss and “make sense” out of violence they have experienced, can help to prevent the expression of that violence in their own lives. This is done utilizing a peer educator approach. The peer educators are given a stipend for their work. They are provided skills and leadership training.

To recruit adult mentor/facilitators to work with the peer educators-- since having more “gender-equitable role models” appears to be related to young men becoming less violent in their own lives.

To work with the peer promoters to develop educational materials for the project. In the first year of the project, a play about gender-based violence was developed, and used as a tool in outreach work. More recently, the peer educators have been involved in developing an educational video for young men.

To develop and implement a condom social marketing initiative, to broaden the SRH education component, and to develop an income source for the project’s work. An educational magazine was developed and sold along with a package of three condoms.

To document and disseminate program experiences, to encourage replication of the concept of engaging more “gender-equitable men” in violence prevention work.

MANAGEMENT FEATURES

Strategy

The project’s work is research-driven, and the core philosophy is that young men are part of the solution to gender violence.

Capacity-Building

The peer educators are involved in all aspects of the development of materials and educational programs. This helps to develop both their specific skills (in video production, for example), and their overall leadership skills.

Mobilising Resources

Through PROMINDO’s attitude of promoting males as “part of the solution”, the agency has tapped into progressive, non-violent men and male groups to work with them. Some of the men who were recruited as project facilitators, were already in a “male Consciousness” group.

Managerial Leadership

As stated in the group’s objectives, PROMUNDO has continually focused on disseminating both research findings and evaluation data from interventions, to the broader community at the local, national and regional level.

EVALUATION FINDING

PROMUNDO is in the process of conducting a two-year impact evaluation of its gender equity projects.