CHASE Africa believes that it takes a community to tackle the cultural acceptance of some of the practices that prevent women from being able to realise their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
It is for this reason that it is necessary to educate everyone, including men, about voluntary contraception and women’s rights, so women are supported in their decisions.
Ishmael is a ‘male champion’, a role model in his community, who raises awareness about voluntary family planning in collaboration with Rhodha, a Community Health Worker. Scroll down to read his story.
Ishmael MCs as a hobby and uses the opportunity to share information about family planning as a male champion during his events.
Male champions, like Ishmael, are powerful allies in the fight for gender equality
Ishmael became a male champion for our local partner, Dandelion Africa, in 2013 , after finding out the benefits of family planning first-hand. For example, he sees the benefit of spacing children so that the parents have time to work and can afford to educate all their children. He now inspires others to make informed choices.
Family planning means that I am planning my life and I know how to put a gap into my children. It means a lot of things. It’s very useful because for now I have two boys. First born is 12 years and second born is still young, two years now. So you see it’s a great thing. After I get that gap of my children, I can manage them. My first born can go to school, my wife and I can get time for hustling (working).
Ishmael makes a living as a boda boda rider (a motorbike taxi) and his wife runs a fresh groceries stall in a local market.
It wasn’t easy for Ishmael to let go of his misconceptions and use family planning, as he explains below.
At first I didn’t know about family planning. And no one can convince me about this family planning because I get wrong information from other people. I refused it the first time. But the Youth Peer Mentors still come and talk to me, and talk to me, and talk to me, until I get that information in a good way.
Then I tell my wife, can we please try this. It was so hard for my wife to accept it. I talked to her and I continued talking to her. At the end, she accepted. After she accepted, we continue. But it was not that easy for her to accept it. For now, she like it. She like it and she continue to use it.
I decided to become a male champion as I wanted to help my community to get that information.
A men’s dialogue run by our local partner, The Maa Trust
I speak with men, also I speak with my community elders, and my Community Health Worker in my community so that we can come together and make sure we that talk to our boys and our men so that they know about contraceptives.
I make sure that I talk with my colleagues, my friends, my brothers and my community about contraceptives and make sure that they are using these methods of family planning. I like to be the champion in the community. I’m sharing the message one on one, sometimes if we have a meeting in the community, maybe we have a meeting for the chief and the elders from the community, using that opportunity to pass on the message for contraceptives.
One of the many challenges I experience in my role is sometimes when you are talking to other people they say, ‘This guy doesn’t know what he’s doing’. In my community sometimes you meet other people who don’t accept what you’re saying.
I’m collaborating with other male champions. In my community I have at least some people who are supporting me. And as I am collaborating with them we can pass on this message for contraceptives.
Rhodha and Ishmael collaborate to create change in their community
49-year-old Rhodha has worked as a Community Health Worker for 10 years. To tackle myths and misconceptions about contraception in her community, she collaborates with male champions like Ishamel, community elders, chiefs and religious leaders.
With their tremendous support my work has been made easier since male champions to talk to their peers and I invite community elders talk to the community during events, such as community dialogues, at churches and chief barazas. By using elders during community forums and events people easily get information about family planning.
Ishmael and Rhodha
I visit people in their homes and at times even during table banking sessions (a savings group) among women’s groups I go and teach them the importance of family planning.
I have seen a lot of changes in my community since women started using family planning, they now have time to run businesses and they are now able to cater for the needs of their children. I am overjoyed that in spite of the challenges I am facing, the community members are embracing and taking up the SRHR information and services.
Some of the myths I encounter when I work is some of the husbands claim that if their wives use family planning they will not ever conceive children while others claim it will promote promiscuity.
Rhodha has five children and when she is not working as a Community Health Worker, she runs a small-scale cereals and groceries stall.
Why is it important to engage men like Ishmael? Decision makers, who are often men, and elders can strongly influence the perception of family planning in the communities we work in. They have the power to either support, or negatively impact, women’s choices about their own bodies.
Through our programmes, faith leaders, elders, men, parents, teachers and young people are made aware of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
We have seen that, together, a community can help to reduce the high number of cases in East Africa of unplanned pregnancies, sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage and HIV infections. With access to the right information, women can also freely choose how many children they would like to have and provide for.
By improving the sexual and reproductive health of women, we can improve the health of families, communities and the wider environment. Not only do sexual and reproductive healthcare services save lives, but many argue that they are the cornerstone for poverty reduction, preventable deaths and gender equality.