MPOTALINGA, THE GENDER CHAMPION

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Story 1: The man who changed for the better 

In GVH Chitseko of Nsanje District, Lovemore Mpotalinga is considered a Gender Champion. Prior to being named a Gender Champion, Mpotalinga was known in the village to be a heavy drinker, he regularly used obscene language and was reportedly abusive to his wife.

He would spend days drinking not providing for his family. His children were unable to attend school due to the lack of basic necessities such as clothing and writing materials. His family often faced food shortages, which resulted in his children becoming malnourished.

His community decided to give him a life-changing task and selected him to act as a Gender Champion with the USAID Office of Food for Peace-funded UBALE project which is implemented by CARE in Nsanje District. This marked the beginning of new life for Lovemore Mpotalinga and his family.

As a Gender Champion, Mpotalinga was asked to reaching out to people in his community and share messages and information that support transformative thinking around gender and gender roles. While acting as Gender Champion in his community, Mpotalinga began to change, he dropped the habits that had negatively impacted his family. He started valuing his wife and children and the contribution they made to the wellbeing of the household. He reduced his drinking and started empowering his wife to make critical decisions for the household.

The change sparked a new beginning for Mpotalinga and other men. Within the community he increasingly became a role model and had the opportunity to take on additional roles including serving in the community policing forum and participating in the Mbwazi youth club. 



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