DRC: Engaging Men For Postive Masculinity

Makila showing his wife how to use a smartphone he bought for her in the backyard of
their home in Mboko. CARE

Makila and his wife Majaliwa live in Mboko, a village in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This region is marked by decades of violent conflicts leading to multisector needs, including protection. Inequality between women, girls, men, and boys is prevalent in this community, with women and girls bearing the weight of household chores rooted in traditional norms that exclude them from the management of the households.

Makila grew up in a family that made it clear to him that the male child has all the advantages over the girl child, and he took that in his marriage. “I was born in a family that prized and valued boys, and my sisters took care of almost everything. I wasn't supposed to cook or farm, just play soccer. I grew up with this mentality until I became an adult, got married and today I'm the father of 12 children and 7 grandsons”, he narrates.

Makila’s wife grew up in a family that taught her that the girl child is the one supposed to do all the housework since she is different from the boychild and curiously after her marriage that is exactly what she lived: “Doing all the housework on my own, going to farm on my own, and if I dare ask for help from my husband, I would experience his anger. I have really lived by the saying, in marriage, to be happy, the first thing to do is put a blanket over your eyes, meaning putting up with everything in the belief that this is how couple life is supposed to be” she narrates.

Makila cooking for his household. CARE

After being sensitized to become a good father and a good husband by attending men engage sessions in his village, Makila learnt how damaging his behaviour had been and vowed to change. “One day I thought I would give it a try by helping my wife on the farm. I joined her on the farm and asked her to let me help her so she could go home and rest. I realized that the work she was doing alone was hard and when I made it a habit to help her, I found that together we cultivated a large piece of land, I realized that farming together is much better, and from then on, I made the decision not to let her farm alone,” he added. 

Makila and his wife farming together in their farm in Mboko Village. CARE/Kevin Batumike

CARE believes that engaging men and boys in positive masculinity is a useful approach in prevention of gender-based violence by challenging social norms that discriminate against women.

Makila is now experiencing the result of involving his wife in the management of the household’ resources. They are now farming together and using the revenue generated from their harvest to invest in their future and that of their children. Thanks to their saving, they are now rearing pigs and they were able to help their child marry. Makila’s wife now feels considered, before she felt being an object of labor for her husband.

Makila and his wife on the front seats the day he was crown “man champion” in
his community in Mboko. CARE/Kevin Batumike

800 men finished the 14 sessions of the men engage curricular for a three-month period in 5 health areas of South Kivu organized by CARE. Of these 800 trained men, a sample of 50 (10 per health area) was crowned “men champion”. This sample was chosen based on their marked attendance, the moving testimonies of their wives and neighbors, and their willingness to testify publicly to the changes that the training had brought to their daily lives. 

DRC Joint Response (DRC JR) is a multisector project financed by the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA). The project is implemented by a consortium of 11 international and national organisations in 5 Health zones of North and South Kivu provinces of DRC. Protection is one of the sectors covered by CARE in the consortium and include men engage activities.