Male participation in reducing early marriages

Narrative report

By Halumba Munachonga | Executive Director

1. REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During the past months Ndola Nutrition Organisation in partnership with GlobalGiving have been implementing a community based project enhance male participation in the fight against early, forced marriages in the rural areas of Masaiti District of Zambia; by engaging and dialoguing with 310 men and boys, formation of Men/Boys Take Action (MBTA) groups; addressing negative factors that exacerbate child marriages including community acceptance of early marriages, tradition and cultural norms that undermine girl's abilities to make decisions on their reproductive, education and health rights in rural areas.

2. PROJECT CONTEXT

Zambia is among the many countries in the Southern region of Africa that continues to be faced with high levels of gender based violence, teenage marriages and negative cultural beliefs that hinder the development of girls: including inadequate information and education on their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR). Young women and girls in the targeted communities have no opportunity to choose whether, when, and with whom to engage into sexual activity; to choose whether and when to have children; and to access the information and means to do so. The girls have no ability to seek, receive, and impart information related to sexuality, receive sexuality education, have respect for bodily integrity, choose their partner, decide whether or not, and when, to have children and pursue a satisfying, safe, and pleasurable sexual life.

3. PROJECT BACKGROUND.

To address the problems stated above immediate interventions were needed and as such Ndola Nutrition Organization partnered with GlobalGiving to raise the needed resources to undertake the project. The planned interventions aimed at increasing male involvement and participation in reducing the incidences of early, forced marriages and relationship of power imbalance by conducting community mobilization, awareness raising and small group discussions, formation of Men and Boys Take Action (MTA) groups in the targeted communities. The project will also build partnerships with women's clubs with intimate understanding of the issues of violence against women, patriarchal power relations, and gender equality.

4. PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To strengthen the capacity of men and boys in reducing early and forced marriages through community mobilization, formation of Men/Boys Take Action (MBTA) groups and awareness raising; engaging and dialoguing with the men, in rural communities of Masaiti District of the Copper belt Province of Zambia reaching 310 beneficiaries by December 2020.

5. PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVEMENTS PROGRAM STRATEGIES

Due to the COVID 19: The project is conducting its programming through: • Small group discussion • Household hold based dialogues • Online charts and conference based engagements

6. PROJECT IMPACT

The project has so far engaged and dialogue with 521 men and boys seeking to build their capacity to reduce early and forced marriages at community level against the target of 310 men and boys.