A couples’ program that engages expectant fathers and fathers of children under five, along with their partners, in group education sessions designed to promote men’s engagement in maternal, newborn, and child health; family planning; caregiving; and preventing domestic violence.
Bandebereho is a Rwandan program for expectant fathers and fathers of children under the age of five years, along with their partners, that is designed to promote men’s engagement in maternal, newborn, and child health; family planning; caregiving; and preventing domestic violence. The program is delivered by the Rwanda Men’s Resource Center – a non-governmental organization – and is part of a four-country initiative known as MenCare+.
The program consists of 15 group sessions for men (maximum 45 hours), of which their female partners are invited to attend 8 (maximum 24 hours). Trained community volunteers (local fathers) facilitate the sessions, meeting with the same group of 12 men/couples on a weekly basis. The sessions address gender and power; fatherhood; couple communication and decision-making; intimate partner violence (IPV); caregiving; child development; and male engagement in reproductive and maternal health.
The program’s cost is not reported in publicly available program materials, but is likely to be modest given the nature of the program activities. The program manual is linked here.