The Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (RWAMREC), the coordinator of MenCare+ Rwanda, hosted a three-day exchange meeting for MenCare+ partners from Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa from May 18 to May 21. Equimundo and Rutgers WPF, the coordinating organizations for MenCare+, were represented by their respective directors and other staff members involved in the implementation of the MenCare+ project. The partner meeting was held in Rubavu on the shores of the beautiful Kivu Lake at the Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) borders.
MenCare+ is a three-year, four-country collaboration between Rutgers WPF and Equimundo created to engage men aged 15 to 35 as partners in maternal, newborn, and child health and in sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The objective of the meeting was to share the process and progress of implementing the MenCare+ program in the four countries, to learn from each other’s experiences – especially in terms of advocacy – and to strengthen the partnership.
During the meeting, participants shared MenCare+ country updates, discussed advocacy work and explored the sustainability of the MenCare+ project. The meeting also included a site visit to observe group education sessions for fathers, young men and young women in the Musanze District.
The MenCare+ meeting allowed partners to learn about the different challenges and opportunities that different country contexts present, and to collaborate toward the shared goal of getting men involved in maternal, reproductive and sexual health and rights.