MenCare was featured on one of South Africa’s most popular morning shows – the Expresso Breakfast Show – at the end of 2013. The host introduced MenCare’s work and interviewed two local representatives: Sonke Gender Justice’s MenCare Government and Media Manager, Patrick Godana; and Executive Director, Dean Peacock.
Godana, born and raised in South Africa, said MenCare can help local men, like it helped him, to become better fathers: “I grew up seeing my father punching my mom from time to time but never kissing her in front of us. I didn’t get an understanding what it is to be a loving father. This is why this program is so close to my heart, to ensure men out there my own age begin to see things differently.”
Peacock, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of the program in reducing the country’s major public health issues: Gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. “The same gender roles that contribute to violence against women often encourage men to take risks when it comes to HIV infection.” Both men ended the segment with an appeal for local men to get involved in caregiving.