Dakar, Senegal
AP
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In a recent evening in Senegal’s Dakar capital, an imam named Ibrahima Diane explained to a group of men why they should be more involved in the household chores.
“The Prophet himself says that men who do not support their wife and children are not good Muslims,” the 53-year-old said he bathed his baby and explained that he was helping his wife in other duties.
Some of the 14 men laughed, but they didn’t sell at all. Others applauded.
Diane was attending “School for Husbands.” This is a UN support initiative that encourages respected male community members to learn about and promote in their communities about the “positive masculinity” of health and social issues.
In Senegal, like many other West African countries with large or conservative populations, men often have final say in key household decisions, including those related to health.
Women may need permission to make life-changing decisions regarding family planning and access to other reproductive health services, along with hospital delivery or prenatal care.
After a school session for her husband, Diane will preach regularly during Friday prayers, discussing issues relating to gender and reproductive health, from gender-based violence to combating stigma surrounding HIV.
“Many women appreciate my sermon,” he said. “They say their husbands’ actions have changed since they attended them,” he said that several men told him that the sermons had encouraged him to become more caring husbands and fathers.
Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former Army commander, said he attended a sermon and discussion with the Imam and taught him about the risks of childbirth.
“When my son’s wife got pregnant, I encouraged him to take her to the hospital for birth,” Diallo said. “At first he was hesitant. He worried about the costs and didn’t trust the hospital. But when I explained how safe it was for both his wife and the baby, he agreed.”
The programme was launched in Senegal in 2011, but has attracted attention from the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection in recent years, and considers it an effective strategy to combat mother and infant mortality.
“Without male involvement, mothers’ health attitudes will not change,” said Aida Diuff, 54, a female health worker working with the program. Many husbands prefer that their wives are not treated by male healthcare workers, she said.
The class for husbands follows similar efforts in other African countries, particularly Niger, Togo and Burkina Faso, and states that the UN Population Fund has improved women’s access to reproductive health services by increasing male involvement, increasing the use of contraceptives by both men and women, and by increasing prenatal care and access to skilled births.
The discussion for men also focuses on the harmful effects of girls’ rights, equality and the female genital mutilation.
The program currently runs more than 20 schools in Senegal, with over 300 men being trained.
According to Senegal’s Gender Ministry, in some communities, men who once enforced patriarchal norms have promoted gender equality, leading to a decrease in the number of forced marriages and more acceptance of family planning.
Men join the group after being hired based on trust, leadership and commitment. Candidates must marry, be respected locally and support women’s health and rights.
After training, the men act as peer educators, visit homes and hold informal lectures.
“My husband used to not do much around the house so we just had to order. Now he actually cooks and helps out with his daily work,” said 52-year-old Khary Ndeye.
While mother and infant deaths in Senegal have declined over the past decade, experts say there is a long way to go. It recorded 237 mother deaths for every 100,000 births in 2023, but 21 newborns of 1,000 died within the first month. Globally, the United Nations hopes to reduce globally to 70 deaths per 100,000 births and 70 pregnancies under 12 years of age by 2030.
One important issue was that many women were giving birth at home, said El Hadmalik, one of the coordinators of the Senegal program.
“We are protecting people’s health by educating men about the importance of supporting their wives while pregnant, taking them to hospitals and helping out housework at home,” Malick said.
He said he still experiences difficulty in thinking about some issues.
“It’s sometimes tension because we just tell them about gender and it’s considered abstract or even foreign,” Malick said. Some men mistakenly believe that such stories promote LGBTQ+ issues.
“But when we focus on women’s rights to be healthy, it puts the human face in the concept and it becomes universal,” Malick said.
