Male Engagement
Across countries, continents, and topic areas, Breakthrough ACTION provides global leadership and innovation to the design of male engagement programs and research.
Through this work, men engage in activities such as multi-country vaccine promotion (AFCON), supporting peers through HIV testing (Cote d’Ivoire), and seeking care through men’s health days (Zambia). Addressing the need for uniform guidance of male engagement activities, Breakthrough ACTION designed and disseminated the Know, Care, Do Theory of Change, and online training. Staff from Breakthrough ACTION contribute to the global advocacy and agenda setting for this work through the Male Engagement Task Force, which regularly hosts webinars and develops knowledge products to a growing body of practitioners.
Focus On
Men in FP/SRH
The Male Engagement Compendium is a resource designed to increase access to materials that facilitate engaging men and boys in health programming. Leveraging the structure of the Know, Care, Do Theory of Change, the Breakthrough ACTION team crowdsourced, reviewed, and curated male engagement curricula that was published after 2010. Filters enable identification of relevant materials by resource type, approach, technical area, and type of engagement with men and boys.
Featured Resources
Engaging Men as Contraceptive Users: Materials for Vasectomy Advocates
Breakthrough ACTION’s package of evidence-based resources can help family planning program planners advocate for the inclusion of vasectomy.
Know, Care, Do: A Theory of Change for Engaging Men and Boys in Family Planning
Breakthrough ACTION developed a theory of change to help family planning practitioners engage more effectively with men and boys.
Together We Decide: A Game for Building Health and Harmony Within Families
This card game helps couples explore child spacing choices and gain comfort in discussing these topics with each other and health providers.
Why we do this work
The Breakthrough ACTION team takes pride in its leadership and technical innovation in the area of male engagement. This work reflects an understanding that men as clients, supportive partners, and agents of change are influenced by a host of social and biological factors that requires an in-depth understanding of local context, cooperation, and an intersectional approach that strives to improve health outcomes for men, women, and children around the world.
