Final Evaluation: A Real Man Is (Kenya, Zambia)

Authors/editor(s): MOVE ON AFRIKA LTD

Location:  Kenya, Zambia

Grantee: Africa Alliance of YMCAs

Grant period: January 2016 – December 2018

Grant amount: $499,930

Publication year: 2019

Implemented by the Africa Alliance of YMCAs, the “A Real Man Is” project helped to combat violence against women in Kilifi and Mobasa in Kenya and in Lusaka and Kitwe in Zambia by addressing its root causes. The project aimed to:

• investigate the extent to which cyber violence influences manifestations of violence against women and girls;
• empower youth to embrace positive masculinity and thus achieve a transformative participation of young men in the civic sphere;
• organize and facilitate masculinity workshops and mentoring, community and workplace engagement, and intergenerational and gender dialogue; and
• strengthen institutional responses to violence against women and girls.

Main findings of the evaluation:

• 65 per cent of women and girls from target communities felt safe and protected in their respective communities, compared to 32 per cent before the project.
• 845 men and boys received training within the framework of masculinity workshops, with some participants testifying how the training had changed their perceptions about social norms and the role men and boys play in shaping initiatives that address gender inequalities and violence against women.
• Social media campaigns on positive masculinity and ending violence against women reached over 1 million people, and over 60 organizations in Kenya and Zambia joined the campaigns.
• 75 human resources staff from private sector companies were trained and sensitized on positive masculinity and ending violence against women.