Of all the topics discussed in engaging men in gender equality, the issue of men and caregiving, including men’s involvement in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), remains absent and underexplored. Yet, to achieve greater and more sustainable change in gendered norms and practices, efforts need to focus on integrating men’s involvement in MNCH and caregiving within the health system.
MenCare partners ECPAT (Asociación para la Eliminación de la Explotación Sexual, Pornografía, Turismo y Tráfico Sexual de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes en Guatemala) in Guatemala and Puntos de Encuentro and the Red de Masculinidad (REDMAS) in Nicaragua worked within their countries’ existing health systems to promote men’s engagement in active fatherhood and MNCH. This report highlights that in both countries this work led to positive changes in understanding the importance of men’s role in caregiving and involvement in pre- and post-natal care, not only among men and women at the individual level, but also at the institutional level, resulting in policy change and promotion.