Namibia

Namibia gained its independence in 1990, and since then has made remarkable gains in social and economic conditions. While more than 75 percent of Namibian women deliver babies with the assistance of skilled birth attendants, life expectancy for women and men alike actually has fallen as a direct result of HIV:  an estimated 20% of the country’s 2.1 million people are living with HIV. As part of a larger effort to halt the spread of HIV, Namibia is one of the countries where EngenderHealth’s Men As Partners® program is active.  

Men As Partners
Gender norms—societal expectations of men’s and women’s roles and behaviors—help fuel the global HIV epidemic. Women’s low status and lack of power in many societies limits their ability to protect themselves from infection. At the same time, traditional male gender norms encourage men to equate a range of risky behaviors—the use of violence, substance abuse, the pursuit of multiple sexual partners, and domination of women—with being manly. Rigid constructs of masculinity also lead men to view health-seeking behaviors as a sign of weakness. These gender dynamics all play a critical role in increasing both men and women’s vulnerability to HIV.  EngenderHealth’s Men As Partners program addresses these issues through a series of community workshops and activities.

With support from the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Men As Partners launched in Namibia in early 2008.