In May, more than 140 participants from 16 countries met to develop practical ways to provide reproductive health services to men and to support their constructive involvement in the health of their female partners at the AVSC-sponsored Men As Partners workshop in Mombasa, Kenya.

By the end of the five-day workshop--the first interregional workshop of its kind--country teams from Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda left Mombasa with detailed action plans to implement in their home countries.

Involving Both Partners

Traditionally, reproductive health services have been primarily aimed toward women. But the participants--who included policy makers, program managers, health care providers, researchers, donor organizations, and technical agencies--feel that developing reproductive health programs for both partners is the key to providing quality care.

Dr. Amy E. Pollack, AVSC's president, commented in her opening address: "Men's and women's health are not isolated. As informed partners, we're stronger together."

A participant from Egypt stated, "Men are essential supporters to their wives in reproductive health [matters]. Reproductive health has a much broader scope than family planning only."

Need for Change

The Mombasa participants agreed that while men want to be involved in reproductive health services and activities, they are often denied services or encounter service providers who are not sensitive or knowledgeable about men's reproductive health issues.

Dr. Khama Rogo of the Center for Adolescent Fertility Studies in Kenya told the story of a 60-year-old man in Western Kenya who has been married three times. Though he has attempted to accompany each of his wives to the family planning clinic, each time he has been told to go away or has been laughed at by the staff and clients.

"Men . . . are ignored by people and institutions that provide services," the villager said. " . . . We should redefine services to be more democratic . . . Services, posters, information . . . are all for women."

Importance of Outreach

Just as some men who have sought reproductive health services have been denied them, many men are not aware of the existence or nature of services available to their partners or themselves. Outreach to potential clients was thus identified by the participants as an important aspect of delivering reproductive health services.

"We need to reach men directly and individually with information and services," said workshop participant Maaly Guimei, AVSC program manager for Egypt. "So far, men have not been involved in our program and may not be aware of reproductive health needs for themselves and their partners, nor of existing reproductive health services."

Country Action Plans Developed

Before the end of the workshop, the country teams committed themselves to a number of activities, which will be incorporated into existing national strategies or programs. They include programs to address the needs of male adolescents, adaptations of training curricula and educational materials to address the concerns of male clients and their partners, and educational initiatives aimed at policy makers to help them understand the value of constructively involving men in reproductive health.

In preparing their country plans, team members drew on case studies of health programs that already offer services to men in four countries. AVSC conducted the studies in preparation for the meeting, and representatives from the programs shared their experiences with the workshop participants. Teams also learned from the work of other teams and attended special-topics learning labs.

Implementing the Strategies

The country teams identified several issues that need to be addressed to carry out their strategies. They include obtaining adequate human, financial, and material resources to meet education and service delivery demands; increasing the awareness of gender and male involvement issues in the media; and developing institutional referral systems and linkages among the various sectors in each country to address men-as-partners issues.

In so doing, the participants recognized the need to safeguard services for women and to protect individual women's right to services while at the same time doing a better job of serving men.

Next Steps

Over the next year, AVSC will continue to work with these country teams, providing technical assistance to move their plans into action. AVSC and the teams hope that these activities will result in more reproductive health programs that reach out to men--both as partners and clients.

Lori Leonhardt and Evelyn Landry were members of the team that organized AVSC's Men As Partners workshop.