Now, more than halfway through the project's first year, it is time for a progress report, the first in a series of reports in this newsletter that will outline the initiative's events and activities.

Research
Research is a critical component of the MAP initiative. The first of MAP's research activities, a literature review, is now in draft form. The review includes an in-depth look at three critical areas of service delivery: reproductive health programs for adolescent boys, programs to educate men about HIV/AIDS, and little-known programs serving couples' reproductive health needs that have not been widely published in the literature.

Case Studies
To complement the literature review, AVSC staff and consultants have partnered with nongovernmental organizations in North America, South America, Asia, and Africa, to chronicle the work of organizations that have used innovative strategies to reach and serve men.

Each of these case studies offers a unique lens through which to view male involvement; together they offer fascinating insight into issues such as sustainability, cost recovery, and the role of leadership and community empowerment. (Results of this research will appear in the next issue of AVSC News.)

Findings from both the literature review and the case studies will form background documents for a MAP workshop in Mombasa, Kenya, in May 1997 and a later workshop in Latin America.

Countdown to Mombasa
Plans are progressing steadily for the May workshop in Mombasa. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda will each send a team of about eight members to the workshop to represent a variety of organizations and agencies. Clients will also be on hand to share their perspectives.

Spreading the Word
Sharing information on the MAP initiative, as well as on the general issue of male involvement, is a primary goal.

To this end, members of AVSC's MAP team have spoken at 16 different technical agency meetings, have been requested to give presentations for four donors agencies, and have discussed informal findings at five workshops.

Team members spoke on several different panels at the annual American Public Health Association meeting last November, and AVSC President Dr. Amy E. Pollack presided over a session on "gender partnerships" in reproductive health.

The MAP team has enjoyed these opportunities to share information about the initiative, and is delighted that the language of men as partners is beginning to be widely embraced.

The MAP initiative is made possible through funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other donors.

Mary Nell Wegner is special programs manager for AVSC International.