Overview of Impact
The Engaging of Men and Boys project is not just a project that Etijah implemented to make an impact on the participants lives, but a societal perspective changing, transforming men from being passive observers and upholders of tradition into active guardians, champions of women’s and girl’s rights, and a change agents. This cultural shifts and community-driven model works to end the harmful norms, replacing them with permanent protection.
The Mechanism of Change
Change unfolds through a structured sequence of experiences delivered over intensive training. Indulging in sensitive topics that open up the participants minds to think again about the influence of these norms on their families. The learning process adopted an accessible information that reframes deep-seated misconceptions about these practices such as forced marriage and FGM, it also included interactive exercises that changed the perspective of the participants from accepting harmful practices to understanding the real damage they cause
The project was a connecting opportunity for participants by making personal pledges, where participants commit to translating their newfound insight into concrete action, such as speaking about the injustice or intervening to protect a relative.
The program’s design ensures that one person’s shift in perspective becomes the starting point for broader community change. Because trainees are encouraged and equipped to deliver similar sessions locally, their personal transformation sparks conversations among peers, relatives, and neighbors.
Community empowerment
One of the participants who had always seen FGM as a necessary rite of passage learned about its severe risks during the training. Armed with this knowledge and worked on changing his perspective to defend his family members, so he convinced his own family to spare his niece from the procedure. That man went on to become an outspoken advocate in his village, educating other men about the dangers of FGM and challenging old habits. His story is the highlight of Etijah’s journey in raising awareness between different generations the project’s
Etijah implemented this project in partnership with the UNFPA