Father Involvement in Promoting Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH)

Under PCI’s 5-yr USAID/FFP food security project (Njira, 2015-2019) in the Balaka and Machinga districts of Malawi, PCI implemented Father Groups as a supportive platform for enhancing the impact of PCI Care Groups (CG), the platform for health and nutrition social and behavior change targeting pregnant and lactating women and women with children under five.

PCI was awarded a $50,000 grant from TOPS to carry out a study among a small sample of father groups: Father Involvement in Promoting Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. The study was designed with a two-fold agenda: 1) to assess changes among Care Group Volunteers/Lead Mothers (CGV), neighbor women (NW), and Father Group (FG) members (compared to changes among CGVs and NW without corresponding FGs) across a range of health and nutrition knowledge, behavioral, attitudinal, and gender equity outcomes, and 2) to document promising mechanisms and processes for engaging men effectively for gender equity and health and nutrition behavior change.