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  • Title: Not for women only: child-spacing clubs for Malawian men.
    Author: Mason K, Lynam P.
    Journal: AVSC News; 1992 Nov; 30(4):4. PubMed ID: 12345867.
    Abstract:
    Even though men in many cultures throughout the world determine whether their wives and/or sex partners will use contraception, family planning information and services in Africa are not targeted to men. Services are instead traditionally presented within the context of maternal and child health. Staff from Mulanje Mission Hospital in rural Malawi, however, with the limited support of AVSC, have gotten many men involved in the family planning process. AVSC began working in Malawi in 1989 at the request of the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM). CHAM is an umbrella organization for mission hospitals throughout the country which collectively provide 40% of the nation's health care. Working with CHAM and the Malawi Ministry of Health, AVSC has focused upon education and training to increase the awareness of service providers and counselors about family planning, including long-term and permanent methods. Mulanje staff first visited Man to Man, an initiative of Banja La Misogolo, a nongovernmental organization, involving men in child spacing. Pleased with what they saw, staff members returned to the hospital and organized a child-spacing club which subsequently organized educational seminars for thirty male hospital staff. Staff soon began conducting one-day seminars in villages and at a tea estate. 320 men actively participated in the workshops, with many requesting additional learning opportunities. Most men knew little about family planning and very few had heard about tubal occlusion or vasectomy. A significant number of men attributed their lack of involvement in family planning to the fact that they were not included in counseling and education in the past. News of the successful meetings spread to other villages which, in turn, requested visits from the child-spacing club. Mulanje staff now have far more requests than they can accommodate. This project has reached Malawian men and women with only a small amount of funding from AVSC; AVSC has provided educational materials and gasoline for vehicles. A second mission hospital has started a similar club which AVSC will also support. The success of the club and its seminars demonstrate how eager men are to learn about contraception and how it can improve the lives of their families. The time has come to acknowledge the important male role in family planning.
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