Man/Hombre/Homme: Meeting male reproductive health care needs in Latin America

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité answers the following question: how can family planning programs understand and better serve the interests of men? The proposals in the article are derived from the experience of PRO-PATER, in São Paulo, Brazil, and briefly, from the activities of the Profamilia Men’s Clinic in Colombia. The experiences of both PRO-PATER and Profamilia suggest that, although the reproductive health needs of men may be different from those of women, they are still very interested. It is clear that there is abundant demand for high-quality services that offer convenience, confidentiality, information, attentive providers, and attention to reproductive health needs beyond contraception

Family planning and reproductive health: Briefing sheets for a gender analysis

This series of briefing sheets, developed by the Population Council, represents a starting point for the application of gender to the family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) arena. The information covers five key areas of RH: gender-based abuse, FP and gender issues among adolescents, sexuality and FP, men’s and women’s social and economic responsibilities for childrearing, and the complicated nexus between gender and FP/RH. In so doing, it provides a strong foundation for gender training. This concept was first developed to fulfill a need for gender training within the regional Operations Research/Technical Assistance Projects. To date, two such workshops have been funded by USAID. These activities not only reflect a clear commitment by USAID to the inclusion of gender in all aspects of programmatic planning and implementation but also to the empowerment of women in every phase of the development process. This tool will help guide program planners and policymakers toward making gender equity in FP and RH programs a reality for both women and men

Sola no eres nada, juntas flotamos: El Movimiento Manuela Ramos

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité discusses the Manuela Ramos Movement and its efforts to improve women’s health and well-being through a range of empowerment strategies in rural Peru. A joint project with USAID, named Reprosalud, demonstrates how combining the resources of an international donor with local women’s organizations allows a more organic and multifaceted family planning program to develop. Such programs can produce impressive improvements on a number of indicators, including contraceptive use

And how will you remember me, my child? Redefining fatherhood in Turkey

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité profiles the AÇEV Father Support Program, a series of 13-week-long support groups for fathers across Turkey. Fatherhood (and men’s roles in the lives of children in general) is an ideal starting point for engaging men in gender equality for two key reasons: most men want to be involved in the lives of children, whether their own biological children or younger siblings, nieces, or nephews; and responsibility for the care of children is at the heart of gender inequality. The program reached nearly 10,000 men, teaching them about their role in the development of their children and encouraging them to spend quality time with their children. As one father explained, “[I went] for my children, for their futures and so they might contribute to humanity. I wanted to learn effective ways to raise them.

The Coletivo: A feminist sexuality and health collective in Brazil

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité tells the story of a group of Brazilian women who came together in 1981 with the shared belief—not as widely understood then as it is now—that conventional approaches to women\u27s health and family planning services were overly medicalized, incapable of dealing with the relationship between sexuality and contraception, and disempowering to clients. They started the Coletivo which runs a clinic, a training institute, and a public education program that has “given voice” to thousands of women, provided leadership to the Brazilian government and women’s health movement, and has been active in research and international policy affairs. The group set out to enable individual clients to know their own bodies, make their own choices, and recognize their own rights. Twelve years later the Coletivo continues to create new ways to provide services and involve women in the care of their own health. Through their work the members of the Coletivo show us what can be achieved if we are willing to accept the challenge

Man/Hombre/Homme: Respuestas a las necesidades de la salud reproductiva masculina en América Latina

Esta edición de Quality/Calidad/Qualité responde a la siguiente pregunta: ¿cómo pueden los programas de planificación familiar entender y atender mejor a los intereses de los hombres? Las propuestas del artículo se derivan de la experiencia de PRO-PATER, en São Paulo, Brasil, y brevemente, de las actividades de la Clínica para el Hombre de Profamilia en Colombia. Las experiencias de tanto PRO-PATER como Profamilia sugieren que, aunque las necesidades de salud reproductiva de los hombres pueden ser distintas a las que expresan las mujeres, de todas maneras ellos están muy interesados. Queda claro que existe una abundante demanda para servicios de alta calidad, que ofrezcan conveniencia, confidencialidad, información, proveedores atentos, y atención a las necesidades de salud reproductiva más allá de la anticoncepción. This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité answers the following question: how can family planning programs understand and better serve the interests of men? The proposals in the article are derived from the experience of PRO-PATER, in São Paulo, Brazil, and briefly, from the activities of the Profamilia Men’s Clinic in Colombia. The experiences of both PRO-PATER and Profamilia suggest that, although the reproductive health needs of men may be different from those of women, they are still very interested. It is clear that there is abundant demand for high-quality services that offer convenience, confidentiality, information, attentive providers, and attention to reproductive health needs beyond contraception

El Coletivo: Un colectivo feminista de salud y sexualidad femenina en Brasil

Este ejemplar de Quality/Calidad/Qualité narra la historia de un grupo de mujeres brasileñas que se formó en 1981 con el convencimiento compartido—no tan extendido entonces como ahora—de que los enfoques convencionales sobre la salud de la mujer y los servicios de planificación familiar estaban dominados por una perspectiva médica incapaz de dar cuenta de la relación entre sexualidad y anticoncepción, y que además restaba poder de las usuarias. Fundaron el Coletivo, que maneja una clínica, un instituto de capacitación, y un programa de educación pública que ha “dado voz” a miles de mujeres, ha proporcionado un liderazgo al gobierno brasileño y al movimiento de salud feminista, y ha tomado parte activa en la investigación y en los asuntos políticos internacionales. El grupo se propuso capacitar a los clientes individuales para conocer sus propios cuerpos, tomar sus propias decisiones, y reconocer sus propios derechos. Doce años después, el Coletivo sigue creando nuevas maneras de proveer servicios e involucrar a las mujeres en el cuidado de su propia salud. A través de su trabajo, las integrantes del Coletivo nos demuestran lo que se puede lograr si estamos dispuestos a aceptar el desafío. This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité tells the story of a group of Brazilian women who came together in 1981 with the shared belief—not as widely understood then as it is now—that conventional approaches to women\u27s health and family planning services were overly medicalized, incapable of dealing with the relationship between sexuality and contraception, and disempowering to clients. They started the Coletivo which runs a clinic, a training institute, and a public education program that has “given voice” to thousands of women, provided leadership to the Brazilian government and women’s health movement, and has been active in research and international policy affairs. The group set out to enable individual clients to know their own bodies, make their own choices, and recognize their own rights. Twelve years later the Coletivo continues to create new ways to provide services and involve women in the care of their own health. Through their work the members of the Coletivo show us what can be achieved if we are willing to accept the challenge

Linking reproductive health to social power: Community health workers in Belize and Pakistan

This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité focuses on two traditional family planning programs that undertook projects to help women enlarge their zone of influence in both the private and public spheres. The first case study focuses on the Belize Family Life Association (BFLA), a nongovernmental organization in a small Caribbean country. The second case study recounts the experience of the Pakistani government, which has an enormous, but entrenched, target-oriented family planning program. Both programs began by recognizing that women’s lack of social power is a major obstacle to their being able to protect their own health. Both trained village workers to regard themselves in a different light, and to help other women enlarge their zone of influence both at home and within the provider system. And both included senior managers and policymakers in the training process, together with village workers

Sola no eres nada, juntas flotamos: El Movimiento Manuela Ramos

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité discusses the Manuela Ramos Movement and its efforts to improve women’s health and well-being through a range of empowerment strategies in rural Peru. A joint project with USAID, named Reprosalud, demonstrates how combining the resources of an international donor with local women’s organizations allows a more organic and multifaceted family planning program to develop. Such programs can produce impressive improvements on a number of indicators, including contraceptive use

iMatter: Teaching about Puberty, Gender, and Fairness

The Population Council created iMatter as an integrated approach to teach younger adolescents about gender, puberty, and fairness. This iMatter Curriculum ordering page includes instructions for ordering all items. Materials include: an 8-session curriculum; puberty booklets (Theo and Leo Learn about Puberty explains male puberty; Lia and Nia Learn about Puberty explains female puberty), and a USB flash drive with pdf versions of the handouts from the curriculum. [Second edition published in 2017.