Champions and Gender Sensitive Men
Our male champions are called ‘Gender Sensitive Men.’ We have a network of MIFUMI influencers otherwise known as ‘Champions.’ At MIFUMI we recognise that in order to achieve gender equality we need to impact the community on a macro scale.
At MIFUMI we train our champions to facilitate community conversations and motivate their peers to take positive action to end gender based violence and promote sexual reproductive health rights. These community conversations take place in the centre of towns and villages and can often lead to big crowds and great influence due to our strongly respected champions. Our champions also provide appropriate support to survivors they come into contact with and receive comprehensive training and support from staff who also conduct follow ups to observe them in action. We also use our follow ups to identify the needs of our champions, and to monitor the progressive changes in community awareness and attitudes.
Gender Sensitive Men
At MIFUMI we recognise that in order to empower women, we must also educate men and boys on power relations with women. Through using both male and female Champions as community role models we aim to build a movement that fosters respectful gender relations between women and men and a future free of violence.
Our Gender Sensitive Men or male champions receive training on positive masculinity, power dynamics and rejection of common negative norms often found with men and boys. The champions are supported in developing advocacy plans for gender transformative action. Our male champions also take advantage of everyday community events to raise awareness on issues around gender and engage community members in discussions about unequal power relations.
Training
One of the reasons our champions are so successful is due to our pre-nomination procedure. Before nominating our champions we assess them on their interest in addressing issues around gender relations, their command of respect in the community, and the ways they use their influence to create a supportive environment for women’s rights. Before selecting a candidate we monitor their engagement during our MIFUMI led activities and women’s support groups. Any male champions must be Gender Sensitive Men. Once chosen we train them into accumulating the knowledge, awareness, and skills to organize and advocate collectively to facilitate social change and mobilize community members.
Incentives
Some of our incentives for champions include media visibility opportunities during campaign events, training certificates, public recognition of their work, exposure visits, T-shirts, IDs, and access to power holders. At MIFUMI we also exercise a duty of care to ensure the safety and security for champions through information, training, and support.
Call us on +256 41 666 946 if you are interested in becoming a Champion