MenEngage Africa Training Initiative

While the importance of engaging men and boys in gender justice work has been widely recognised, most initiatives to engage them tend to be small-scale and short-term. In order to transform pervasive gender inequalities within Africa, a scaling-up and widening in scope of the programmes and models already known to be effective is imperative. The MenEngage Africa Training Initiative (MATI) provides an example of a programme designed to address this gap.

The vision for MATI is to build a dynamic, vocal and visible network of leaders and gender justice advocates that will drive the gender equality and human rights agenda on the African continent. The first step towards realising this vision is through the implementation of training courses that provide cutting-edge and up-to-date information on gender, public health and human rights in order to expand the knowledge and skills of activists in Africa. Thus far, three highly successful training courses have been implemented and more are planned to take place in other parts of the continent.

This booklet provides key information about MATI. It gives a summary of the MATI course curriculum and includes a CD containing the modules, which can also be accessed online. You will also be able to read about the impact MATI has had on some of its incumbents, learn about the MATI Mentorship Programme and the men and women who were part of it, and discover what some MATI fellows did for their Projects for Change in their home countries.