Brothers for Life

Brothers for Life is a National Campaign targeting men over the age of 30. The initiative has been initiated by Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa (JHHESA), Sonke Gender Justice (Sonke), South African National Aids Council (SANAC) and other key stakeholders. It is aimed at addressing the risks associated with having multiple and concurrent partnerships, men’s limited involvement in fatherhood, lack of knowledge of HIV status by many, low levels of testing and disclosure, and insufficient health seeking behaviours in general.

 

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The importance of focusing on men is centred on the following prevailing norms/situation:

  • Men as decision makers influencing behavior such as multiple concurrent partnerships, condom use and testing.
  • Traditional norms influencing notions of manhood.
  • The role of alcohol and substance abuse resulting in diminished rational capacity and the influence on sexual behavior
  • The low trends of health-seeking behavior in Men
  • Male health and wellness not receiving enough focus
  • Men and responsible fatherhood including involvement in Antenatal Care and Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission and general lack of male involvement in family health issues

The following are listed as key interventions in the National Strategic Plan 2007-2011, these interventions guide the development of messages and activities of the Brothers For Life Campaign.

  • Accelerate programs to empower women and educate men and women on women’s rights and human rights
  • Support national efforts to strengthen social cohesion in communities and to support the institution of the family
  • Introduce programs to mitigate the impact of alcohol and substance abuse
  • Develop a comprehensive package that promotes male sexual health and which addresses gender and gender-based violence

Consultative Processes

Expansion of existing PMTCT services to include: contraception fertility services, reducing unwanted pregnancies and involving men, HIV prevention services in uninfected pregnant women Consultative Processes Three consultative meetings have been held with national stakeholders who are involved in communication and social mobilization efforts in working with men between November 2008 and June 2009, Over 30 partners participated in this process which involved the review of current data on Men and HIV. A series of Bilateral Meetings have been held with a number of partners with the aim of strengthening the campaign reach and messaging.

Campaign Identity

ImageThe campaign identity is based on the aim of creating a movement of good men that will ignite and spread throughout South Africa. The campaign will use the spirit of Brotherhood that exists strongly among men and encourage men to positively influence each other.

Campaign Audiences

The primary target audience for the National Men’s campaign is men aged 30-54. The secondary audiences will comprise of Women, Younger Men , National , Provincial and District decision makers, Labor formations, Traditional leaders, Health Care Workers , Parliamentarians, Members of Provincial legislatures, Members of the Sporting fraternity, Prominent community leaders, Religious leaders, Leaders in emerging and big business and younger men.

Campaign Messages

ImageThe Brothers for Life campaign will focus on the following messages:

  • Alcohol, sex and HIV - high correlation between low risk perceptions, sex with casual concurrent partners, in-consistent condom usage and alcohol consumption.
  • Promote partner reduction.
  • Promote male involvement in PMTCT and Parenting
  • Promote condom usage particularly during "high risk" sexual activities.
  • Promotes male sexual and reproductive health, including HIV Testing and Male circumcision Mass Media Activities

ImageMass Media Activities

  • Mass Media including prime time programmes along with short TV and Radio advertisements
  • Drama Series through district level radio
  • Men’s Talk show through district level radio
  • Print Media ,National , district and local print media
  • Internet Services
  • SMS Communication

Interpersonal Communication and Training

The Men’s health toolkit will address various issues affecting Men which will include among other things:

  • Sex and Sexuality
  • Constructs of masculinity
  • Fatherhood including Communication, PMTCT etc.
  • Voluntary Counseling and Testing including Couples Counseling
  • Sexually Transmitted infections
  • Male health issues e.g. Prostate Cancer
  • Alcohol and substance abuse
  • Gender based violence

The proposed Interpersonal activities:

- Community gatherings – izimbizo ,Entertainment platforms, Events, Door to Door activities, Sports platforms, Utilizing religious platforms, Dialogues with secondary audiences, Ward based Activities and other activities

Advocacy

 

  • The campaign will advocate for the revision and strengthening of Men’s Health framework within the national health policy
  • Provision of Male friendly services in the Primary health care settings
  • Provision of health services aimed at reducing the risk of new HIV infections
  • On diligent implementation of existing regulations on alcohol and availability of rehabilitation services
  • Addressing of gender power issues within the context of culture and tradition Development of position papers for all the identified advocacy issues.

Partners

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