Program P

Program P (”P” for ”Padre” and ”Pai” in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively, meaning ”Father”) is a direct and targeted response to the need for concrete strategies and action steps to engage men in active fatherhood globally from pregnancy until early childhood. Program P is a resource developed as part of the global MenCare campaign coordinated by Promundo and the Sonke Gender Justice Network. It identifies best practices on engaging men in maternal and child health, care-giving, and preventing violence against women and children, through the lens of gender equality. Though the main focus of Program P is to engage men via the public health sector, the manual also provides tools and resources for individuals and organizations that want to work more generally with men as caregivers and fathers to prevent violence against children and women and to promote gender equality. It was designed and developed by its authors for use by health workers, social activists, nonprofit organizations (NGOs), educators and other individuals and institutions that aim to promote men’s involvement as caregivers as one of multiple strategies to promote maternal and child health, family well-being and gender equality.