The importance of teaching Comprehensive Sexuality Education for boys has been recognized with increasing strength. Across the country, youths especially boys are agitating in increasing numbers for access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) as well as sexual reproductive health rights.

The Malawi Girl Guides Association (MAGGA) with financial and technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) developed a male involvement model to reach out to boys. Under the Safeguard Young People program (SYP) and other youth programs, MAGGA use the model through various innovative activities. Boys camps being one of them. In targeting boys and young men, MAGGA work in close collaboration with Scout Association of Malawi (SAM).

A boy’s camp on CSE and SRHR needs/issues and community conversations provides safe spaces for them. The intersection between sexual and reproductive health and rights, education and CSE is a vital means through which to engage with young people on the fundamentals of sex, relationships, gender, consent and sexual and reproductive health. And yet despite growing recognition of its importance, many programmes have tended to leave out boys. More often than not, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights needs for boys are often ignored or disregarded. Much focus is on girls because of available data that indicate their vulnerability. Thus boys tend to suffer in silence. This does not only affect developmental work on girls but also affect the boys themselves. 

Peter Anafi a standard eight learner from Mangochi says apart from learning some tricks in the workout routine that  he did not know. He has also been empowered to change his community.

“We encounter various problems in the communities. Some of the problems are related to gender disparities between boys and girls. We notice that boys and girls are treated differently and this affects personal development of both boys and girls. An issue that has to change,” said Peter.

Peter like most adolescent boys  are faced with temptation of their youth like promiscuity. He says involving the boys as agents of change is critical and he advise fellow boys to desist from behaviors that may lead them into danger or those of others.

“There is a lot of peer pressure to push most boys to indulge in very dangerous activities like drug and alcohol abuse as well as indulging in promiscuous behavior. But through our involvement in project activities, we are better equipped to deal with the challenges,” Said Peter Anafi.

Another boy from Chiradzuru district, Chifundo Banda said involving him in project interventions helped a lot. “The health center in our community used to lack services for boys and were more girl dominated, they said the corner could only be used by girls. Whenever I go there I used to not receive attention, I reported this through a community conversation and now I am welcomed as one of the clients”.  

Involving boys as clients is key to development of any nation. In Malawian societies, most men do not access reproductive health services and their participation affect the whole family in the long run.

When targeting adults, sometimes it is too late to change certain aspects. But if teenage boys grow up knowing that it is their role to support a wife. To check up with their spouse on SRH issues. The intergeneration cycle of GBV, adolescent pregnancies, will be broken.

During one of the engagements, one boys was quoted saying “everyone assumes boys are healthy and strong. Boys do not need to go to clinics or need assistance. And then we are left out, we too have issues”.

Camps are vital for adolescent boy’s growth and development. The camps are instrumental as they allow boys special interactive time to learn more about their lives at home, community as well as at school.  At the camp, boys;

• Spend their day being physically active, camp provides a wonderful opportunity to move, jump, hike, climb and do many outdoor activities.
• Learn social skills – Coming to camp means joining a community where everyone must agree to cooperate and respect each other.
• Develop life-long skills – Camps provide the right instruction, equipment and facilities for boys to enhance their abilities, their artistic talents, i.e drawing, and their adventure skills. The sheer variety of activities offered at camp, makes it easy for boys to discover and develop what they like to do. Camp expands the abilities of adolescent boys by making them become more aware of their self’s and how to support others.
• Grow more independent – Camp is the perfect place for boys to practice making decisions for themselves without parents and teachers guiding every move. Managing their daily choices in the safe, caring environment of camp, boys welcome this as a freedom to blossom in new directions.
• Get accurate sex information and ask questions. Coming together with other boys and experienced adults, boys get to know more and share their own experiences.

THE MALE INVOLVEMENT MODEL

For effective programing of all initiatives, men and boys should be involved both as partners, clients and advocates of change if Malawi is to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Leaving them behind will only escalate our present problems of teenage pregnancy, low FP uptake and other SRH problems. The involvement of boys as advocates of change and equal partners in promoting gender equitable attitudes and roles while addressing their SRHR needs has proven to increase boys’ utilization of SRH services. The more boys understand sexuality issues, the more they are able to be supportive of girls as opposed to being destructive. 

The Safeguard Young People Program (SYP) is aimed at improving access to sexual reproductive health services. The project is being implemented in 6 districts of the country (Mangochi, Dedza, Mchinji, Nkhatabay, Chikwawa and Chiradzulu). The SYP program aims to empower adolescents and young people aged 10 to 24 years (with special focus on adolescent girls) to protect themselves from STIs including HIV, unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, gender-based violence and harmful cultural practices while promoting gender equitable norms.