One Man Can Campaign

The project organisers developed the "One Man Can Action Kit" and workshop manual to provide men with resources to act on their concerns about domestic and sexual violence. To determine the kit's content, Sonke Gender Justice staff reviewed available materials; analysed their content through focus group discussions with survivors of violence, faith-based leaders, teachers, coaches, and young and adult men; and carried out street surveys to find out how men understood the problem of violence against women and what they would be willing to do about it. To come up with the "branding" for the campaign, they worked with a youth advisory team and then tested different logos on the streets of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The toolkit includes materials such as: stickers, music, clothing, video clips, posters, and fact sheets. In addition, according to the website, the One Man Can Action Kit provides information and strategies on how men can:

• "support a survivor;
• use the law to demand justice;
• educate children early and often;
• challenge other men to take action;
• make schools safer for girls and boys;
• raise awareness in places of worship;
• build a human rights culture; and
• promote democracy."

The campaign suggests several ways in which the Action Kit can be used, for example:

• wear the t-shirt and talk to people about the message when they ask about it;
• share the information sheets with friends, family, colleagues, team-mates, and classmates;
• put up the posters (available as downloadable images on the website) at work, at church, in the community centre, and at clinics;
• use the information sheets and posters to give presentations at community events; and
• carry out the workshop activities to educate the community about gender, relationships, and violence.

Sonke Gender Justice partnered with Constella Futures and the National Department of Health to host a One Man Can national meeting with 300 men from all nine provinces to explore their sexual and reproductive health experiences and needs. This meeting was followed by a technical consultation to develop national policies on men's health, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health. As part of the One Man Can campaign, Sonke Gender Justice was also funded to initiate a series of related projects, including:

• a Responsible Fatherhood and Child Security project that aims to increase men's involvement in meeting the needs of orphans and vulnerable children in the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal provinces;
• a migration and HIV prevention project that works in 7 Southern African countries to address HIV-related vulnerabilities of migrant workers;
• a Prisons Transformation project that intends to accelerate HIV prevention in prisons and reduce new infection rates among inmates;
• a gender, AIDS, and the arts initiative that uses music, murals, and theatre to address issues of gender and HIV/AIDS;
• the One Man Can Footballers Against AIDS initiative that seeks to leverage the influence of professional soccer players to promote healthy models of masculinity that reduce men’s HIV/AIDS-related risk taking; and
• involvement in global advocacy initiatives such as the MenEngage Network, the Athena Network, and the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention Network.

In addition to advocacy, workshops, and the toolkit, part of the campaign's creative strategies include the use of various forms of theatre such as Ambush Theatre, also known as Invisible Theatre. A small group of actors stage a short scene, often related to gender conflict, in a public space, such as a street, bus, or taxi stand. Onlookers are unaware that they are watching a piece of theatre, and the apparently "real" scene becomes the subject of informal discussion and debate.

Rights, Gender, Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS.

Research undertaken by the One Man Can Campaign showed that many men and boys are concerned about widespread domestic and sexual violence and want it to stop. They heard from street surveys that men and boys do worry about the safety of women and girls and want to play a role in creating a safer and more just world. Qualitative research from feedback and surveys from workshop participants has shown that the campaign is making a difference. Pre- and post-test evaluations done with participants attending Sonke's Fatherhood workshops in Nkandla indicate substantial shifts in gender and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes. Pre/Post test results from a workshop with the Chwezi Traditional Court revealed that before the workshop, 100% of respondents believed that they had the right, as men, to decide when to have sex with their partners. After the workshop, 75% believed that they did not have the right to decide when to have sex with their partners. Pre/Post test results for trainers from partner organisations in the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal showed that before the workshop, 88% of trainers from partner organisations believed that men should have the final say in their relationships. After the workshop, 100% believed that men do not have the final say in their relationships. 94% of respondents believed that it was not their business to interfere in other people’s relationships, even if there is violence. At the end of the workshop, 100% felt it was their business to interfere.