Gender Model Family (GMF) is a programme that encourages and gives husbands the knowledge and tools to live equally with their wives and to ensure that their boys and girls are given the same opportunities to develop their potential. It influences how couples and partners share household chores, how family members communicate, and how parents interact with their children.
Urbanet, in partnership with MEDA as part of the GESI component of the GROW2 project, organized the GMF annual summit. The summit began with the administration of criteria to help select the best practicing model. Each couple was chosen from the Zoggu and Jegun communities based on their demonstrable examples.
Objectives.
- Awarded best-practicing couples.
- Best-practicing GMF couples shared experiences to motivate other couples.
- Stakeholders’ views on how to sustain the GMF concept.
In attendance were two GESI officers for URBANET and ACDEPT, the GESI team at MEDA, staff of SEND Ghana, and other key stakeholders, including gender desk officers, planning officers, social welfare/community development officers, etc.
These selected couples were allowed to share their experiences on how best they are practicing the GMF concept and how well it’s helping to transform the lives of their household and its cascading effect in the entire community. Some of the experiences shared include, but are not limited to, helping reduce unpaid care for women and girls, improving communication among couples, and helping to boost the economic activities of women. A framed family picture was presented to the selected couples as a form of motivation and encouragement as they continue to be of good standard and serve as role models.
The Gender Module Family program is currently running in most of the operating zones of Urbanet Ghana. Through our GESI coordinator and project officers, as well as projects, we are putting in place measures to ensure gender equity within households to reduce SGBVs, and unpaid care work, increase opportunities for women and create a healthy environment for women and children to thrive.