Brenda conducted home visits to its participants who failed to attend her sessions on Antinantal care. He visited is to find out the reason why the participants failed to attend her sessions (men) In humanitarian and refugee settings, getting men involved in maternal health programs like Antenatal Care (ANC) can be a unique challenge. When working with male participants—including those from specific community subgroups or leadership structures within a settlement—several systemic, cultural, and structural barriers can cause them to miss sessions.
During her visit men said in African traditional communities, pregnancy and childbirth are strictly viewed as "women’s affairs." Men often feel out of place, embarrassed, or culturally inappropriate attending spaces dedicated to maternal health.
They said, Men are frequently occupied with securing daily labor, standing in food distribution lines, building shelters, or seeking livelihood opportunities. Missing these tasks to attend a health session directly impacts the family's immediate survival. A man who attends ANC sessions might face ridicule from peers in the settlement who view his participation as a sign of weakness or an inversion of traditional domestic
To turn this around, Brenda shifted her approach from a purely medical invitation to an inclusive, community-driven strategy that respects the participant's dignity and role.
She Create dedicated, private session times specifically for couples or separate peer sessions just for men. Her aim is to reduces the embarrassment of sitting in a room full of waiting women. She also Arrange sessions outside of standard labor hours—such as late afternoons or weekends—so attendance does not compete with food distributions or work.
Instead of framing the session as a medical lecture, Brenda should frame it as a crucial way for a father to protect, support, and lead his family. Emphasize that his involvement directly ensures a healthy baby and a safe delivery for his partner.
She Shift away from standard classroom lecturing. Use visual aids, interactive discussions, and practical skills (like learning signs of labor complications, emergency birth planning, or infant nutrition) that give men a tangible, active role to play.
This experience tells us that working with the refugee led Organizations create more impacts to the refuge communities because we look at the best way of service delivery and full participation of the community members in the project.
We call the International organizations, private donors, donors committees, friends and well wisher to supports our initiative to improve Early Childhood Development in the refugee community in Uganda. We do accept the little and use it accurately to benefit of our refugee communities.