A United Nations-backed school for husbands in Senegal trains respected male community members to promote positive masculinity and involvement in health and social issues. The programme encourages men to assist with household chores, support wives and children, and speak publicly about gender-based violence and HIV stigma. Cultural contexts often give men final authority over health decisions, requiring husbands' permission for family planning, prenatal care and hospital deliveries. The initiative, active since 2011, has drawn government interest as a strategy to reduce maternal and infant mortality. Community leaders who complete the training deliver sermons and messages that many women say have changed husbands' behaviour.
The prophet himself says that a man who does not help to support his wife and children is not a good Muslim, said the 53-year-old, as he described bathing his baby and assisting his wife with other duties. Some of the men chuckled, not entirely convinced, while others applauded.
In Senegal, as in many other West African countries with large rural or conservative populations, men often have the final say in major household decisions, including those related to health. Women may require their husbands' permission for life-changing decisions, such as accessing family planning or other reproductive health services, as well as hospital deliveries or prenatal care. After attending the school for husbands, Diane regularly delivers sermons during Friday prayers, in which he discusses issues around gender and reproductive health,
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