REAL Fathers: Lessons from Scaling a Violence Prevention Program

The Responsible, Engaged, and Loving (REAL) Fathers Initiative is an effort by Save the Children and Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH), with funding from the United States Agency for International Development, to develop and test a set of interventions intended to build positive partnerships and parenting practices among young fathers (aged 16-25) in Uganda. Goals include: reducing the incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and physical punishment of children; improving parenting attitudes and confidence in using nonviolent discipline; and fostering acceptance of non-traditional gender roles in parenting. A pilot carried out from 2013-2015 in Northern Uganda is described in more detail at Related Summaries, below; this presentation examines lessons from integrating and evaluating the intervention within education and livelihood programmes in Karamoja and Northern Uganda.

The rationale for REAL Fathers is that harsh punishment of children and witnessing IPV are risk factors for later IPV. Fatherhood has been shown to be an entryway in promoting more gender-equitable and positive masculinities, and the pilot project sought to reach young men before their relationship expectations, attitudes, and behaviours are set. It did this through a mentoring programme revolving around 12 points of contact over 6 months with each young father: 4 individual home sessions, 2 couple-based sessions, and 6 group sessions. There were also community posters and community celebrations.

A randomised control trial (RCT) with 500 young fathers found sustained long-term effects in reducing IPV and violence against children and in improving parenting outcomes. Based on these results, organisers decided to test scale-up integration through two Save the Children platforms - a livelihood programme in Northern Uganda (YIED) and an early education programme in Karamoja, Uganda (ECCD) - with the addition of a family planning component.

The presentation outlines the scale and adaptation framework lens, as well as its process in both Northern Uganda and Karamoja. For example, as explored in more depth in a related presentation, also by Esther Spindler, very low education and literacy levels in Karamoja led to re-strategising of how content and messaging could be delivered. The curriculum, for example, needed to be adapted. Community-driven adaptation and identification of core values are key in driving the adaptation process, Spindler stresses.

In short, the experience and evaluation revealed that a 6-month social and behaviour change (SBC) fatherhood mentoring programme can reduce IPV and violence against children both in short and long terms. The programme was found to be effective at scale, but systematic documentation of adaptation is needed when moving contexts. REAL Fathers has the potential to effectively integrate into other programming.

Editor's note: The above is a summary of a presentation delivered by Esther Spindler at Shifting Norms, Changing Behaviour, Amplifying Voice: What Works? The 2018 International Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Summit featuring Entertainment Education, held April 16-20 2018 in Nusa Dua, Indonesia.

Click here to access the 19-slide presentation in PDF format.

You may also be interested in another, related presentation, also by Esther Spindler, from this same event. Click here to access "Learning from the Diversity of Men and Contexts: Adapting REAL Fathers" [PDF].