The Rwanda Men’s Resource Centre (RWAMREC) is a Rwandan non-profit organisation. Founded in 2006, RWAMREC advances gender equality by engaging men as partners alongside women to transform harmful norms and sustain change across generations.
RWAMREC’s flagship programme, Bandebereho (meaning role model in Kinyarwanda), uses fatherhood as an entry point to transform gender norms, relationships and caregiving. Inspired by Equimundo’s flagship Program P methodology for engaging fathers, Bandebereho was co-created and piloted with Equimundo in 2013. Bandebereho now works with couples expecting or raising children under five and is delivered by government-affiliated community health workers across Rwanda.
“Our gender-transformative approach shifts harmful norms, strengthens relationships, and reduces violence,” a RWAMREC team member tells me. “Increasingly, organisations across the continent – in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, and more – have approached us seeking support to adapt these approaches to their own contexts.”
RWAMREC’s approach is in demand – and that demand is backed by more than six years of evidence. A long-term randomized controlled trial of Bandebereho has demonstrated lasting effects across multiple domains, showing that gender-transformative parenting interventions can strengthen relationships, shift gender norms, increase men’s caregiving, and reduce violence. As interest in adapting this evidence-based approach has grown across Africa, the Caring Masculinity Fund (CMF) has helped RWAMREC meet the demand. CMF support has enabled RWAMREC to turn years of informal requests into something structured and lasting: a centralised Regional Hub with the plan, infrastructure and evidence needed to support wider uptake. CMF funding is supporting the design and roll-out of RWAMREC’s new Regional Hub on Masculinities and Male Allyship, which will help organisations across English- and French-speaking Africa strengthen their work with men and boys to advance gender equality.
The Hub offers four types of support to designed meet organisations wherever they are. Two are paid services: Strategy Implementation and Institutional Strengthening, beginning with a Gender-Transformative Assessment and helping organisations embed male engagement into their policies and practice; and Intervention Design and Technical Support, ranging from an initial conversation to adapting RWAMREC’s tested programmes, such as Bandebereho, to a partner’s context.
Two free offers are open to practitioners across Africa: a bilingual (English/French) Resource and Knowledge Hub with training materials, guides and research; and a Regional Networking and Community of Feminist Practice connecting English- and French-speaking practitioners to learn and share across contexts.
“With the support of the CMF, RWAMREC is reaching men through partner organisations across different contexts,” says RWAMREC. “Driving lasting and sustainable impact.”
To date, RWAMREC’s programmes and advocacy have reached nearly 739,000 people, including more than 95,000 parents and over 62,600 children. Their work has expanded beyond Rwanda and their approach now shapes national policy – their innovative model is now embedded directly into government practice, changing lives across Rwanda and beyond.
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