Gender equality

We provide opportunities for women to engage in business and vocational trainings, employment, education, leadership roles and savings schemes, knowledge on healthy behaviours, as well as opportunities to increase their sense of agency and self-belief to maximise their participation.

Focusing solely on empowering women and educating them on their rights has limited results. Our research, and work on the ground, has proven that equality will never be achieved if men are not engaged, consulted and trained as allies and ambassadors. Concern’s 'Engaging men' projects – implemented across 16 countries from Sierra Leone to Lebanon – are a crucial aspect of our work on gender equality. Facilitated by community based NGOs and Concern, these approaches create a safe space for couples, same sex groups and adolescents to discuss issues related to equality. These can take many forms, including dialogue sessions for couples, fathers groups, husband schools, and life skills. We also engage the wider community to address norms and attitudes, working with influential members of the community such as community and religious leaders, and create a safe space to ask questions like: what does it mean to be a man or woman? Or, how do our expectations cause harm to those around us and ourselves?

These programmes are proving particularly essential in communities that have been affected by conflict, such as the Syrian community in Lebanon. The stress and pain of fleeing from conflict and coping with a hugely altered new reality can lead to negative coping mechanisms. Our 'Engaging Men' programmes offer both men and women an outlet to process the emotional trauma they are experiencing. In parallel with this work, our teams also engage in gender equality issues with community leaders and with the wider community through campaigns to drive for change at a wider level.