ARMMAN partners with CRISIL to encourage participation of fathers in child care

ARMMAN has partnered with CRISIL to design a module for sensitising men about antenatal and postnatal care and to encourage the involvement of fathers in the upbringing of children.

The first stage of the project was implemented in the form of a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) involving women with children under the age of 5 from a locality in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Our researchers conducted a series of activities and exercises to understand and compare the current role of fathers in households versus the expectations of mothers from their partners. This was followed by another FGD with men of a similar background and age group to understand the male perspective. The findings from the research were used as insight to design and create content for participatory activities for both men and women, in order to increase the engagement of men in the child care process.

Activities included watching informative videos and a slide presentation, tower building, snakes and ladders and caring for newborns. The presentation covered important aspects such as the first 1000 days of human life, appropriate weight gain during pregnancy, nutrition, and most importantly – the role of fathers. Through these activities and presentation, fathers realised that they have the potential to influence, develop, and make a difference in the life of their child.