In Sri Lanka’s plantation sector, religious and community leaders promote involved fatherhood

Community and religious leaders attend a session of MenCare Sri Lanka's "Training of Trainers."

In July, MenCare Sri Lanka trained 30 religious and community leaders on how to promote involved, nonviolent fatherhood and gender-equitable parenting in their work. Participants in the MenCare “Training of Trainers” program included Christian pastors, Hindu religious teachers, former MenCare facilitators, and community volunteers from the Ambagamuwa Area Development Program (ADP), along with a dozen members of the Vaharai ADP.

The “Training of Trainers” program aimed to educate religious and community leaders in Sri Lanka’s plantation sector on the benefits that fathers’ positive involvement in their families can have for women, children, and men themselves. The program sought to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to encourage men’s involvement as caregivers in their own religious and local communities.

Participants in the “Training of Trainers” program improved their facilitation skills through a variety of participatory sessions during the two-day workshop. Religious and community leaders worked together on concepts and techniques related to brainstorming, group communication, role-playing, critical reflection and analysis, problem solving, and decision-making.

The MenCare “Training of Trainers” program was organized by MenCare partner World Vision Lanka (Ambagamuwa ADP) in collaboration with the Sri Lankan National Office Gender Unit, and it was funded by Equimundo.