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Hygiene promotion for men: Challenges and experiences from Nepal
01.10.2010
Men have an important role to play in family and community health improvement. However, most hygiene promotion programmes focus on women only. Specific examples on how men are targeted are difficult to find. We feel this is an omission as in order to reduce the main risky hygiene practices, effective hygiene promotion must involve every member of the community: women, children and men. Involving men and encouraging their responsibility in hygiene and sanitation improvements is important because men often have a key role in decision making and they often control finances. Men who are well informed on the benefits of hygiene improvement for their family are more likely to support their wives and children to change their own behaviours. This paper describes the benefits and lessons learned by NEWAH, a national NGO based in Nepal, who took up the challenge to focus hygiene promotion on men.