What does MenEngage Alliance need to do better? What does MenEngage Alliance have to do that it has not done yet? What does MenEngage Alliance need to stop doing? Those were some of the questions our mother body put to women’s rights organisations from around the world as part of its Accountability Dialogue session in New York earlier this year. The feed-back and recommendations are contained in a report called “MenEngage On The Spot”.

The 16th of June reminds us of youths killed in the Soweto students uprising of 1976. As Josephine Mukwendi, co-ordinator of youth activities at MenEngage Africa writes, “one cannot forget the sacrifice they made which still reverberates through our history”. “They bravely fought against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction showing their maturity in making their own decisions – as activists. This is testament to how important education is to our youth,” she continues. Today, the 16th of June is celebrated across Africa as Day of the African Child. Sadly, the phenomenon of “child marriages” is a huge threat to the education of many African girl children.

The theme for this year’s Day of the African Child was “Leave No Child Behind for Africa’s Development”. But how significant is this day today? MenEngage Africa’s Communications Specialist, Khopotso Bodibe, discussed this with Campaigns and Advocacy Specialist, Mpiwa Mangwiro.

Attendees at the 2nd MenEngage Africa Symposium answer the question: Why is it important to engage men in the fight for gender equality in Africa? They also offer advice to anyone wanting to contribute to a gender just world.