The Responsible Men’s Club Takes the Stage at ICFP 2025
I am excited to share with you all that we will be presenting at the 2025 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) in Bogotá, Colombia. We are happy to be presenting our abstract under the theme: “The WVD Responsible Men’s Club: Advancing Reproductive Equity Through Increased Male Engagement in Zambia.”
For decades, family planning conversations and programmes have centred on women, understandably so, given the disproportionate burden they carry. Yet the exclusion of men has left a crucial gap–a last mile that we know that we cannot ignore anymore if we are to achieve our FP2030 goals. Without men as active participants, reproductive equity remains incomplete. That is why ICFP2025 is going to be transformational for us and sexual reproductive health in general. It gives us the chance to share how Zambia is shifting this narrative by engaging men not only as partners, but as leaders. It is also a moment to stand alongside other male-focused organisations worldwide, inspiring collective action in a field that has long waited for its breakthrough moment.
At the heart of our presentation is the Responsible Men’s Club (RMC); an initiative that transforms men from silent supporters into champions of reproductive health. The RMC was born out of a simple but radical idea: men need a safe space of their own to talk, learn, and act together. In this club, vasectomy clients become community champions, advocating for responsible fatherhood, positive masculinity, and informed family planning.
The RMC equips members with skills in advocacy, peer education, and community mobilisation. Through storytelling and open dialogue, these men dismantle myths about vasectomy, reshape perceptions of male contraception, and promote shared responsibility in reproductive decisions. However, beyond its technical role, the club has evolved into a brotherhood. Members form bonds that extend well beyond SRHR discussions; they support one another, collaborate on community projects, and model the kind of solidarity that makes change sustainable.
Since its inception, the Responsible Men’s Club has enrolled more than 450 vasectomy acceptors across Zambia. Together, they have conducted over 100 community engagements, from radio shows and outreaches to neighbourhood dialogues, that have reached thousands of men, women, and young people.
In RMC-supported communities, facility-level data shows rising demand for vasectomy services, with some districts recording a 30% increase between 2023 and 2024. Even more encouraging is the shift in attitudes. Community surveys and focus groups reveal that men are increasingly being viewed as responsible partners in reproductive health, a remarkable departure from deeply entrenched gender norms.
What makes the RMC even more powerful is how its influence extends beyond SRHR. Members have become leaders in campaigns against gender-based violence, defilement, and environmental degradation. By linking reproductive health with broader community priorities, they are redefining masculinity.
Presenting the RMC story at ICFP 2025 is about reshaping the global narrative of what role men can play to drive reproductive equity. The RMC demonstrates that when men are meaningfully engaged, family planning stops being a women’s issue and becomes a community issue. It proves that male engagement in family planning conversations, often clouded by stigma and misinformation, can be normalised when explained by those who have lived the experience. And it shows that investing in male involvement yields returns that go far beyond SRHR.
We believe that men are ready to be part of the FP conversation and that the RMC model can be adapted globally. Already, we have seen similar progress in Uganda, where peer champions are driving conversations about vasectomy and male responsibility. Our hope is that ICFP provides the platform for others to recognise the potential of such models and to join us in scaling them further.
As we prepare to share the Responsible Men’s Club with the world, we remain guided by one conviction: reproductive equity cannot be achieved without men at the table. The RMC is proof that when men step up as champions, communities shift, myths crumble, and possibilities open up for women, men, and families alike.
ICFP 2025 gives us the chance to amplify this vision, celebrate the progress made, and build the partnerships needed to take it further. For Zambia, for Africa, and for the world, the time for men’s engagement is now.
By Sheila Gabeya
