Gender Transformation at the Grassroots: A Gender and Development Program from the Practitioners\u27 Perspective

This study investigates the “gender transformative” Men as Partners (MAP) program as implemented in the West African nation of Togo. Using a qualitative research design, the project examines the successes and barriers of implementation, with an emphasis on the relationship of foreign (the American international development agency, the Peace Corps) and native practitioners (Togolese individuals implementing the program at the grassroots level). The study provides an ethnographic perspective of the researcher’s work as a MAP practitioner in Togo whose experiences are juxtaposed with seven different interviews from American and native practitioners administering the program on the national, regional, and community levels throughout Togo. The research reveals that certain cross-culture and administrative barriers exist that hinder program effectiveness. The project also raises critical questions about the utility of male-centered, short-term development programs designed in the West that seek to transform gender relations on the community level in developing nations