A study by Promundo, a MacArthur grantee, found a social science-based curriculum for couples in Rwanda reduced intimate partner violence by 40 percent after almost two years; shifted relationship dynamics, especially when it came to decision-making and use of contraception; and increased the amount of time that men spent on domestic tasks like caring for children, cooking, and cleaning. The program, called Bandebereho (meaning “role model” in Kinyarwanda), featured 15 classes for men in which they learned about the difference between sex and gender, how to be an active father, and what intimate-partner violence looks like.
