Working with Boys for Gender Equality
Including boys is not just equitable, it’s essential.
Photo: Boys engaging with ZanaAfrica staff and mentors during a health and life skills session and community pad distribution. Boys often bring pads home for their sisters. (Kilifi County, Kenya)
Advancing gender equality means changing norms for all genders and supporting every young person through the joys and challenges of growing up.
That’s why we also work with boys—too often left out of conversations about health, rights, and gender. Including them in sexual and reproductive health and life skills education isn’t just equitable—it’s essential. Their engagement shifts harmful norms, improves health outcomes, and lays the foundation for more just, equal societies. The evidence is clear: meaningfully including boys is both necessary and transformative.
Boys Need Our Support
A recent UNESCO report (2024) covering over 140 countries—including Kenya—found boys are more likely than girls to fall behind in reading, repeat grades, and have poorer learning outcomes. Factors such as poverty, economic pressure, and rigid gender norms contribute to their disengagement.
Adolescent boys also face pressure to conform to traditional masculinity—toughness, emotional silence—which harms their mental health and relationships. Early interventions through mentorship, safe spaces, and programs that promote expression and equity help boys challenge these norms and foster healthier masculinity and stronger communities.
Reaching Boys Through Schools, Communities & Technology
As we continue to expand our health and life skills programs in public schools across Kenya through our partnership with KICD (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development), we’re adapting our content to reach both girls and boys at a critical moment in their development, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to thrive.
Through our community-based partners, this year we've supported 2,280 boys with health and life skills education.
Our NiaHealthlink chatbot—which provides free and immediate health support through WhatsApp—is showing us just how eager boys are to learn about their health and rights. They’re asking questions like:
Why do boys have wet dreams?
Where can I get PrEP in my locality? (PrEP is a daily medicine that helps prevent HIV before exposure)
Positive Impacts Today—and Tomorrow
In our sessions, boys are actively engaging on topics like consent, puberty, mental health, and respectful relationships. They’re discussing peer pressure and learning how to build healthy masculinities.
Working with boys benefits everyone. When boys have accurate information and challenge harmful norms, girls benefit too. Schools are safer, peer relationships improve, and communities grow in understanding and respect.
True Gender Equity Includes Everyone
Progress means engaging all youth in reimagining what’s possible. When equipped with knowledge, empathy, and courage, they become powerful leaders for equity.
Help us continue expanding our impact with boys. Your gift today will truly makes a difference!
