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Demystifying gender through a gender comic book

The gender mainstreaming comic book, is a pictorial book which asks five main questions: What do you see on the

picture? What does the picture mean to you? Is this happening in our community? What is the best practice? What can be done to promote the best practice. The book allows communities to discuss and critically analyse situations and come up with a way forward.

John Mtambo-Malawi

Addressing gender-based violence in rural communities is not an easy task, because most people are accustomed to their cultural norms.

John Mtambo, 57, is the village headman for Ikombe village in GVH Siyombwe, T/A Mwaulambya in Chitipa.

“Thanks to the EU funded KULIMA BETTER project. As a member of Twiyule Farmer Field School (FFS), I have gained knowledge beyond improved farming practices. I have also learnt about gender through a comic book which was shared to us by our community-based facilitator," Mtambo explains.

The gender mainstreaming comic book, is a pictorial book which asks five main questions: What do you see on the picture? What does the picture mean to you? Is this happening in our community? What is the best practice? What can be done to promote the best practice? The book allows communities to discuss and critically analyse situations and come up with a way forward.

“Going back home I went through the gender comic book. I could relate with most of the issues in the book. Then I decided to be a special trainer on this”.

Mtambo was trained as a gender champion. He reaches out to other community members to understand issues on gender. He has observed that decisions on how to

spend money at household level were mostly done by men while women do most of the production.

"In the past most women were not expressive and did not have a say in making decisions on finances but now I have seen more women becoming expressive and being able to make joint decision with their husbands," explains Mtambo's wife Juliet Sibale.

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/malawi/kulima-gender-comic-book-kabuku-ka-mchezo_en