Bandebereho Randomized Control Trial: Six Year Follow-up to Assess the Impact of a Gender-transformative Intervention With Couples to Promote Men's Engagement in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Caregiving and Healthier Couple Relations

This study seeks to conduct a six-year follow-up of the Bandebereho randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the longer-term impact of the gender-transformative Bandebereho couples intervention on participating men, women, and their children. The Bandebereho program being assessed was first implemented by the Rwanda Men's Resource Center (RWAMREC) and Promundo-US, in collaboration with the Rwanda Ministry of Health and local authorities in Karongi, Musanze, Nyaruguru and Nyaruguru districts between 2013 and 2015. A two-arm RCT was conducted with 1,199 couples (575 treatment; 624 control) in 2015-16. Three rounds of data were collected: baseline (pre-intervention), 9 month follow-up (4 months post-intervention), and 21-month follow-up (16 months post-intervention). The findings at 21-months demonstrated significant impacts of the intervention on multiple gender and health-related outcomes. The proposed study will conduct surveys with men enrolled in the RCT and their female partners, to assess the longer-term impact of the intervention on reproductive and maternal health, gender attitudes and household dynamics, intimate partner violence, mental health and wellbeing, parenting, and child development. In addition, child assessments will be conducted with a sub-sample of 800 children aged 4 to 7 years to directly assess early childhood development outcomes.