The REAL Fathers Initiative: Results from a Qualitative Evaluation of Scale-Up in Uganda

REAL Fathers is a culturally-grounded mentoring intervention, which aims to prevent young fathers’ perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), improve couple communication, prevent violence against children, and strengthen positive parenting. It was scaled up from 2016-2018 in northern Uganda and Karamoja. To evaluate this expansion of REAL Fathers, the Institute for Reproductive Health and Save the Children used a mixed methods approach over a period of 24 months, which included a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews. This brief is focused on the results of 39 qualitative interviews, conducted with men and women participating in REAL Fathers. The analysis sought to understand any changes in men and their spouses after their experience with REAL Fathers, focusing on decreases in IPV and corporal punishment; increases in couple communication and problem-solving; uptake of family planning, and increases in parent-child interaction. The data revealed notable changes among the participants, and their approaches to spousal communication and childcare.