A pregnancy and childbirth board game to educate men has been piloted among Ugandan men living in London, prior to testing it out within Uganda.

The playing pieces in Whose Shoes? are small coloured shoes. As the men throw the dice, they move their pieces and pick up information cards according to where they land.

The game has the effect of creating a conversation among men. The information cards introduce real-life scenarios that demonstrate women’s experiences. They introduce topics such as how gender norms can hinder maternal health and how men can be facilitators of change.

Example of conversation cards:

My mother told me that she was forced to deliver from home. She lost so much blood that she almost died….Which cultural norms prevent pregnant women from delivering in the health facility and what should we do to change that?

Women seldom know that they have a right to choose where they wish to deliver from…..How can men be of help to their pregnant wives?

The UK-based participants felt the game was not so relevant to their own experience in London where they are already highly engaged in supporting maternal health. The participants suggested it would work better in rural settings in Uganda. The participants also suggested more could be included about barriers to male participation in maternal health services. They recommended more about pregnancy and childbirth as a shared responsibility with a couple.

Ladur AN, van Teijlingen & Hundley V (2018). ‘Whose Shoes?’ Can an educational board game engage Ugandan men in pregnancy and childbirth?, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 18

Photo: Gill Phillips.