This case study profiles Equimundo, a global organisation that engages boys and men to build healthier, more equitable masculinities and advance gender equality through research, programming and advocacy.
Equimundo, formerly known as Promundo, was founded in 2011 to bring the work of Instituto Promundo in Brazil to a global scale. Its origins trace back to research in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, which found that many men were already resisting harmful gender norms even while facing pressure to conform. The organisation renamed itself Equimundo in 2021 to better reflect its focus on equity.
Equimundo's work rests on three pillars: caring men, healthier boyhoods, and social connection. In the education sector, it partners with schools, teachers and families to help boys question stereotypes and build empathy. Its Global Boyhood Initiative equips adults who raise, teach and coach boys aged 4 to 13 with tools to foster healthy masculinities, while its long-running Program H methodology, first launched in Latin America in 2002, combines gender-transformative group education sessions with community-wide campaigns, and has since been adapted in more than 30 countries.
Equimundo grounds its work in extensive global research, including the International Men and Gender Equality Survey, which has engaged over 67,000 participants across 45 countries. This research has shaped programmes and policy across sectors including education, with Equimundo working alongside partners such as the World Bank, UN Women and the Gates Foundation.
The organisation argues that engaging boys and men is essential, not secondary, to achieving gender equality: research shows that men who embrace gender-equitable attitudes report better health and happiness, while those holding restrictive norms face greater risk of harmful behaviours.
Key messages
- Equimundo's approach rests on three pillars: Caring Men, Healthier Boyhoods, and Social Connection, aiming to help boys grow into caring, equitable adults.
- Its Global Boyhood Initiative works with adults who raise, teach and coach boys aged 4 to 13 to foster healthy masculinities from an early age.
- Program H, Equimundo's flagship gender transformative curriculum to work with boys and young men, combines group education with community campaigns and has been adapted in more than 30 countries since 2002.
- Equimundo's research, including the International Men and Gender Equality Survey across 45 countries, shows that men who embrace gender equality report better health and happiness.
- The organisation views engaging boys and men as essential, rather than secondary, to achieving gender equality, arguing that rigid gender stereotypes harm people of all genders.
- Equimundo acts as a technical partner to local organisations, co-designing research and building capacity so that programmes remain locally relevant and sustainable.
- The organisation is tracking a global stall or decline in gender-equitable attitudes among boys and men, which it links to rising backlash and online misinformation.
