By Takemore Mazuruse When the first Covid-19-induced lockdown was effected in March last year, many felt the pinch and the pressure was just too much for the average earning man in a generally challenging economic environment. Not only did the lockdown strain the pocket, it also strained marital relations whereby couples were now spending hours on end within the same vicinity and environs unlike was the case in an open economy where they would spend the day at work, come home to some good evening hugs and kisses, dinner and good night’s rest and again off to work the next morning. Given that gender-based violence (GBV) has for long been a challenge in most Zimbabwean homes and communities, the sudden change of routines and the closed economy created a breeding ground for spiralling cases of GBV and Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum had to embark on various initiatives aimed at raising awareness and reducing the incidences of violence against women and children. Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum programme officer Paul Vingi said the organisation embarked on a number of initiatives aimed at educating the public on the dangers of GBV during the 2020 lockdown period including the three-month Oxfam Appeals fund project, which focused on Caledonia in Harare. In spite of all those milestones and initiatives, Vingi said he felt the 2021 lockdown would require even more widespread campaigns so that gender- based violence is curbed and peace is maintained in Zimbabwean homes. “In 2020, we had to think outside the box in our quest to educate members of the public on the dangers and risks of gender-based violence particularly given the marked rise in the number of cases we were noting and receiving from our project areas and the various counsellors who are part of our programme network,” Vingi said. “Given the lockdown situation, direct community engagement was a challenge, so we had to enlist the services of respected influencers, including musicians, sportspersons and parliamentarians, to add their voices to our call against gender-based violence. “We recorded scripted jingles and audio visuals which were broadcast on national radio and TV during prime time for public education and risk awareness. Various radio programmes which detailed more on what GBV entails and how victims could be assisted were also aired on various radio stations, with mainstream print media stories detailing the same and the feedback and results we got was amazing,” he said. Vingi said their organisation was happy to have received further support under the Oxfam Appeals funding for another three-month campaign towards the end of 2020, which focussed on Caledonia, an informal and densely-populated area in Harare where cases of GBV were on an abnormal high. “Even after the authorities lifted the lockdown restrictions, GBV remained a challenge since this is an embedded societal ill in our communities and, as Padare Enkundleni Men’s Forum, we had to apply for funding to scale up awareness in targeted hotspots,” he said. “The initial plan was to target most high-den