Fatherhood Matters
Committed, responsible and involved fatherfood can make a big difference in children's lives.
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About You
Section 1: About You
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
African Fathers Initiative
Organization Website
Organization Phone
+263912598339
Organization Address
839 Ruwanga Road, Mandara, Harare
Organization Country
Zimbabwe
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Your idea
Name Your Project
Fatherhood Matters
Country your work focuses on
Zimbabwe
Describe Your Idea
Committed, responsible and involved fatherfood can make a big difference in children's lives.
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Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
The African Fathers Initiative, founded in 2007 is the only organization of its kind on the continent, bringing research, advocacy, policy and practice together in one place, although I would like to see many more dealing with promoting active fatherhood in each country. My strategy includes emphasising positive aspects of fatherhood and encouraging men to enter the domain of care for children in contrast to focusing on highly visible cases of abuse and neglect. This includes highlighting the benefits of father involvement with children for men themselves, particularly "in reducing harmful behaviour towards the self and others as a result of a longer-term perspective created by commitment to one or more children."
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Nearly all African based agencies, state organs and community based initiatives that I have approached now see that there has been a massive potential for positive fatherhood that they have not encouraged. They want help to change their practice but I need the basic ability to shape the discourses and provide tools to help them implement change.
Problem
Fatherhood does not even appear in our public discourses or in many state, private sector and public agencies work with poverty alleviation and transformation agendas. The changing nature of the family in growing poverty, globalization trends and ideas about family formation is vastly under studied leading me to question many of the most basic assumptions that people make about the nature of the problems we face and the appropriate solutions that can be envisaged to change things for the better for millions of our children.
Actions
The African Fathers Initiative is centred on a web-based resource
(www.africanfathers.org) for networking, information sharing, and raising awareness around issues of fatherhood in Africa.
It identifies gaps in knowledge and provides links to studies and papers that
have been done on fathers in Africa as well as to fill the information gaps through policy briefs and other research papers, in partnership with research and
development partners.
Results
The website attracts 20,000-30,000 visits a month and is consulted by a diverse
group of people from experts in governments down to individual fathers, couples and
children all interested and intrigued in the ‘idea’ of fatherhood values and their
potential to influence a better life for children and a less conflictual setting for parents to affect their children’s development and potential.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
Year One. A full time focus by myself on content generation, fundraising and team building a core human resource base that can project the ideas forward, network and encourage more involvement in African countries.
2. A sustained social change and marketing campaign aimed at key decision makers in government, civil society, private sector and development agencies persuading them of the value of fatherhood in development outcomes and healing processes.
3. Development of practical toolkits from our networked expertise aimed at implementing agencies and development organisations. Getting the resources into widespread use in grassroots communities.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Lack of short term ability to focus on my own sustainability and that of a team of players who can commit full-time to translating our vision into a concrete reality.
How many people will your project serve annually?
More than 10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
In what country?
Zimbabwe
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
Less than a year
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
The African Fathers Initiative should not in itself be a large organisation. However it should be a pivotal influence on other organisations to include fatherhood in their perspectives and work. Networking, alliances and partnerships are a key element in leveraging additional human, financial and other resources from outside the organisation to grow the work around African fatherhood.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1. Short term security for core team members.
2. Enhancing our connectivity, diligently seeking out new partners, funding sourses and knowledge dissemination partners.
3. Improving the quality and quantity of relevant information available. Tailoring this to policy makers and practitioners needs.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
Seeing increasing numbers of children in Africa without active fathers in their lives. Appreciating that many men hate the restrictive gender assigned roles that prevent them from caring and being involved more with their children. Talking with many professional women from all walks of life who maintain that without their fathers they wouldn’t be where they are today! Realising the power of the father in children’s imaginations – but that often as men we let them down in their expectations of us.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
A resident of Zimbabwe, I am an award-winning photojournalist and media
trainer and former Director of the Harare-based Southern African Media Services
Organisation (SAMSO). In getting this idea off the ground I have faced numerous
challenges in this difficult operating environment where the repression of media has curtailed my ability to work consistently in the country. The socio-political and economic conditions have also resulted in the flight of potential development and other partners who could support AFI.
I am supporting my ideas using consultancy earnings from gender and media training in the southern African region. However, the constant travel and
assignments are increasingly proving to be a hindrance in my fulfillment of my
passion, transformatory fatherhood in Africa, as well as his desire to ‘be the change I want to see’ by fully playing the critical role of involved and present father to my daughters, aged four and six years.
I have made significant impact in the lives of others in the past through my role
as Director of the Southern African Media Services Organisation by mentoring two
CNN Photo journalists of the year and in my training and awareness activities and
publications. In 2008 I won the Gender and Media Photojournalist of the Year Award for my commitment to gender equity in imaging development.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Web Search (e.g., Google or Yahoo)
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
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 | 127 weeks agoNaveen Shakir said: This is an innovative idea, and we really liked the emphasis on fatherhood. We were a little unclear as to the details of social impact, ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 136 weeks agoTrevor Davies updated this Competition Entry. |
| 136 weeks agoTrevor Davies said: Thank you Eve for a very encouraging and useful set of comments. I've just attended our Africa Symposium on Engaging Men and Boys for ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 137 weeks agoEve Sullivan said: I urge you to look both within and beyond the continent of Africa for collaborators, as you will find many like-minded individuals and ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 139 weeks agoTrevor Davies updated this Competition Entry. |
| 139 weeks agoTrevor Davies submitted this idea. |
