Our work at the African Fathers Initiative proceeds from an explicit commitment to gender equity and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It supports the importance of mothering or mothers’ rights to children, and it highlights the importance of parents working co-operatively for the interests of children.
Improved Communications between a Husband and Wife Key to Family Planning Use
Public health organizations have long advocated for the inclusion of men in family planning services, and researchers have suggested a link between male involvement and increased use of contraception. Building the evidence base, FHI researchers – funded by USAID – evaluated Save the Children's Malawi Male Motivator project, Not only did the study find that contraceptive use increased significantly post- intervention, but the results provided evidence to guide future interventions, namely that, increased and improved communication between a husband and wife is key to contraceptive use. More ...
Fathers parent differently from mothers and that difference matters a lot for kids!!!
If you're like most new or expectant dads, you must have some silent assumptions about what it means to be a father. Those ideas are rooted in your experiences with your own father and in what you believe society expectsof a male parent. The biggest myth of all is that there's only one definition of a "good father" - you have the power to create your own version to meet your needs and the needs of your family - and you can do it over time! From pregnancy and throughout the first years of parenthood, men change and develop a unique identity as a father. We hope you'll find inspiration and information here to help you focus on the father you want to be ... More ...
Fathers do not behave the way they do because that’s just how they happen to be Very little in our complex modern society is left to chance. So men, on becoming fathers, are not surprisingly often nudged into adopting attitudes or behaviour by public policy – from attending the birth to child support. If we are to help men and their children, achieve progress towards development goals such as the Millenium Development Goals, (MDGs), make sure more men are involved in care reducing the gendered burden of care on women and much more - then we must value fatherhood and restore fathers to their children, physically and emotionally...
Aims and Objectives The Zimbabwe Parenting Action Plan (ZiPAP) seeks to ensure that a more coherent approach is taken to the development of parenting support services in Zimbabwe, so that parents and carers are better informed, better supportedand have access to theadvice and information they needabout a range of things as their children grow up. Men, in particular, lack information and resources about parenting knowledge and skills. More ...
Too much work and discussion about men and boys has focused on the negative To be sure, we cannot ignore the extent of male negative behaviours in producing human rights violations such as violence against, women, children and other men. Far too many men see violence and coercion glorified in the media, amongst their peers and other adult men. This proposal for a five day national workshop tries to take a different and more positive approach, arguing that there is much to gain from positively engaging with men and boys around issues of reducing violence, promoting caring and supporting fatherhood in Zimbabwe. More ...
This June we will celebrate Father's Day in Africa as the world does globally, honouring our dads and letting them know how important they are in our children's lives. Yet for many African children, this will be a day that passes unnoticed, or worse, is a reminder of an empty space in their lives...
How many children on the African continent are without active fathers in their lives? The answer is we simply do not know. A contributing factor to both low commitment and knowledge about African fatherhood is the low numbers of fathers who register their names on their children's birth certificates. One simple step to start to raise the numbers committed fathers, and equip children with knowledge of their parentage, is to get Africa's dads to register their names on the birth certificates of their children! In order to achieve this – fathers must be, for the first time, acknowledged and addressed directly, by public services. More ...
Male Champions - Encouraging Couples to Protect their Unborn Children Against HIV & AIDS
Knowing your HIV status is still somewhat of a taboo for women in Zimbabwe. Many women are afraid that if they test positive for HIV or AIDS then they will be rejected by their husbands, and this can cause major problems if a woman becomes pregnant. Mother-to-child transmission is the primary cause of HIV infections in children around the globe. The Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) program works to reduce the number of women transmitting HIV to their children in the developing world through services including HIV testing and psychological support. According to UNICEF, 96 percent of antenatal care clinics in Zimbabwe offer PMTCT. However the PMTCT program in Zimbabwe has been stalled due to lack of male participation and support. In order to the combat this, UNICEF has introduced the Male Champions program. More ... Restoring fathers to families and communities: Six steps for policy makers! Across the continent we need to mobilise to increase fathers’ involvement in the lives of their children. The strategies in each country may vary widely, reflecting the cultural and philosophical differences about the definition of “responsible fatherhood." Some efforts may focus on teaching men the skills they need to be good fathers; others will concentrate on child support enforcement; still others will promote marriage and two-parent family formation. But the reality is that all AU states are still doing less than they could to promote father involvement.
Public health organizations have long advocated for the inclusion of men in family planning services, and researchers have suggested a link between male involvement and increased use of contraception. 
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