Fathers Day 2023

Did you know that 60% of South African families are fatherless?

One thing we do know is the importance in the role of fathers in the family, and if our nation is going to grow and build future leaders, this trend and statistic needs to change.

So once again, iKhaya le Themba (the Home of Hope) decided to be the difference and ACT on it.

We designed an event where children were able to invite any men from the local community that held an important role in their life.

Uncles, neighbours, cousins, daddies, grandfathers, pastors were all included and we had an attendance of 80 men at iKhaya on Saturday 17th June 2023 in our library.

An atmosphere of dialoguing was encouraged, with vulnerability building the community of men that had taken out 5 hours of their day to contribute.

As a group, topics were discussed and stories were shared around the following:

  • What is a man

    • His roles and responsibilities

    • Lead by example

    • Someone physically and emotionally available

    • A leader

  • Mens Health

    • Depression & Anxiety

    • Addiction

    • Suicide and suicidal thoughts

    • HIV/AIDS

    • Cancer

    • Sexually transmitted Diseases.

  • How to bond with other men from other cultures

    • Let’s unite!

    • Stop distancing when times are tough

    • How our government hinders the above

  • Younger and Older generation

    • Communicate better

    • Share experiences

    • Meet one another where they are

    • Continue to meet in this way

  • Moral regeneration and values

    • Be role models with integrity

    • Be men of honour and men of respect

    • Use the church as our pillar of strength

  • Alcohol and Substance Abuse

    • All admitted the community has a problem with this

    • Don’t smoke or drink in front of children

    • The cycle starts with cigarettes then experimenting

    • Community needs to know the referral for treatment centres.

As you can see this meeting was POWERFUL!!

The men were served by ladies of iKhaya Le Themba and wives of the men, and they had snacks, food and drinks available to them thanks to some very kind sponsors who responded to our call! Thank you, beautiful people!

After hearing about the breakthroughs and the importance of meeting like this, the men agreed that future events need to be planned to continue to facilitate this change in our community.

If you are passionate about this project, we need a support team to enable this project to really take off.

I am calling for any volunteers or donors to come forward as we form “Men of Hope”.

Can you give financially into this project or help us plan the next event that truly makes a change?

Sara Clarke