About Fathers Matter
In South Africa, most children grow up in homes without their biological fathers. Fathers Matter is a new campaign that uses the power of story to support the positive and active role of fathers or men in the lives of children.
It's an initiative of Heartlines, the Centre for Values Promotion.
What we do
Fathers Matter seeks to:
- Build awareness and create a national conversation about why fathers matter in the lives of children.
- Create a supportive environment and share resources for organisations and churches to use to promote positive fatherhood.
Watch the Fathers Matter promo video
Early childhood development support
The importance of a father or father figure’s involvement with his child’s learning journey - especially at an early stage - is not always appreciated or understood. Given that a child's brain develops more than any other time in life between birth and the age of five, involvement at this stage is crucial and affects a child’s ability to learn and develop.
This is why Fathers Matter has worked with early childhood development (ECD) experts and practitioners to create a resource toolkit that will empower and equip ECD practitioners to engage male caregivers in their child’s early learning.
“You don’t become a father merely by having a child somewhere. There are certain things you have to do, that are your responsibility as a father.”
Why do fathers matter?
Globally, and in South Africa, there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the importance of fathers being positively involved in their children’s lives. Children who grow up without positive and active fathers are at great risk of:
- Perpetrating and becoming victims of violence
- Substance abuse
- Teen pregnancy
- Poor academic achievement
- Mental health problems
That said, a father’s absence is only a risk factor. Many children grow up and thrive when they are raised by single mothers.
Heartlines conducted research on fatherhood in South Africa, which forms the basis for this initiative. Our Fathers Matter campaign consists of a website, print resources for churches and NGOS, online talks and a range of social media content.
In 2021, look out for our exciting series of feature films for television.
Our partners
The Fathers Matter initiative is made possible thanks to the support of our primary funder, the Oak Foundation, which addresses issues of global, social and environmental concern.
We are grateful for our partnership with the following organisations:
We also partner with a number of individuals and organisations who do incredible work in this space. Get in touch if you’d like to partner with us or donate to this initiative.