Partner profile: ReStory Foundation

What is ReStory, when did it start and what work do you do with the organisation?

The ReStory Foundation empowers the marginalized, especially orphans and vulnerable children and youth, to be courageous agents of change. 

Our focus is igniting positive cycles of living and giving. Through this identities are strengthened, trauma resilience develops, and agency grows. As a result, lives are restoried and narratives changed across the nation.

We started in 2007, although it was previously known as the Bhambayi Project, with most of our work focused on the marginalized community of Bhambayi in Inanda. 

My role at ReStory Foundation is the young adults and high school coordinator, with accountability for my work with teenagers, school leavers and community development, including environmental issues. I have a strong belief in the potential and power of today's youth and have made it my mission to create positive and safe spaces for young individuals to thrive and grow. It is also in my heart to strengthen and enable fathers in their parenting role.

What are some of the challenges you are trying to resolve through the work of Restory?

Our work revolves around six pillars, which are:

1. ReStory Lives: Enabling orphans and vulnerable children to be courageous agents of change, both in Bhambayi and beyond – we currently have over 250 children in our programme.
2. ReStory Futures: Change employment trajectories through high school bursaries, skills training, and linkages.
3. ReStory Justice: Strengthen and support individuals and communities in fighting child rape and abuse.
4. ReStory Community: Empowering people to build clean and safe communities they can be proud of.
5. ReStory Giving: Shifting the perspective of giving from pity to honour, from handouts to sustainable outcomes.
6. ReStory Research: Ensuring continual learning from, and contribution to, best practice through ongoing research and development.

What have you seen are some of the challenges linked to fatherhood in the community you operate in?

Challenges linked to fatherhood in Bhambayi include but are not limited to:

• Family breakdown: Family structures are often unstable: absent fathers are not taking responsibility; and young couples are living together without being married, resulting in unplanned pregnancies and children who may not be cared for. This results in identity issues and psychological distress.
• Substance abuse: Some fathers neglect their children due to alcohol and drug abuse, which are substances that are readily available in the community.

What are ReStory Foundation’s hopes for young fathers?

We hope to see fathers present and committed, not only financially but also physically and emotionally. We want empowered fathers looking to be the primary mentors for their children – raising a new generation of children secure in the love of a father and mother, resulting in changed trajectories.

To find out more, visit: https://www.restoryfoundation.co.za/