Home Fathers Matter
What if we could halve fatherlessness in a generation?
When fathers and father figures are present and positively engaged, children thrive – academically, financially, physically and emotionally – and are less likely to face mental health challenges, addiction and violence.
Heartlines Fathers Matter encourages the active, positive presence of fathers and father figures. It is the largest campaign of its kind in Africa.
Fathers Matter can be used in many different contexts to help people understand WHY fathers matter and how they can be part of changing the story of fatherhood in South Africa.
For Women
Women’s voices matter in the Fathers Matter conversation. Find out more.
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For Organisations
Get resources to help fathers in your organisation or community.
Read more about thisChanging lives, families and communities
We implement Fathers Matter in ECD centres, sports clubs, workplaces, places of faith and schools with our in-person engagements.
Independent evaluations have shown that Fathers Matter is working.
Tens of thousands of fathers/father figures are getting positively and actively involved in children’s lives and that dramatically alters their life outlook!
Watch the video to hear about how Fathers Matter changed this family's story.
Watch the trailer for the Fathers Matter films
Stories
When the streets raise our boys
Despite having a father who was alive, Nkululeko did not have that consistent presence shaping his understanding of himself. And when that kind of guidance is missing, it doesn’t leave a gap for long. Something else fills it. In his case, the streets stepped in...
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What’s Papa got to do with my rage?
Father absence removes one of the first buffers against violence – a daily presence where anger is noticed, slowed down, named, and shaped before it hardens.
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Education doesn’t fail at school first
At the 2026 Department of Basic Education Sector Lekgotla, Fathers Matter had a chance to highlight children's perspectives on fatherhood – and how their father experiences can influence their education.
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Building your child’s emotional toolkit for school
We know about the uniforms and stationery, but one of the most important things we can help our kids prepare is their emotional toolkit. In South African classrooms and playgrounds, children learn more than the curriculum. They learn how to handle friendships, face challenges, and build skills like communication, empathy, resilience, and problem-solving.
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The day men returned to school, for their children
On a warm November morning, a classroom at Zonkizizwe Primary School in Orange Farm hosted a different kind of curriculum: fatherhood. No chalkboards, no formal lesson plan, just men arriving with their stories, their children, and the quiet hope of becoming better fathers than the ones they had, or didn’t have.
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[PICS] Playing Dad Cape Town film launch
Community, glamour, fun and, of course, popcorn were all part of the wonderful media launch of our latest Fathers Matter film Playing Dad at Nu Metro, Hyde Park on 4 June 2025.
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