Home Fathers Matter

Women's experiences of fatherhood shape how we see ourselves, and our place in the world. And as women, young or old, we owe it to ourselves to begin the work of coming to terms with our own father story and how it’s impacted who we are today.

See some of the winning entries from our Youth Month Competition. The competition was an opportunity for children to share their views about fatherhood. There were some powerful, inspiring and moving submissions. 

We are very sure about fatherlessness, and that is a problem. Themba Dlamini shares how one radio conversation exposed a national blind spot about faterhood in South Africa. 

In many communities, the dominant image of manhood remains physical – protect, provide, endure, fight. These instincts are not inherently wrong. But they are incomplete.

Long before we had the social discussion about father absence, South Africa had already built systems that made it normal. Men left home not because they didn’t care, but because they had to. 

Randall's story is about breaking cycles, particularly the one he inherited from his father. Where addiction once defined him, he has chosen differently. Where his father’s absence shaped him, he now strives to be present for his child and his mother.