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George Mwaura says that without present and supportive fathers, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence worsen. Here, he gives four tips on how one can become a social father.

George Mwaura says that being a social father is about intentionally and consistently playing a fathering role in a child's life. Here, he writes about who social fathers are, their importance and how you can become one.

Absent fathers, crime and stigma of being a single father

Gosiame Masike, who’s a single father raising a daughter and the head of Heartlines’ Correctional Services, says that communities should be careful about ostracising and alienating single fathers, adding that fathers, too, need support.

Absent fathers fuel crime in children

Head of Heartlines' Department of Correctional Services and a single father raising a daughter, Gosiame Masike, says South Africa is seeing signs of change and that a new generation of fathers is emerging.

Absent fathers, crime and the stigmas

According to Statistics South Africa, half of all children in the country don’t live with their biological fathers. Studies further show that youth with the highest incarceration rates are those who never had a father living with them.

Absent fathers, stigma of being a single dad

Gosiame Masike, head of Heartlines’ Department of Correctional Services and a single father raising a daughter, talks about how the father figures in his life shaped him as a young man and communities stigmatising single fathers.

Ostracising loving single fathers

A single father raising a daughter and the head of Heartlines’ Correctional Services, Gosiame Masike, says that communities should be careful about ostracising and alienating single fathers. He adds that fathers, and any parent or guardian need all the support they can get.

Survivor’s story: absent father and domestic violence

Professor Corné Davis' opinion piece reflects on how households without fathers can cause boys to become perpetrators of violence and cause girls to become victims.

'Papa do my hair' initiative gets more dads involved

A hair salon is usually off-limits to men, but a group of fathers have teamed up in a bid to shatter stereotypes and show up for their daughters while also learning how to style up.

Empowering ‘community fathers’ to be change-makers

Heartlines was part of a workshop to mobilise 'community fathers' to create safe spaces in the Wentworth community, with the intention of reducing violence and promoting a more peaceful and cohesive society.

KaBokweni St Mary’s Anglican Church celebrates Father’s Day

The Father's Day celebration was held to appreciate the role of fathers and to discuss the challenges they face.

Breaking the mould of the ‘deadbeat dad’

In the spirit of Father's Day and Youth Month, the Fathers Matter project aims to draw attention to fatherhood in South Africa.

Fathers Matter

The role of social fathers

Social fathers: Who they are, why they matter, and how to become one