Happy Father’s Day – African Child

George Nyabera

Yesterday (Friday 16 June 2017) marked the International Day of the African Child (DACinternational-day-of-the-african-child) 2017. Tomorrow (Sunday 18 June 2017) will mark Father’s Day 2017.

The theme for 2017 for DAC was The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for Children in Africa: Accelerating Protection, Empowerment and Equal Opportunity. This is an invitation to explore the links between children’s rights in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – which define global development priorities between now and 2030 – and those in the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Wikipedia explains that Father’s Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.

You would ask, “What is the nexus between the two events?”

One of the dimensions in the DAC theme 2017 is accelerating protection. But protection from what? Is it the harsh treatment by molester parents? Is it early marriages and FGM for our girls? Is it the societal neglect on the rights of the child (education, health, participation)? Is it the provision of basics (food, shelter and clothing)?

A recent publication by Save the Children UK Untold Atrocities: the stories of Syria’s children has harrowing accounts of what children have gone through in Syria at the watch of “Fathers who have all that it takes to change the narrative”. In one account, Hassan (14) narrates, ““I was at a funeral when I heard the rocket that caused a massacre. Dead bodies and injured people were scattered on the ground, and I found body parts.” Khalid (15) says, “They hung me up from the ceiling by my wrists, with my feet off the ground. Then I was beaten.”

In south Sudan, the world’s newest democracy, “The situation facing children who were already hungry and going without meals is now rapidly unraveling,” says Perry Mansfield, World Vision’s director in South Sudan. “If aid funding and deliveries are not immediately scaled up, we should expect to see children facing a catastrophe, and starvation and migration to find food on a massive scale.”

The case is not any better in Central African Republic. If you listened to chilling accounts of child soldiers embroiled in the civil war – a bloody conflict between the Muslim ‘Seleka’ and Christian ‘Anti-balaka’- you would wonder, what is the future of the African Child? One child soldier testifies that he could kill even at home. He has grenades, knives… he could do anything.

As we go into celebrating Father’s day, would we stop for a moment and imagine what influence fathers would have to this generation and the generations to come if we stopped the fun and pomp and put all effort to end atrocity, appropriate all measures necessary to protect children (including funding to humanitarian aid) and foster dialogue towards lasting peace in war torn locations.

This is the ultimate gift that “Fathers” out there can give to the African Child. This message is to policy makers. This message is to the governments. This message is to presidents. This message is to you, Mr. Donald Trump (ruler of the free world) that you would reconsider your position on federal funding to African programs.

There is hope for Africa.

Photo credits: Duncan Walker ©

Leave a comment