PAN DigestVolume 2, Issue 3

Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be – David Bly

PAN at a glance:2013

Front Page father Media Campaign Launched

PAN Materials: Translated and Impacting

Communities in East Africa

A COLD WAR BREWING: The ‘Lost’ New Generation

should borrow from indigenous knowledge on Parenting

PAN Events

Excerpts from A Poem by a Green Hill Academy

CONTENTS

PAN at a glance: 2013

Parenting in Africa Network (PAN) is a

Network of organizations, individuals and

institutions keen to promote skilful

parenting practices in Africa, for the

overall wellbeing of children and families.

A majority of active membership is

spread across Eastern and Southern

Africa, but we are working

towards gaining ground into North,

Central and West Africa.

Read more about what’s happening in 2013: CLICK HERE

Enjoy the read,

Stella Ndugire - Mbugua

Front Page father Media Campaign Launched

Capetown,South Africa, May 2013: PAN Steering Committee members(Trevor and Julia) and Staff (Josephine and Stella) meet for

Malay curry dinner at Bo-Kaap Kombuis, with Front Page Father team Erna and Kevin.

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“The Parent Centre, Cape Town – South Africa represented by Shu-Aib Alie and Charles George; as well and The Parenting in Africa Network, represented by Trevor Davies of the Fatherhood Initiative, Zimbabwe, feel very privileged to have been part of an event that sought to �y high the banner of Fatherhood banner �ying high! ” says Julia Stark, PAN’s Chairperson.

“The Parent Centre, Cape Town – South Africa represented by Shu-Aib Alie and Charles George; as well and The Parenting in Africa Network, represented by Trevor Davies of the Fatherhood Initiative, Zimbabwe, feel very privileged to have been part of an event that sought to �y high the banner of Fatherhood, ” says Julia Stark, PAN’s Chairperson.

Launched on Thursday, 21st February 2013, in South Africa, the Media Campaign - Front Page Father – was aimed at creating awareness of the value of involved fathers and empowering men to become more involved in the lives of their children and families.

During a draft white paper discussion concerning families lead by Department of Social Development in July 2012, concerns about the huge challenge of absent fathers in South Africa lead to the decision to start a national media campaign aiming at bringing fathers back to their children.

More than 150 people from diverse backgrounds and professions from across South Africa attended.

For more information on how to engage or support the initiative, visit: www.frontpagefather.co.za Contact: Erna Rheeder, Co-ordinator FAMNET- erheeder@savf.co.za or and Kevin Rutter - kevin@fathers.co.za

What the child says, he has heard at home. ~ Nigerian Proverb

PAN Materials: Translated and Impacting Communities in East Africa

The Communications team at PAN has embarked on translating some of its materials into Kiswahili, French and Portuguese. Look out for these materials and keep sharing. Below is a letter from C-sema requesting on the need for Kiswahili translation. Click Here

Thank You Note from C-sema

“…We would like to thank the entire team of ‘Parenting In Africa Network’ for the noble job you are undertaking. We would like to acknowledge that we received a parcel with various IEC (Information Education and Communication) materials and publications.

We would also like to request for subtitles of the DVD’s to be translated to Kiswahili. The Network’s Secretariat should translate them to Kiswahili, including all other IEC, for our constituents, who are mainly Swahili speaking.

TestimonialsThe IEC on Men as Fathers and Co – Parents, have charged fathers in Tanzanian to be more involved with their families, providing support to their wives and children. These are key in encouraging fathers to parent actively.

We further commend you for the quality of the products; and look forward to a mutual continued fruitful partnership…”

Kiiya J. K. CEO, C- Sema Tanzania

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A thank you from Childline Kenya

Keeping Kenya-Re Children Safe: Child-watch in Neighbourhoods needed to reduce Child Abuse!

PAN’s member Childline Kenya together with Plan International and MothersLunchBox are spearheading child-watch seminars with caregivers (dads, mums, nannies) to curb incidences of child abuse occurring and increasingly rampant in selected neighborhoods.

“ …thanks for providing the parenting materials for this seminar. It was very well attended and I am quite surprised that somebody put it on the web! PAN is doing an awesome job!

The demand for this kind of seminars is high and we have been requested to train nannies on basic �rst aid by the parents. We have partnered with Red Cross and we hope to do this in July 2013 then follow it with a session for childrenin August 2013...”

Irene Nyamu; Executive Director, Childline Kenya

A COLD WAR BREWING: The ‘Lost’ New Generation should borrow from indigenous knowledge on Parenting

Written by: Omitto Christine AdhiamboProject Officer - ICS Africa

Through centuries, generations evolve. Elders, considered wise, are responsible for imparting wisdom to the younger generation. In various African cultures, it is believed that a curse is bestowed upon one who disregards advice from the elders. But with e�ects of globalisation, many youth are challenging this notion, objecting to the injustices the ‘elders’ while parenting their grandchildren. In defence, the elders dismiss them as the ‘lost generation’ terming them disrespectful. To what account do the youth hold elders who commit child abuse?

While in a minivan, travelling to Dundee KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 6 youths representatives of T4C (Together for Change consortium of from Eastern and Southern Africa) tuned the car radio and happened to listen on a debate about the ‘lost generation‘. That parenting practices by the new generation has lost regard for the rich cultural heritage from which children were taught and socialized.

However, youth feel that globalisation: intermarriage, the internet, freedom of choice and education, calls for adapting to the demands of the changing contexts.

The radio program further highlighted that the con�ict between the youth and older generation has seen child abuse perpetrated by the older generation, through child marriages and child rape. Youth, in attempts to address these vices have had di�culty confronting the elders, because the African culture requires them to address them with respect. But, how could you address your grandparent with respect when they go against the laws of the land: the Sexual O�ences and Children’s Acts?

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Conversely, the older generation feels that globalisation and modernity is very western. They blame the new world for eroding positive traditions, and therefore causing moral decay. To them, poor parenting, same sex marriages, single-parent families are the result!

But as a young person, I prefer that youth of today borrow positive traditional practices, especially when parenting. This is why the Parenting in Africa network (PAN) is embarking on Documenting Traditional Parenting Practices to enrich the models of parenting in the African region. Read more:

Check ICS Africa website: www.icsafrica.org

PAN Events 2nd Pan African Conference on Parenting 2013

For other Important Parenting Events in 2013

CLICK HERE

South Africa: Christine Omitto with T4c partners and development partners , at a workshop

on child protection and community dialogues

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Excerpts from A Poem by a Green Hill Academy Student, Kenya.

‘A special message for the parents & parents-to-be’

“...Many parents today are su�ering from a disease known as "T.B," that is "Too Busy!" Yes, the cost of living is HIGH, but the cost of loving is AFFORDABLE.

The home is the �rst classroom in which a child sits. But unfortunately, the ‘teachers’ i.e. the parents have absconded from duty. And if you ask the children, they will tell you how a parents’ absence has changed their perception on their home environment: To them, TV is their daddy, they see him every day; The RADIO is their mummy; she talks to them whenever they want.

Physically, they maybe in University, but mentally, they are in kindergarten, with their minds still wrapped up in nappies.

So? Don't just be the head of the home but HEAD THE HOME! Many homes used to be like Celtel, Making Life Better, But now, they have become like Baghdad, DAILY EXPLOSIONS OF VERBAL ARTILLERY, All this detonated by marital con�icts!

You parents, have become SUICIDE BOMBERS, blowing up our future. When we see daddy approaching, 'black mamba is about to strike' We take cover as he comes heavily armed with WORDS of mass destruction.

Other parents are like UMEME, they APPEAR AND LEAVE IN A FLASH, Even up to one week; and the kids end up in a BLACK OUT of values. The lucky ones survive if they have friends, who act as generators, but providing INSUFFICIENT POWER. PARENTS, MAKE TIME FOR YOUR CHILDREN…

Forget not, what PARENT means:

P – Personal Friend, A – Available, R – Responsible,E - EncouragesN – Nurtures and T – Teaches ”

DO YOU HAVE NEWSOR STORIES TO

SHARE?Email us on: info@parentinginafrica.org

We acknowledge and appreciate our development partners, for their

generous support; ICS, OSIEA and ACPF,

as well as our Members from around Africa and beyond.

Editorial Team

Josephine GitongaStella Ndugire - Mbugua (Editor)Jared OgedaIsaiah Muthui (Design & Layout)

Copyright © 2013, PANAll rights reserved

Disclaimer:Views expressed in this publication are those of

the contributors and do not necessarily re�ect theposition of Parenting in Africa Network’s

Secretariat

Parenting in Africa Network (PAN) SecretariatRegional O�ce, ICS Africa

P.O. Box 13892 - 00800, Nairobi, KenyaTel: +254 (20) 2063015/17/18

Mobile: +254 731682596/682598Fax: +254 (20) 2063013

Email: info@parentinginafrica.orgWeb: www.parentinginafrica.org

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