REAL Fathers

About the Project Intervention

Project Name: Capacity building and planning for Catalyzing REAL Fathers across Uganda for Early Learning and Play
Project goal: REAL Fathers is a four-component intervention:
  1. Increase fathers’ ability to use positive parenting techniques with their children
  2. Develop healthy, gender-equitable relationships with the mothers of their children.
  3. Stop intimate partner violence (IPV).
Project outcomes: Partners in the REAL Fathers consortium and stakeholders (line ministries, district local governments, cultural and religious institutions) have the capacity to implement REAL – ECD integrated program at scale.
Coverage: Western Uganda; Isingiro, Rubirizi, Mbarara and Ibanda
Target group: young fathers (aged 16 to 25 years) and fathers of toddler-aged children (1-3 years (Planning & capacity building grant no children will be reached at this time).
Consortium partners: (4) organisations; Somero Uganda, All Nations Child Development Center, World Education-Bantwana, and Forum for African Women Educationalists.

 

Project Background

The Challenge: Witnessing and experiencing violence;
  1. Impedes children’s healthy development and learning,
  2. Inhibits positive relationships,
  3. Provokes low self-esteem and emotional distress,
  4. and can lead to self-harm and aggressive behavior.

The Solution:
Responsible, Engaged and Loving (REAL) Fathers is an evidence-based, community-led mentoring program for fathers of toddler-aged children that teaches positive parenting and nonviolent discipline.
  1. REAL Fathers is to support men across Uganda in nonviolent parenting techniques and home-based early childhood development (ECD).
  2. Adapt REAL Fathers to Uganda’s regional cultures, and integrate the program into the ECD system at the national level.