Ububele finds growing number of fathers getting involved in raising their children
Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust says infant mental health is as important as that of adolescents and adults and must be given the attention it deserves.

Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust writes:
Ububele Educational and Psychotherapy Trust is eager to lend a helping hand of support to involved fathers in raising their children, but the million-dollar question is how?
As home visitors who work with families every day, Ububele often asks itself this question daily. In its visits, Ububele often sees that many fathers are involved, and many more want to be involved.
Between 2018 and 2023, the organisation visited more than 1 600 families, and 71% of the mothers said the baby’s father was present. These moms say they feel supported, and the babies actually connect with their fathers.
We met some fathers who bond with their babies by talking or singing to them, playing with them, and soothing them when they cry. Some of the fathers we met were physically separated from their babies, so they spoke to their babies over the phone.
We also met fathers who assisted with house chores, like cooking to reduce the burden on the mom and waking up at night to take care of the baby. In addition, when we explain the Ububele home visiting project to parents, we see more and more fathers reading over the forms to truly understand the purpose of the home visits. Some fathers can even answer more questions about the baby during our home visits than the mother.
As home visitors, we try to encourage fathers to participate like this in our visits, but we sometimes face difficulties. Fathers must juggle many tasks. They are often at work when we visit, but even when they are home, they sometimes leave the meeting because they believe that our work only involves women.
This belief is not only held by fathers, as some mothers are also reluctant to introduce the father of their baby to us.
Sometimes, when the relationship between the father and mother is strained, it is difficult for us home visitors to include both parents in the visit because the baby will also notice the tension and cry.
In our visits, we have observed fathers who go for periods without talking to the mother, which makes it difficult for us if we want to involve them.
We live in a community with different cultures and beliefs. The work that we are doing is hard, and how we were raised is completely different from the western world.
But as home visitors, we see that the way we grow also shapes how we are as parents. Children whose fathers are more involved today will more often be present for their own children in the future. So, in your opinion, what can we do to support you as a father? Please leave us a message.
FOOTNOTE: Written by Thandiwe Khumalo, Lerato Khoza, Senzekile Khumalo, Florence Ramoshaba, Mamikie Rumo, Mariet Matlaila, and Mady Chen
Ububele Early Childhood Community Practitioners (ECCPs) and University of Leiden Intern/student.
This Blog was written in collaboration with the University of Leiden’s Prof Josien de Klerk and her student Mady Chen. Ububele’s research partnership with the University of Leiden aims to provide a research basis and platform for the Ububele ECCPs to tell their stories. Look out for more blogs on their perspectives of parenting and working in Alexandra.
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