‘It takes a whole village to raise a child’
The roots of this ancient proverb lie in Africa, and are usually attributed to the Igbo/Yoruba peoples of Nigeria. The proverb tells us that parenting cannot be easily done in isolation from other families, or a child's other parent. Communities should be at the heart of child raising, able to offer support and guidance to both children and parents.
Yet today these communities are breaking down and parents are being left to raise their children in isolation, making the task far more difficult. Among the many factors cited as causing difficulties and tensions within today’s families are:
- smaller family units, as opposed to wider familial support networks able to lend a helping hand and absorb financially and emotionally the task of child rearing
- today’s modern living and changing value base, and the difficulty of knowing what to teach a child to equip them for modern life
- the loss of community, and the sense of isolation that follows
Our modern interpretation of this ancient proverb is a belief in partnership, where we build working relationships and networks between parents, families and services in order to give parents as much support as possible to overcome the challenges of child raising in today's fractured society.
With this in mind, the BabyFather Initiative seeks to help primarily African Caribbean fathers play an active and positive role in their families through giving them the support they need and access to a community network of other fathers in similar situations with whom they can share their experiences and develop their parenting techniques.
