Declining parenting norms in the community have been blamed on absent fathers as Makerere University trains nearly 200 parenting experts to intervene.
The commissioner of Gender and Women Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Ms Angella Nakafero, said parents have left parenting to strangers instead of taking their responsibilities serious.
‘We need fathers back in the families. Positive parenting, shared roles and responsibility is very important. When the two of us work together, we can bring up better children, ‘ Ms Nakafero stated.
‘When the family is weak, Uganda will definitely be weak. So, the fathers, please let’s carry that message. We are aware that in Uganda, the majority of families are under polygamy, but if you decide to be a polygamist, be prepared to deliver on your roles and responsibilities. It’s a choice you made’, Ms Nakafero Emphasized.
She was speaking at a graduation ceremony of parenting experts, which the Makerere University held to design parenting interventions to help the community improve parenting, and regulate the conduct or behaviour of the children in the community.
Dr Godfrey Siu, senior lecturer and course leader and course leader at the University, described the training as a timely intervention which must continue to be supported if the country is to address the emerging new challenges facing the children in the country.
‘We have trained professionals who have the skills, able to design programmes to better mental health problems for children and for their families, able to design programmes that address gender based violence and violence against children’, Dr Siu said.
She further said: ‘We are trying to reduce the prevalence of harsh discipline as a way of correcting children, so all these are skills that have been imparted to our participants.’
He said the program code-named Science of Designing Evidence-Based Parenting Interventions started way back, and it’s aimed at supporting the government to improve investment in the area of parenting and child wellbeing, especially to address the challenges that the government identified, which is the absence of skilled professionals who have a specific quality that is required to support the development of good parenting programs.
The Deputy Principal at the Makerere College of Health Sciences, Dr Richard Idro, asked the government to have a parenting expert at every parish to ensure that the children’s morals march with the expected moral values of the country.
The deputy Mufti at the Uganda Supreme Muslim Council, Sheikh Muhammad Ali Waiswa, asked the government to prioritize and address issues affecting children by integrating initiatives such as evidence-based parenting interventions to support the government’s efforts to protect children.