Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/global-perspectives/5013860/
NigeriaM.A. Akinware, project officer, Education
Nigeria is a patrilinear society and most families are male headed. Fathers represent authority and uphold discipline, reward, and punishment. To this end, any intervention in ECC must take cognizance of fathers' roles within the family set-up, more so when working in the rural and semi-urban areas. The social structure is respected at the entry point of any ECC intervention. The village head is contacted to obtain his permission before direct contact with the community and to use him as an advocacy tool in his domain. He, in turn, will summon his council members, the majority of whom are men and fathers, to facilitate their acceptance of the new project. This will ensure fathers' and grandfathers' commitment and involvement in ECC activities. They are required to transmit cultural norms and values through story telling and general discussions/interaction with children at home and in centre-based projects.
At the family level, we start creating awareness with the fathers, explaining the objectives, benefits, and expectations of the ECC interventions. This will entail group discussions to elicit parental expectations as well as demonstrate the advantages of ECC initiatives. Once convinced, fathers soon become advocate to mothers and other caregivers in the community. ...