Volume 2: issue 3 Contents • PAN at a glance:2013 • Front Page father Media Campaign Launched • PAN Materials: Translated and Impacting Communities in East Africa • A COLD WAR BREWING: The ‘Lost’ New Generation should borrow from indigenous knowledge on Parenting • PAN Events Archive newsletters on PAN Website: Download: Download previous PAN newsletters, click on link: http://www.parentinginafrica.org/en/index.php?option=com_jdownloads&Itemid=49&view=viewcategory&catid=6

1. PAN Digest
Volume 2, Issue 3
Your children will become what you are; so be what you want them to be – David Bly
PAN at a glance:2013
Front Page father Media Campaign Launched
PAN Materials: Translated and Impacting
Communities in East Africa
A COLD WAR BREWING: The ‘Lost’ New Generation
should borrow from indigenous knowledge on Parenting
PAN Events
Excerpts from A Poem by a Green Hill Academy
CONTENTS
PAN at a glance: 2013
Parenting in Africa Network (PAN) is a
Network of organizations, individuals and
institutions keen to promote skilful
parenting practices in Africa, for the
overall wellbeing of children and families.
A majority of active membership is
spread across Eastern and Southern
Africa, but we are working
towards gaining ground into North,
Central and West Africa.
Read more about what’s happening in
2013:
CLICK HERE
Enjoy the read,
Stella Ndugire - Mbugua
Front Page father Media Campaign Launched
Capetown,South Africa, May 2013: PAN Steering Committee members
(Trevor and Julia) and Staff (Josephine and Stella) meet for
Malay curry dinner at Bo-Kaap Kombuis,
with Front Page Father team Erna and Kevin.

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“The Parent Centre, Cape Town – South Africa represented by Shu-Aib Alie
and Charles George; as well and The Parenting in Africa Network,
represented by Trevor Davies of the Fatherhood Initiative, Zimbabwe, feel
very privileged to have been part of an event that sought to fly high the
banner of Fatherhood banner flying high! ”says Julia Stark, PAN’s
Chairperson.
“The Parent Centre, Cape Town – South Africa represented by Shu-Aib Alie and Charles George; as well and The
Parenting in Africa Network, represented by Trevor Davies of the Fatherhood Initiative, Zimbabwe, feel very
privileged to have been part of an event that sought to fly high the banner of Fatherhood, ”says
Julia Stark, PAN’s Chairperson.
Launched on Thursday, 21st February 2013, in South Africa, the Media Campaign - Front Page Father – was aimed
at creating awareness of the value of involved fathers and empowering men to become more involved in the lives
of their children and families.
During a draft white paper discussion concerning families lead by Department of Social Development in July 2012,
concerns about the huge challenge of absent fathers in South Africa lead to the decision to start a national media
campaign aiming at bringing fathers back to their children.
More than 150 people from diverse backgrounds and professions from across South Africa attended.
For more information on how to engage or support the initiative, visit: www.frontpagefather.co.za
Contact: Erna Rheeder, Co-ordinator FAMNET- erheeder@savf.co.za or and Kevin Rutter - kevin@fathers.co.za
What the child says, he has heard at home. ~ Nigerian Proverb
PAN Materials: Translated and Impacting Communities in East Africa
The Communications team at PAN has embarked on translating some of its materials into Kiswahili, French and
Portuguese. Look out for these materials and keep sharing. Below is a letter from C-sema requesting on the need
for Kiswahili translation. Click Here
Thank You Note from C-sema
“…We would like to thank the entire team of‘Parenting In Africa Network’
for the noble job you are undertaking. We would like to acknowledge that
we received a parcel with various IEC (Information Education and
Communication) materials and publications.
We would also like to request for subtitles of the DVD’s to be translated to
Kiswahili. The Network’s Secretariat should translate them to Kiswahili,
including all other IEC, for our constituents, who are mainly Swahili speaking.
Testimonials
The IEC on Men as Fathers and Co – Parents, have charged fathers in Tanzanian
to be more involved with their families, providing support to their wives and
children. These are key in encouraging fathers to parent actively.
We further commend you for the quality of the products; and look forward to a mutual continued fruitful partnership…”
Kiiya J. K.
CEO, C- Sema Tanzania

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A thank you from Childline Kenya
Keeping Kenya-Re Children Safe: Child-watch in
Neighbourhoods needed to reduce Child Abuse!
PAN’s member Childline Kenya together with Plan
International and MothersLunchBox are spearheading
child-watch seminars with caregivers (dads, mums,
nannies) to curb incidences of child abuse occurring and
increasingly rampant in selected neighborhoods.
“ …thanks for providing the parenting materials for this
seminar. It was very well attended and I am quite surprised
that somebody put it on the web! PAN is doing an
awesome job!
The demand for this kind of seminars is high and we have been requested to train nannies on basic first aid by the
parents. We have partnered with Red Cross and we hope to do this in July 2013 then follow it with a session for children
in August 2013...”
Irene Nyamu; Executive Director, Childline Kenya
A COLD WAR BREWING: The ‘Lost’ New Generation should borrow from indigenous knowledge
on Parenting
Written by: Omitto Christine Adhiambo
Project Officer - ICS Africa
Through centuries, generations evolve. Elders, considered wise, are
responsible for imparting wisdom to the younger generation. In various
African cultures, it is believed that a curse is bestowed upon one who
disregards advice from the elders. But with effects of globalisation, many
youth are challenging this notion, objecting to the injustices the‘elders’
while parenting their grandchildren. In defence, the elders dismiss them
as the‘lost generation’terming them disrespectful. To what account do
the youth hold elders who commit child abuse?
While in a minivan, travelling to Dundee KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, 6
youths representatives of T4C (Together for Change consortium of from
Eastern and Southern Africa) tuned the car radio and happened to listen
on a debate about the‘lost generation‘. That parenting practices by the
new generation has lost regard for the rich cultural heritage from which
children were taught and socialized.
However, youth feel that globalisation: intermarriage, the internet, freedom of choice and education, calls for adapting
to the demands of the changing contexts.
The radio program further highlighted that the conflict between the youth and older generation has seen child abuse
perpetrated by the older generation, through child marriages and child rape. Youth, in attempts to address these vices
have had difficulty confronting the elders, because the African culture requires them to address them with respect.
But, how could you address your grandparent with respect when they go against the laws of the land: the Sexual
Offences and Children’s Acts?

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Conversely, the older generation feels that globalisation and modernity is very western. They blame the new world
for eroding positive traditions, and therefore causing moral decay. To them, poor parenting, same sex marriages,
single-parent families are the result!
But as a young person, I prefer that youth of today borrow positive traditional practices, especially when parenting. This
is why the Parenting in Africa network (PAN) is embarking on Documenting Traditional Parenting Practices to enrich
the models of parenting in the African region. Read more:
Check ICS Africa website: www.icsafrica.org
PAN Events 2nd Pan African Conference on Parenting 2013
For other Important Parenting Events in 2013
CLICK HERE
South Africa: Christine Omitto with T4c partners and development partners , at a workshop
on child protection and community dialogues

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Excerpts from A Poem by a Green Hill Academy Student, Kenya.
‘A special message for the parents & parents-to-be’
“...Many parents today are suffering from a disease known as "T.B," that is "Too Busy!"
Yes, the cost of living is HIGH, but the cost of loving is AFFORDABLE.
The home is the first classroom in which a child sits.
But unfortunately, the‘teachers’i.e. the parents have absconded from duty.
And if you ask the children, they will tell you how a parents’absence has changed their perception on their home
environment:
To them, TV is their daddy, they see him every day;
The RADIO is their mummy; she talks to them whenever they want.
Physically, they maybe in University, but mentally, they are in kindergarten, with their minds still wrapped up in
nappies.
So? Don't just be the head of the home but HEAD THE HOME!
Many homes used to be like Celtel, Making Life Better,
But now, they have become like Baghdad, DAILY EXPLOSIONS OF VERBAL ARTILLERY, All this detonated by marital
conflicts!
You parents, have become SUICIDE BOMBERS, blowing up our future.
When we see daddy approaching, 'black mamba is about to strike'
We take cover as he comes heavily armed with WORDS of mass destruction.
Other parents are like UMEME, they APPEAR AND LEAVE IN A FLASH,
Even up to one week; and the kids end up in a BLACK OUT of values.
The lucky ones survive if they have friends, who act as generators, but providing INSUFFICIENT POWER.
PARENTS, MAKE TIME FOR YOUR CHILDREN…
Forget not, what PARENT means:
P – Personal Friend,
A – Available,
R – Responsible,
E - Encourages
N – Nurtures and
T – Teaches ”
DO YOU HAVE
NEWSOR STORIES TO
SHARE?
Email us on: info@parentinginafrica.org
We acknowledge and appreciate our
development partners, for their
generous support;
ICS, OSIEA and ACPF,
as well as our Members from around
Africa and beyond.
Editorial Team
Josephine Gitonga
Stella Ndugire - Mbugua (Editor)
Jared Ogeda
Isaiah Muthui (Design & Layout)
Copyright © 2013, PAN
All rights reserved
Disclaimer:
Views expressed in this publication are those of
the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the
position of Parenting in Africa Network’s
Secretariat
Parenting in Africa Network (PAN) Secretariat
Regional Office, ICS Africa
P.O. Box 13892 - 00800, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 (20) 2063015/17/18
Mobile: +254 731682596/682598
Fax: +254 (20) 2063013
Email: info@parentinginafrica.org
Web: www.parentinginafrica.org
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