In Siaya, there is a prevailing perception that caregiving is primarily the responsibility of women. This perception often leads fathers to avoid taking on shared responsibilities in raising their children.
As a result, children in our community do not receive adequate care and face various issues such as hunger, limited access to education, and insufficient healthcare.
The burden of caregiving falls heavily on overwhelmed mothers who struggle to manage the demanding tasks on their own, while fathers are mostly preoccupied with meeting the family's financial needs and spend less time at home. Unfortunately, amidst these challenges, fathers tend to overlook essential aspects of parenting.
They may neglect to provide their children with simple yet impactful things like eye contact, attention, participation, involvement, respect, independence, belief and responsibility.
However, the inspiring journey of Ojwang and his daughter - Awiti in tending to their family garden towers illustrates the transformative power of nurturing care practices in fostering a strong father-child bond. With the introduction of a garden tower for the family and a separate baby garden tower crafted from leftover net pieces, their small farm underwent a remarkable transformation. They developed interest in cultivating vegetables, a pursuit they had never ventured into before. This endeavor proved fruitful as they were able to sell their produce, thereby generating income to afford essential items such as monthly milk for their daughter and improved clothing, which had a significant positive impact on her overall health.
Awiti, alongside her father, enthusiastically took on the responsibility of watering the baby tower and experienced pure joy in witnessing its growth. Through their collaborative efforts in nurturing and maintaining the garden towers, Ojwang and his daughter deepened their bond as father and child. The garden towers became a cherished sanctuary, filled with love and joy. Singing along while watering the plants and diligently uprooting weeds served as meaningful moments of connection and shared happiness.
Impact: Ojwang has not only helped his daughter learn the skills of growing a garden, but he has created a bond between them as he helps to provide for his family through growing their own food.
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