Church leaders have been urged to reflect on their role as leaders in nurturing and molding young boys to become responsible and caring dads for their families and communities in future. Inversely, boys were urged to embrace the church in order to become good fathers.
The call was made by Pastor Jonathan Cleveland, the senior pastor at Pulpit Rock church in Colorado-USA who was the chief runner at the Fathers’ Day Run organized by The Remnant Generation in commemoration for the day marked every 19th of June.
The 21Km, 10Km, 5Km and 3Km marathon which has traversed areas of Natete, Busega, Mengo and nearby area attracted over 200 participants and the proceedings are going towards support teenage mothers and young girls who are victims of sexual abuse.
Annabel Nakabiri the Executive Director of The Remnant Generation says the Father’s Day run that aims at encouraging fathers to play their respective roles in the lives of the child especially was targeting to raise 150 million shillings.
Nakabiri explains that the proceeds will be used to avail safe motherhood spaces, mama kits, ultrasound machines but also train health service providers on how to handle teen mothers.
To have safe motherhood spaces, the organization has partnered with 8 health centres to avail child friendly reproductive health services in the 4 districts of Lyantonde, Luuka, Kasanda and slum areas of Kampala.
Timothy Opobo, the Board Chairperson Fathers Arise, noted majority of the abuses against of the girls that result in teenage pregnancies and abortions can be attributed to the absence of fathers in the homes.
Opobo stresses that fathers should stop the habit of blaming teenage pregnancies to what they refer to as negligence of the mothers but rather step in and play their fatherly roles.
As part of commemoration, a church service was also held in Busega at Remnant Generation offices to pray for peace and reconciliation among families that have split and where fathers have abandoned their children.
Nakabiri says the church service as part of the day’s activities was used to pray for but also celebrate good caring fathers.
After the service the commemorations continued with a Father’s day lunch at The Remnant Generation Offices in Busega.
The first Father’s Day run to be an annual event was flagged off in Nateete to attract the attention of the local communities and create awareness about risks associated with teenage pregnancies in such areas.
