UNICEF Helps Dads Give Their Children The Best Possible Start In Life

Forbes

21 hours ago

On Father's Day and every day, UNICEF supports and celebrates caring dads everywhere.
Thembile, a single dad, had to take on the responsibility of raising his two sons alone after their mother left the family. He struggled with disciplining his children and communicating effectively with them, until he joined a parenting support program. More than half of South Africa's children grow up in homes without a father present or a father figure playing an active role in their upbringing. UNICEF supports the South African Parenting Program Implementers Network to develop and disseminate quality parenting support resources and programs across South Africa, reaching thousands of parents and caregivers like Thembile.
Being a parent is the most important job in the world. It's also a learned skill. UNICEF provides the necessary resources, support and tools fathers and mothers need to raise happy, healthy, hopeful children, from programs that encourage fathers to play with their kids from Day One to emergency assistance for families caught in unimaginable crises.
Miguel Ángel Pillco Vilca, a 33-year-old minibus driver, helps his 15-month-old daughter down the slide in El Alto, Bolivia on April 23, 2025. © UNICEF/UNI788390/Laguna
Growing up in Bolivia, Miguel Ángel Pilco Vilca, a 33-year-old minibus driver from El Alto, didn't have a father figure, but he's determined to be present for his 15-month-old daughter. He balances long work days with quality family time, including everyday tasks like diaper changes and supporting his wife during breastfeeding.
He regularly attends the "World of Dads" program at the local health care center, where fathers share experiences and learn nurturing skills, and participated in the national forum "Dads from the Start of Life," supported by UNICEF and Bolivian ministries, promoting paternal engagement from pregnancy onward. These efforts are part of a broader UNICEF initiative encouraging fathers' early involvement in their children's development. Nearly 300 fathers in Bolivia are now part of this growing movement supporting child well-being and gender equality.
Bernard, 4, his brother Balam, 9, and their father, Alphonse Batundi, head to the water point set up by UNICEF in Bushagara, located in the Nyiragongo health zone near Goma, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 2, 2025.
Parents caught in crises struggle to meet their children's needs and to provide them with a safe and healthy childhood, despite the circumstances. UNICEF works around the world to deliver basic services for families affected by violence, climate shock and natural disasters.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 7.7 million people have been displaced from their homes by decades of armed conflict. "Life has been very hard here. Everything had been destroyed," says Alphonse Batundi, who moved his two sons to Goma, North Kivu province, to escape violence.
With support from UNICEF, the family has access to clean water, a shower and toilets. Yet many challenges remain. Since fighting escalated in January 2025, many displacement sites in Goma have been dismantled. Batundi's boys, 4-year-old Bernard and 9-year-old Balam, miss going to school. 'I'm truly grateful for everything,' Batundi says. 'But we still need help. There's no hospital here in Bushagara. If a child falls ill, we don't know where to take them. We would really like to have access to health care and medicine.'
Douglas Bashonga, father of seven, sits with his wife and three of their children outside their home in Bushusha, Idjwi health zone, South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 1, 2025. Douglas was treated for cholera at the UNICEF-supported Kihumba cholera treatment center.
When Douglas Bashonga, a coffee grower in the DRC, fell ill with cholera, his wife and children rushed him to the UNICEF-supported Kihumba cholera treatment center. 'I was very ill," he says. "I could no longer work or take care of my family. What worried me most was not being able to provide for my children, rather than my own pain.
'I was very ill. I could no longer work or take care of my family. What worried me most was not being able to provide for my children, rather than my own pain.'
Thanks to the free treatment he received at the center, Bashonga recovered and eventually regained his strength. 'When I returned home, I decided to protect my family,"he says. "The doctors advised me to always wash my hands with soap or ash, to boil water before drinking it, and to remain vigilant for any symptom. I implemented all these recommendations immediately ... and that reassures me the most. None of my family members or neighbors became infected. This proves that prevention works.'
Related: What It Takes to Support Children Fleeing Violence in Eastern DRC
Lijay Solofa, a police officer, plays with 4-year-old Nakitah and 3-year-old Lisona, in the village of Vaitele in Apia, Samoa on April 27, 2025.
In Samoa, days are full for police officer Lijay Solofa, his wife, Telesia, and their six children. Solofa always makes time to play with his kids, even the youngest, 11-month-old LJ. He knows that in the first 1,000 days, babies' brains form new connections at an astounding rate: up to 1,000 every single second — a pace never repeated again.
UNICEF supports early childhood development (ECD) in the Pacific by promoting good health, adequate nutrition, safety, responsive caregiving and learning opportunities, while also addressing gender-transformative norms and violence prevention.
Salimata Samassi and Adama Kone at home with the youngest of their four children, 4-month-old Massita, in Odienne, northern Côte d'Ivoire on Oct. 16, 2024.
Baby Massita weighed less than two pounds when she was born at home in Côte d'Ivoire. "She was so small and fragile that we thought she wouldn't make it," says her father, 40-year-old Adama Kone. The nearest hospital was 43 miles away.
"I called the hospital; there was no ambulance, but they told us to come as quickly as possible and keep her very warm," Kone says. "I took my motorcycle, with my wife, who had just given birth, sitting behind me, holding the little one wrapped up. It was the longest hour of my life."
Massita was treated at a UNICEF-supported hospital in Seguelan, and spent a few days in an incubator. "Afterwards, we were taught how to do kangaroo care," Kone recalls. "We stayed in the hospital during that time. Honestly, I was so scared, but we remained hopeful. We are so happy with our angel.'
Celebrate the fathers in your life by making a donation to UNICEF, to help ensure every child grows up healthy, educated, protected and respected. Your contribution is more important than ever.
Right now, the lives of the most vulnerable children hang in the balance as conflicts and crises jeopardize the care and protection that they deserve. Dependable, uninterrupted and effective foreign aid is critical to the well-being of millions of children. Please contact your members of Congress and urge them to support ongoing U.S. investments in foreign assistance.