By NATALIE GALLENTI
A PROGRAM designed to help African fathers and their families adjust to life in Australia has received a great response from the community.
CatholicCare initiated the program, which hosts camps and family days, six years ago in the hope that fathers may strengthen bonds with their children.
Program co-ordinator Maria Bohan said the idea came from years of working with African families, many from Sudan and Zimbabwe, who have had terrible life experiences in war-ravaged countries.
“The men in the families have particular roles to play but when they come to Australia it’s different,” Ms Bohan said.
“These camps are an opportunity for them to realise they were great dads in the past but the role does change.”
Ms Bohan said most of the families that take part in the program live in Melbourne’s West and enjoy having the opportunity to spend quality time with their children and share stories around the campfire.
She said it’s also an opportunity for fathers to create links within the community and boost their social networks.
A recent family day at the Werribee Zoo was deemed a huge success with parents enjoying seeing animals from their homeland.
“It was windy and cold as fathers and mothers pointed at and laughed as they saw animals from back home. They told their children stories about the animals as they remembered life back in their home countries.”
The next African Dads and Kids Camp will be run in partnership with Victoria Police and will be held in November at Phillip Island.
