Fathers were urged to play active roles in their children’s lives, when the Humanitarian Mission of New Jersey Arya Samaj Inc in collaboration with the Save Abee Foundation held a walk from Williamsburg to Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice on Friday, followed by a rally.
Attorney James Anthony Bond, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed the importance of the father’s role in his family’s life. According to Bond, he holds no other title with pride and distinction as he holds the title of being a father. He stressed that once you experience fatherhood, nothing could give you greater pleasure in life.
“Persons limit fatherhood to simply the man in the home – the man who made the child – fatherhood is beyond that,” he said. “We need to get back to that position where we not only criticize but we challenge ourselves to become better, not only for ourselves or family, but for others. You don’t have to be a father to who you made; be a father to all the boys and girls in the community.”
Bond stated that a lot of the time people would talk about the “bad men” in society, but he stressed that there are also a lot of good men. “I think the good outweigh the bad,” he said.
According to Bond, it doesn’t matter whether you grow up in poverty, it should not be used as an excuse to not be a good father. “We should be limitless in our thinking. I don’t think we should put ourselves in a box and limit what we could achieve”, he added. In closing, he urged those gathered, to always remember four words, “protection, provision, instruction and inspiration. Those are the key responsibilities of a man, not just a father, a man. I want you to challenge yourself to be a provider for a child, to be a protector of a child, to instruct a child and to inspire a child.”
Regional Chairman, David Armogan, in his speech, stated that the less attention you pay to your children, the more they will depend on others. “So the roles of fathers in our homes cannot be overemphasized, because traditionally, fathers have been seen as people who are the authority in the home, the breadwinner, the person a child can look up to for advice and turn to for attention,” he said.
He stressed that it is important for fathers to pay attention to their children in today’s society. However, Armogan said, “Perhaps we are beating up on fathers unnecessarily too, because the economic situation of our day, is as such, that fathers have to leave their homes in search of employment to ensure that the economics of their homes is taken care of. We have to be able to weigh the positives and negatives, because it is not always the fault of the fathers, because the father has to make the balance between leaving home and advocating some of your responsibility and at the same time making a living and ensure you can provide the material things for your home.”
He highlighted that most times, the role of mothers is given more emphasis and as such he is happy to be part of an event that pays attention to the role of fathers. He also called on organisations to set up places to help fathers to be better.
All of the speakers congratulated Pandit Suresh Sugrim of the Humanitarian Mission NJAS Inc for spearheading such an event.
Also present at the rally were Commander of ‘B’ Division Ian Amsterdam, Chief Executive Officer of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital Colin Bynoe, Coordinator at the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association Delon Brathwaite, Coordinator within the Ministry of Social Cohesion Sharon Patterson and Regional Education Officer Volika Jaikishun among others. A few outstanding fathers were also recognized and given plaques as part of the activity.
