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Annual Report 2024 RAISING GOOD MEN to end GBV, crime and fatherlessness.RAISING A GREAT NATIONCONTENTS A. WORD FROM THE CEO 3 B. OUR MISSION 4 C. CONTEXT AND PHILOSOPHY 5 D. OUR PROGRAMMES 7 E. OUR TEAM 9 F. OUR MATERIAL AND TRAINING RESOURCES 11 G. 2023/2024 IN NUMBERS 13 H. PROJECTS AND INTERVENTIONS 15 1. Community engagements 15 2. School and College events 17 3. Training 19 4. Tavern dialogues 21 5. Champions For Change 22 6. Renew All vows 23 7. Bravest Thing helpline 24 8. Alex #NOEXCUSE centre 25 9. 16 Days of Activism 27 10. PSL Training 28 I. PARTNERSHIPS 29 J. MEDIA EXPOSURE 30 K. TESTIMONIES 34 L. FINANCIAL 38WORD FROM THE CEO Fifteen years later, I am more convinced than ever that there is no greater nation-building imperative than restoring and equipping men to be good fathers, partners, mentors, citizens and role models who stand against all forms of abuse. Do this and we will change the trajectory of our country! That is why all of our programmes are aimed at building good men who love, serve, protect, provide and who use their strength only for good. Such men will stop abuse in its tracks and build a safe and prosperous future for all. Since we started with our first intervention 15 years ago in Bophelong in the Vaal, we have had the privilege of running programmes in all nine provinces of South Africa. We’ve worked in taverns, informal settlements, hostels, schools, colleges, universities, taxi ranks, prisons, malls and street corners as well as corporations, government departments and places of faith. The stories of changed lives, and in some cases, saved lives, continue to keep us inspired. We are profoundly grateful to our funding partners, without whom this work would not be possible. Our largest supporter over recent years has been ABInBev, whose partnership with us on the #NoExcuse for Abuse campaign and Champions for Change programme has borne tremendous fruit across South Africa. We also express our heartfelt thanks to our other key supporters over this period whose contributions have enabled us to expand our reach and deepen our impact in truly remarkable ways. Thank you Ford Foundation, the GBVF Fund, the Danish Embassy, Sun International, Biggi Brands, Standard Bank, ABSA Bank, Mukuru, Deal or No Deal, Hitachi Energy South Africa, Mountain Reach, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Airlink Cleaning Services and numerous individuals such as Ingrid Jonker from Middelburg who faithfully makes a monthly contribution. A huge thank you to our team, who will always be our greatest asset. We are fortunate to have a group of men and women on our staff who are driven by a passion to make a difference and build a safe and prosperous nation for all. Working in the NPO sector dealing with the devastating issues of fatherlessness and GBV requires a lot of grit, determination and emotional resilience and we are blessed with a team that possesses these qualities in abundance. South Africa is home to some of the deepest, kindest, wisest, most compassionate and resilient people in the world. We are privileged to walk this journey with them in communities, classrooms, boardrooms and streets across the nation. It is with great pride and gratitude that we present this summary of our work to you, our valued stakeholders. Thank you for standing with us in building a safe, just and flourishing South Africa, one good man at a time. This report covers the work of Father A Nation for the two-year period ending 28 February 2025. Craig Wilkinson Founder and CEO Father A Nation was founded in 2010 on a simple yet profound belief: If we can heal men, we can heal South Africa. OUR MISSION FAN’S PURPOSE: To raise a generation of good men who will build a safe and prosperous South Africa. HOW DO WE ACHIEVE OUR PURPOSE: We target fatherlessness, gender-based violence and crime by healing and equipping men to be good men, nation builders, fathers, mentors and role models who use their strength only to love, serve, protect and provide and to stand against any form of abuse. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE ON THE GROUND? We run powerful, transformational programmes with men and women, boys and girls in communities, schools, colleges, and organisations across South Africa.ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024 / PAGE 5 CONTEXT AND PHILOSOPHY Father A Nation operates in the context of a nation which has some of the most troubling social issues in the world. South Africa is widely referred to as the rape capital of the world, and we have some of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) anywhere. Our murder rate stands at 34 per 100,000 people per year, seven times higher than the USA (4.8) and 37 times higher than the UK (0.92). We are also one of the most corrupt nations in the world. Estimates suggest corruption has cost South Africa more than R700 billion over the past 20 years. R700 BILLION CORRUPTION COST IN THE LAST 20 YEARS 37X SA MURDER RATE HIGHER THAN UK 60 OF CHILDREN LIVE WITHOUT A PRESENT FATHER % THE GLOBAL RATE 5X FEMICIDE RAPE CAPITALPAGE 6 The overwhelming majority of this damage is being perpetrated by men. Not emotionally whole and healthy men, but rather wounded men with a distorted view of masculinity. TRUE MASCULINITY IS A POWERFUL FORCE FOR GOOD. False, wounded masculinity is profoundly destructive. Wounded men either fail to use their strength and become passive, or they misuse their strength and cause harm to themselves and others. True masculinity loves, serves, protects and gives. False masculinity seeks to dominate, control and take. Because of our divisive history and deep socio-economic challenges, South Africa is home to generations of fatherless, wounded, men with false and often destructive notions of what masculinity is. The evidence is clear. A survey conducted among 2,600 men in Diepsloot (aged 18–40) by Sonke Gender Justice in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand revealed that 56% admitted to either raping or beating a woman in the past 12 months. Among these, 38% specifically admitted to forcing sex and approximately 54% admitted to physical violence or threats against women. Another study involving 1,130 young women in KwaZulu Natal found that 46% reported their first sexual experience as non- consensual. These are horrifying realities happening on a massive scale. This is not a crisis that will self-correct. Wounded men raise wounded boys, who become wounded men, who in turn wound others. We must break the cycle. Our future depends on it. One of the primary causes of destructive masculinity is fatherlessness. Multiple studies point to the fact that the single greatest predictor of dysfunction in young people is not poverty, race, or education, it is fatherlessness. Fatherless children are significantly more likely to join gangs, commit violent crime, abuse drugs and alcohol, engage in early and risky sexual behaviour, commit or experience sexual abuse, suffer from depression and suicide. It is safe to say that fatherlessness is the engine behind our most urgent social crises. The clear and obvious solution is to heal, restore and equip men to be good men, fathers, mentors and role models. To create lasting change, we must transform the hearts, minds, beliefs and behaviours of men. This is what Father A Nation exists to do. And we are doing it, effectively, powerfully, and at scale. We run proven, practical interventions to dismantle destructive masculinity and stop GBV at its roots. We operate from three core convictions: » The answer to toxic masculinity is healthy masculinity. When enough men live out a true, life- giving form of masculinity and hold each other to account, destructive behaviour drops. »Teaching true masculinity helps fill the void left by absent fathers. Our programmes equip men with an understanding of healthy masculinity that they never received growing up. »Safe spaces for men to be vulnerable and supported leads to emotional healing and a reduction in harmful behaviour. Giving men space to talk and process their emotions literally saves lives, reducing destructive behaviours like suicide, addiction and violence. Good policing and prosecution are essential but not enough. If we are to be effective in reducing the incidence of GBV, we need to heal the hearts and transform the beliefs of men. This alone will change the way men behave at a broad societal level. The passionate goal of Father A Nation is to prevent GBV from happening by restoring, equipping and inspiring men to be GOOD men, fathers, role models, partners and citizens. REPORTED THEIR FIRST SEXUAL EXPERIENCE WAS NONCONSENSUAL 46 % IN A KZN COMMUNITY STUDYANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024 / PAGE 7 1. WORKSHOPS, DIALOGUES AND TRAINING SESSIONS at schools, colleges, community centres and organizations in both the public and private sector. 2. FREE ONLINE COURSES IN FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES (English, Zulu, Sotho, Afrikaans) covering positive masculinity as well as understanding and overcoming GBV. 3. BOOKLETS AND TRAINING MANUALS covering GBV, fatherhood and positive masculinity. 4. COMMUNITY-BASED EVENTS ranging from sporting events to street activations, tavern interventions and community hall gatherings. OUR PROGRAMMES Our range of programmes, material and interventions directly address the dire issue of gender-based violence (GBV), fatherlessness and destructive masculinity. These include:PAGE 8 5. MENTORSHIP PROGRAMMES involving community-based mentors actively engaged in mentoring men in their communities. 6. TRANSFORMATIONAL CONVERSATIONS WITH MEN IN COMMUNITIES in small, facilitated groups called Bands of Brothers. These groups have proved life changing for many men and life saving for both men and women. 7. CORPORATE TRAINING AND WEBINARS for staff on understanding and overcoming GBV at home, in communities and in the workplace. 8. SCHOOL & COLLEGE INTERVENTIONS to teach boys and young men the principles of positive, healthy masculinity. 9. ADVENTURE-BASED CAMPS for high impact personal transformation and training for men. 10. SURROGATE FATHERS Equipping and mobilising men to become surrogate fathers to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC’s) in communities.Next >