In the heart of Kakamega County, Kenya, a remarkable transformation was taking place. John, a father, husband and Lay Volunteer Counselor, had long been a provider for his family, but his role was limited to financial support. He rarely engaged emotionally with his children or wife, creating a distance that seemed unbridgeable. However, John’s life was about to change dramatically when he attended an inception meeting for the ICS SP (Investing in Children and their Societies – Skilful Parenting) program in his community.

The turning point came when John was invited to participate in ICS SP’s training on Gender Transformative Skilful Parenting. This training became an eye-opener for him, revealing the importance of equal involvement in raising children and creating a safe, violence-free home environment. John began to see the critical role he could play in his children’s lives beyond just providing for their physical needs.

As John absorbed the lessons from the training, he started to implement changes at home. He learned how to provide love, care, and attention to build secure attachments with his children – something he had not appreciated before. The impact was profound and immediate. His children began to feel more loved, happier, and more confident in sharing their issues with him. John, even started playing football with them, an activity he had never engaged in before.

Reflecting on his journey, John expressed a poignant thought: “I wished I could revise my children’s ages to 0-3 years when brain development is rapid; I could raise them better.”

The statement underscored the depth of his transformation and the newfound understanding of early childhood development he had gained.

The changes weren’t limited to John’s relationship with his children. He and his wife began to share responsibilities more equitably, noticing how this positively affected their children. The entire family dynamic shifted towards a more harmonious and supportive environment.

John’s transformation didn’t stop at his own family. Inspired by the positive changes he experienced, he committed himself to help other families in his community.

“The training changed me, and I am also working to change other families,” John declared, embodying the ripple effect of positive parenting practices in the community.

The project trained a total of 50 community facilitators like John, drawn from Directorate of Social Development (lay volunteer Counselors), Directorate of Children Services (child protection volunteers) and Ministry of health (community health promoters) on Gender transformative skilful parenting curriculum. These community facilitators conduct weekly group parenting training sessions to adolescent parents, their caregivers and male partners within the community. They make appropriate complete referrals/service linkages on issues of concern arising from the discussions during the parenting training and during individualized home visit to adolescent parents’ families.