Fatherlessness. It’s one of the prevailing issues of our generation that has left a noticeable mark on our society. Whether or not a son grows up with a real-life mentor, he is likely to have someone in their life who influences their personal philosophy.
These are some of the issues that prompted fifty (50) men from all walks of life to step up when an organisation, One Mentor One Son, called for male mentor volunteers on Father’s day.
The fathers also got an opportunity to share their stories with each other, why they accepted to come and mentor, before meeting their mentees,
“Their stories were so touching. It’s a great thing when reasonable men of the society get together under one roof to share stories about manhood with each other and also turn to mentor the young men,” Godfrey Kutesa, the event frontliner and founder of Kutesa Foundation, a non-profit organisation that rehabilitates boys addicted to pornography and drugs said.
Mr Kutesa said such moments are golden and are rare.
“A lot of learning takes place and a lot of hearts are changed and impacted,” he added.
One of the Volunteers, Mr John Ssenkeezi, a digital marketing and strategic alliances manager at Airtel Uganda took to social media after the event and said he intends to keep the two young men he mentored as close as possible.
Mr John Ssenkeezi added that he hopes he will influence the decisions they will make going forward, and also offer practical solutions to any challenges they might face along the way where possible.
“We talked about many things; life growing up, what they are doing now, their dreams and how to get there. My key message to them was that faith has to be backed by action and that although good things come to those who wait, they needed to position themselves to receive the blessing by working hard, being resilient and being honest along the way – to themselves and the people they meet along the journey,” Mr Ssenkeezi remarked.
One Mentor One Son strives to create new opportunities and understanding for young males between 18-25 years through strong and enduring, professionally supported one to one relationships that can change their lives for the better, forever.
This initiative comes at a time many youth feel emotionally distant, uninvolved in their fathers or guardians lives. Many youth have been caught up in mess due to absence of parental figures, barriers, prejudices, or simply the disbelief that they are a product of their environment.
From fictional characters to physical popular figures, they’re exposed to a range of social identities—one of whom inevitably ends up leaving an imprint on their hearts and minds.
“It is generally agreed that mentoring is one strategy for meeting the needs of highrisk youth. The challenges are many, but one very obvious challenge revolves around identifying a sufficient number of qualified individuals who can mentor the millions of young males in need of positive adult support,” the organisation profile reads.
Adding, “Our concept is to mobilize older men as volunteers in significant numbers, with the vision to “guide young- males through life”. Young people deserve quality mentoring relationships that will allow them to more completely realize their full potential.”
editor@ugchristiannews.com. Image Credit: Kutesa Foundation.
