Building strong families 

Feb 04, 2025 Editorial, News

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Editorial…

Kaieteur News-Governments have a tendency of launching programmes with a lot of media fanfare, but do little to report on its successes or failures and whether there will be follow-up initiatives to build on what went before.

One such initiative was a parenting skills programme launched back in 2021 to empower parents to help them build stronger, stable families. The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security back then had even partnered with the National Commission on the Family to launch the training programme, targeting trainers from across the country to work along with parents in communities. The training was to be done through the Internationally Accredited Mothers Union. The programme was to span a period of three weeks, on weekends and every trainee in the programme should have benefitted from a manual containing the details of the training.

Among other things the parents would have learnt how to communicate with families, help families deal with issues, parent at different ages, identify issues such as depression and suicide, and identify key signs of child abuse. At the end of the training, participants were expected to meet the ministry’s objective of making parents more aware of issues involving their children and how to address and resolve them. There is no doubt that the outline of this programme on paper was laudable and it would be disappointing if the objectives were not achieved. But there was no follow up report on this initiative and it begs the question as to what really transpired.

We bring this programme up as it goes to the heart of what our country is badly in need of- strong, stable family units. The family circle it is said, should be regarded as a sacred place, a mirror in which to reflect ourselves. Friends and acquaintances we may have, but in the home life they are not to meddle. A strong sense of proprietorship should be felt, giving a sense of ease, restfulness, trust. The family is a microcosm of the nation. Therefore, if we want to have a strong nation, we must endeavour to build a strong family. It is also true that strong families make strong communities, and strong communities result in strong nations.

The family is the single most important institution of a nation and the basic building block of any society. Therefore, it is the responsibility of those in authority to ensure that the family receives the greatest care and respect at all times. Everything of value can be found in the order of families. However, failure and calamity invariably resulted when the family values and systems broke down. The role of the family in society should not be taken for granted. Neither should the family be overlooked in the pursuit of community and national development because it is supposed to be the raison d’etre of development and growth. The family is the foundation which makes human development possible.

However, most of the problems Guyana is currently experiencing are due to the breakdown of the family. Guyana cannot afford to ignore the family in the nation-building process. To do so would be short-sighted and even ridiculous. Studies done in a number of countries over the years show that the nuclear family structure has played key roles in determining outcomes, not just for family members, but also for the nation as a whole. For example, on average, married couples enjoy larger incomes, higher net worth, and greater year-on-year increases in net worth. Their children enjoy a better environment; less poverty and more economic mobility than any other group. The children also have better educational outcomes than children living in single parent households. They may even have higher IQs and tend to have better employment prospects when they enter the workforce.

The nuclear family is critical to the early stages of child development, especially in the first eight years when the personality of a child is formed. The family is where the minds of individuals are first developed and shaped to play their role as responsible, decent and law-abiding citizens in society. All the essential character qualities such as interpersonal relationships, skills, work ethic, personal discipline and self-control are taught and guided by families.

Whenever the family unit is dismantled, the nation would be at risk; crime and violence would likely escalate which means that we would be much better off if we were to protect, promote and elevate the family structure. The family provides the natural place where the emotional and material needs of the population should be met without putting a strain on government resources. Where family structure is missing, or where single-parent family structures dominate, greater social benefits and state intervention are needed to help them cope. The family has and continues to play a significant role in predicting outcomes for children. Factors such as educational attainment, income levels, emotional stability, and the likelihood of engaging in crime or experiencing teenage pregnancy are all significantly linked to the family. Pope John Paul II was correct when he said: “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

(Building strong families )

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• Editorial, empower parents, launching programmes, parenting skills

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