Fathers day

Being a dad is hard. I wouldn't know as I'm not a man nor ready for kids. But I'm sure my father would agree with that statement.

As we spend the day celebrating Pops, Papa, Daddy - whatever you say in your household - let's take a minute to meet some other dads around the world.

1.  Tuan Linh's family in Vietnam

Tuan Linh and his family, live in Yen Bai Province, Vietnam. They've been able to access community healthcare thanks to Save the Children programming. Mother Thi Hoa was checked up regularly and gave birth to baby Tuan Luong in Nghia Lo General hospital with the help of GSK.

GSK and Save the Children have been working together since 2016 to increase the use of maternal and newborn health services within the Tram Tau and Van Chan districts in Vietnam.

2. Ntokozo's family in Zimbabwe 

Ntokozo lives in southern Zimbabwe with his wife, Tracy and their four children! The region has been hit with a severe drought and their crops have failed and most of their livestock have died from hunger and disease. He has been forced to sell some of her remaining livestock to buy food and pay for her children’s school fees.

Climate-related disasters, such as widespread drought and cyclones, are fuelling an unprecedented food crisis in Zimbabwe. Across the country 7.7 million children and adults are food insecure in urban and rural areas. Zimbabweans have been trying to adapt to the changing weather conditions by planting different crops and generating income from other sources such as selling honey and working as casual labourers.

Read more about climate change here.

3.  A Ho's family in Vietnam

Four-year-old A Thang (right) looks up lovingly at dad, A Ho, 27, and brother, A Tua, 5 (left).

He was saved during his birth as his mother was taken to the An Luong Community Health Centre in time to receive vital medical care.

4. Mohamad's family in Lebanon

Their home was damaged by the explosion in Beirut in August 2020. Their windows and doors were damaged, but Mohamad* worked quickly to repair them.

Mohamad had brought his two children for a walk, and was sitting outside a friends, when he thought he felt an earthquake. He quickly hugged his children close to him, and brought them home. When he got to his front door, the big blast occurred and he saw pinks and reds fill the sky.

He checked on the children and cuddled them so they wouldn't realise what was wrong. He then drove to check that his wife was okay.

Mohamad is sad when he sees the problems in his country. He cries for his children and other children in Lebanon, and struggles when he sees proud Lebanese people searching bins for food. 

5. Abed's family in Afganistan 

Raising a family in Afganistan is one of the hardest places to do so. Abed*  moved his family to Mazar province due to the conflict. They had suffered several attacks with the most recent destroying their family home, leaving his sister with severe injuries and shrapnel in her neck and hands.

Abed made a hard choice for his family but life in Mazar is safer, work is scarce and there is very little food to go around. Son Abdul* often goes to bed hungry and says if they have food for one night, they often don’t have food for another. However, Abdul misses school and his friends more than anything else.

Abdul* hopes that one day they can return to their home in Faryab province and he can play football with his friends and continue his education, so that he can fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor.

He is now enrolled in Save the Children’s” Education cannot wait” program, that helps children who have been displaced by the conflict catch up on the schooling they have missed.

Dads make tough decisions for their families, but always with the best intesets in mind. Lets celebrate them like they deserve today, and everyday. Happy fathers day.