Breaking the Cycle: A Father Who Chose to Be There from the Very Beginning
When Estêvão joined the queue to register his six-month-old daughter, he was the only father waiting among dozens of mothers.
Cradling baby Elcina in his arms, he stood quietly as families gathered for mobile birth registration campaign in rural Gaza Province, sourthern Mozambique. Some people looked twice. Others smiled. Few expected to see a father there.
Estêvão did not come to challenge tradition. He came because he believed his daughter’s future was his responsibility too.
"This is my responsibility too. Elcina is our daughter, and I want to be part of everything that shapes her future," he says.
In the rural districts of Guijá and Mabalane, caring for children is still widely regarded as the mother's role. Fathers are traditionally expected to provide financially, and many spend long periods working in neighbouring South Africa. As a result, many children grow up with limited day-to-day involvement from their fathers.
Estêvão has chosen a different path.He had come for one reason: to make sure his daughter received her birth certificate, and to show that raising a child begins long before the first day of school.
It is within this context that Estêvão chose a different path.
Six months ago, he became a father for the first time. Since then, he has discovered that being a good father is not only about providing for a family. It is about being present from the very beginning.
"Even if people call me names, I won't hide what I feel for my daughter. I want to be the best father I can be for her," he says, gently cradling Elcina in his arms.
On that weekday morning, he stepped away from work to accompany his wife as they registered Elcina’s birth.
Throughout the process, he held his daughter, comforted her when she cried and helped complete the paperwork. Simple moments revealed something much bigger: a father determined to play active role in his child’s life.
His decision is deeply rooted in his own childhood.
Estêvão lost both parents when he was very young. Growing up without their love and guidance left a lasting mark on him.
"I am going to break the cycle. I want to fill my daughter's life with love so that she never experiences the absence of a father the way I did," he says with quiet determination.
His story reflects a growing transformation taking place in communities where World Vision is promoting positive parenting and encouraging fathers to become active partners in raising their children. These efforts are helping families challenge long-held social norms that have placed almost all childcare responsibilities on women, while showing taht fathers also play a vital role in children’s care, protection and development.
For Elcina, receiving her birth certificate was more than completing an administrative process. It was the official recognition of her legal identity and the first step towards accessing fundamental rights, including healthcare, education and protection.
She is one of more than 800 children in Guijá and Mabalane districts who have obtained birth registration through a World Vision initiative implemented under a humanitarian assistance project funded by the United States Government. The campaign responded to the high number of children without birth certificates, as well as those whose documents had been lost, damaged or destroyed during the floods that struck Gaza Province in January. To ensure families could access these essential services, mobile Civil Registration teams travelled directly to remote communities, enabling hundreds of children to obtain their birth certificates.
As Estêvão walked away carrying his daughter in one arm and her first official document in the other. He carried far more than a piece of paper. He carried the conviction that being a father is about more than providing for a family. It is about being present, caring, protecting and taking part. Because while a child's rights begin at birth, a father's love begins long before, and its impact lasts a lifetime.