Kaladze encourages fathers to be active in kids' lives

Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister and Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze, who was formally an impressive football star, has joined a campaign to encourage fathers to be more involved in raising their children.

Kaladze, a former football star and ex-captain of the national team, played for AC Milan in his career and has twice been named in the world team. To support the campaign he was photographed holding a sign with the words: "Fathers, play ball with them!”

This was a part of the "Father, read me a book!” UN-organised campaign, which launched throughout Georgia last year.

The project aimed to spread the message to parents, especially young parents, to fully participate in family life and inspire fathers to spend more time with their children. The project organisers believed by developing stronger family relations, parents could help their children cope with everyday tasks and overcome new challenges. 

Another former Georgian football star Archil (Achi) Arveladze, who during his career played in leading football clubs in Georgia, Turkey, the Netherlands and Germany, also participated in the campaign.

The United Nations Population Fund, who was behind the campaign, said one of the main messages of the project was to encourage fathers’ to spend more time with their children and read them books or involve in different activities with them.

A group of famous Georgian fathers have embraced the campaign to show how they spend time with their children and promote fathers’ active role in family life.

• Last year the UN Population Fund conducted a survey titled ‘Men and gender relations in Georgia’ which highlighted that in traditional Georgian families, it was the women’s job to raise children.
• The survey showed that only 11 percent of interviewed fathers believed it was important for males to be involved in their children’s upbringing. This small group of male respondents said they shared the parental duties, such as feeding, babysitting and walking daily with their child.
• Conversely, 70 percent of men surveyed believed it was a women’s role to look after the children, keep the house in order and cook food for the family, while it was a man’s job to financially support the family. Despite this, men believed there was gender equality in Georgia.