Men of God standing against violence
Published:Thursday | December 10, 2015 | 1:48 PM
astor Jayson Downer, after working in the education sector for many years, decided to use his observations and findings to change the society.
Recognising that many of the poor performances and antisocial behaviour in schools stems from 'fatherlessness' and lack of a positive role model, Downer decided to do something about it, which saw the organisation of Men of God Against Violence and Abuse (MoGAVA) coming to fruition.
MoGAVA is a faith-based organisation that exits primarily to mobilise men/fathers to play their roles in society, as Downer believes there is a direct correlation between lack of same and violence and abuse.
"Most of the social ills we face as a nation, and by extension globally, stems from men not taking up responsibility and playing their rightful roles in society, and more so becoming perpetrators of violent and abusive acts against our most vulnerable," he told Family and Religion.
Being a Christian, Downer said the process must begin with those who stand on strong morals and values guided by biblical principles.
Since the formation of the organisation, they have been steering projects such as Fathering Behind Bars and School Fathers, as they seek to infiltrate communities, schools, youth clubs, prisons, children's homes, churches, and other institutions spreading their message of non-violence.
SPREADINGTHEMESSAGE
"While our primary target audiences are males, we recognise the importance of offering our services to females, and as such, this is done where applicable. We spread our message under girded by biblical principles through advocacy, outreaches, the media, workshops, conferences, mentorship programmes, and networking," said Downer.
According to the founder, the organisation is proactive instead of reactive.
Downer, who is a family man and married to the love of his life, Seytoya Wilson, for 10 years, has three children a six-year-old and two-month-old twins.
An ordained pastor, he serves at Movement of Faith and Restoration International.
The pastor said he considers himself a "Christian social activist, who believes in a holistic approach to ministry. I believe my calling is more outreach-oriented and people-centred. My drive comes from the fact that I believe that the Church can do more in terms of strategic evangelism and showing the love of Christ through practical daily living and being one's brother's keeper," he shared.
A driving force to his reaching out to youths is the fact that he himself experienced very few male role models/mentors during his teens and early 20s.
"Due to this, I had a lot of trial and errors which I would not want other young men to necessarily experience. I love people dearly, and I live for what I do, which is MoGAVA," he said.
For Downer, his commitment for MoGAVA is powered by a lot of memorable moments, such as inmates' testimonies on how Fathering Behind Bars has seen him telling his 28-year-old son for the first time that he loves him, and also to hear members of the organisation share how the activism has helped them to become better men.