While we often focus on the responsibilities of governments to provide the necessary infrastructure and basic amenities, it is the responsibility of families to ensure that their members are well-equipped with the right skill sets and resources to make for a stronger community. It is expected that the family will foster the attainment of an education, build socialization skills, a sense of belonging in the society and provide financial, emotional and psychological support for the entire well-being of members. People and communities are more likely to succeed when they enjoy the stability of a loving home.
It is for this important role of supporting the wellbeing of families that many individuals have migrated to other climates in search of opportunities. Remittances are an important and major source of financial support for some families and often for maintaining our societies. According to findings in the 2020 World Migration Report, these migrants continue to be important agents of positive change as they make significant sociocultural, civic and economic contributions to their home and host countries.
Wole Soyinka in one of his writings described the human family as being centred around and concerned about the total well-being of communities: one’s own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general… That’s what the human family is all about”. Coincidentally, our Muslim brothers and sisters are observing the Holy month of Ramadan, a season when family ties are celebrated and especially strengthened, it is an opportunity for families to bond, instil important values for the community while they break their fasts and feast together.
The simplest and probably the most accurate definition of a family is “a unit of society”. Every community – regardless of its size – is a product of different groups of families living together in a given geographical location. You will most probably agree that the quality of our immediate and global communities is inevitably linked to the belief systems, ethical and cultural values passed through to us from our families. These, together with our personalities, form the foundation of the quality of contributions we make to the success, growth and development of our communities. Hence, individual families are the building blocks of successful communities.