A father is defined as the one who corrects you when you’re wrong, advise you when you’re mistaken, lead you when you are on the wrong path, carry you when you are weak, whip you when you do something bad. A father encourages you when you are disappointed and works to feed his family.

Mr. Clifford Accra and some of the children from Joshua House.

However, for Mr. Clifford Accra, head of Joshua House, fatherhood is all this and so much more, as he is father to over 60 children in his care.

“Being a father to these children is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that one can have,” Mr. Accra explains.

Joshua House is a home for children whose parents or guardians are unable to look after them or need somewhere to have their children stay for a little while.

It is here that Mr. Clifford Accra and his wife, Mrs. Glynis Accra, take charge and become the central figures in the lives of the children left in their care.

Mr. Accra and his wife have been caring for the children who come to the home since 1994; and despite the challenges, he maintains that the rewards are priceless.

“You are able to see the change in the children as they grow up, you get to be there as they grow up and become good people you can be proud of,” Mr. Accra said, smiling.

According to him, a father plays many roles and but the most important one is ensuring that a child can look to him and learn something.

“The most important role of a father is that he should be a role model to the children,” he said.

The Children
As he explained what it was to be a father figure to children who have no family to be with, he underscored the importance of his role to assert and show the children a new life and a new family.

Mr. Accra pointed out that a father’s role involves responsible and loving work within the family.

He noted that as a father, one must be the major influence in the children’s life and not wrap himself up in his work, hobbies or sports.

Mr. Accra stated that he is responsible for the welfare of the children at the home, which includes having some of them reconnect with relatives.

Memories Mr. Accra said he would truly treasure are the ones from Father’s Days.

“I get up on those days and the children would all say ‘ Happy Father’s Day’ and try to make the day special,” he reminisced.

Mr. Accra is one of the many fathers who were treated yesterday to a day filled with love and appreciation for what a father represents and who he is.