Ordinary Dad, Extraordinary Impact: Royston D’Souza’s Journey to Championing Fatherhood
Royston D’Souza, a long-time volunteer with DADs for Life, shares his inspiring journey from a hesitant participant to a passionate advocate for the fathering involvement.
When first-time mum Sarita D’Souza came across a newspaper advertisement for the Dad’s Day Out event in 2016, she persuaded her husband, Royston D’Souza, to attend. Royston, who was too immersed with work, agreed to go to placate his wife but planned to stay for only an hour.
But who would have guessed—the talks and parenting activities captivated Royston, sparking in him a deeper sense of purpose in fatherhood. Not only did he stay for the entire event, but Royston also subsequently became a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the DADs for Life movement.
“The Dad’s Day Out event made me ponder how I could strengthen the relationship with my children,” Royston shared. As a start, Royston made it a point to read to Rachael, Shynael and Michael every day before bedtime. Through this simple activity, Royston found himself connecting better with his kids.
Encouraged by the bond they were building, Royston decided to actively volunteer at Rachael’s school, Seng Kang Primary School, as a Buddy Reader. After three months, a usually quiet girl whom Royston had been assisting to read, thanked Royston for helping her understand and read more confidently.
“Her words and smile touched me. We may not always be able to do great things. But we can all do small things in a great way,” said Royston. Inspired by the positive impact of his involvement and with Sarita’s support, Royston championed and gathered other parent volunteers to organise bonding events, such as overnight camps, soccer clinics, games fiesta, as well as robotic, 3D printing and parenting workshops for the students at Seng Kang Primary School and their fathers.
Combining Forces
As the D’Souza family grew to include three children, Sarita increasingly needed Royston’s support at home. However, Royston was often away on weekends due to his volunteering commitments. “One day, I decided to follow Royston to a DADs for Life event to find out what keeps him going,” Sarita quipped.
Through that event and many more after that, Sarita came to appreciate that these programmes not only created more conversation for her family at dinner tables, it also helped both parents better understand what their children were experiencing at school and with their friends, bringing the family closer. Volunteering also strengthened their marriage as Royston discovered the importance of partnering his wife to set a good foundation for their children by actively participating in their schooling journey.
As the couple journeyed together on their volunteering path, they realised the importance of being actively involved in the children’s lives and serving as role models. Today, Royston’s children are teenagers with Rachael, Shynael and Michael at 17, 14 and 12. Even though the children are older now, the duo has not stopped bringing the DADs for Life message to Raffles Institution, Compassvale Secondary School and Seng Kang Primary School, where their children are currently schooling at. The contribution by Royston and Sarita not only impacted their children, but also other families in the community.
For fathers uncertain of becoming involved as a DADs for Life volunteer, Royston has this to share: “We are busy with many things in life, especially work. But fathers must learn to make time for what is important. Be it participating in DADs for Life events or volunteering, your presence will be a priceless gift to your child and others in the community.”