( CNN ) -- Dear John Paul , . Father 's Day is here . I know you will once again be wondering why Daddy does n't come home from work . I know this makes you sad . It makes me sad , too . I want to see you . I want to help you dress , brush your teeth and drive you to school . I want to take you outside so we can tend to your garden of tomatoes and peppers or ride your bicycle . Since the last time we were together , I am sure you have gotten better at applying the brakes . I bet next time I see you I wo n't have to keep yelling `` Pedal backwards ! Pedal backwards ! '' I am writing this letter to explain to you why my work takes me away from home for so long . You may not understand everything I 'm saying now , but I hope one day you will . I work in Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa . This country looks like heaven , but for too many people here , it feels like hell . There is stunning natural beauty , but it seems like so many of its 77 million people are simply trying to survive . Their daily life is defined by extreme poverty , sickness and constant fear of marauding militias of men who roam the country molesting women and kids with impunity . John Paul , my job is to try to make life better for mommies and kids . Women in DRC , as they do in so many countries , work farm fields , bring home firewood , fetch heavy buckets of water , cook for the entire family and take care of all the children . Even though women do that work , they earn very little money and are often treated very badly . Men receive the money earned by women . Men decide how it is spent . Much of the time , men do n't even listen to what women and girls have to say about how the family money is spent . Women are excluded from many of the family 's most important decisions -- even decisions that directly affect their own lives . I try to help women and girls in Congo go to school , visit the doctor and earn money so they can take care of themselves and their families . I got into this line of work because when I look back on my own childhood in northern Ghana , I realize that I could 've easily been one of those people that organizations like CARE are trying to help . To help women and girls , I spend much of my time speaking with and educating men . Just as men here have the power to make life very difficult for girls and women , they also have the power to support the girls and women around them . We are most successful helping daughters and mothers when sons and fathers are working alongside us . We talk to husbands about the community-wide benefits of supporting girls ' education and their wives ' efforts to save money and start small businesses . We show men how violence undermines the families and communities they value . I like to remind men that the women they can help lift from misery and despair are their mothers , aunties , daughters and sisters . I also tell them that being a responsible man requires being respectful of everyone . Manhood is not about physical strength or the power to bully others . Rather , it is working to make society better for everyone , including women and girls . That is a lesson still being learned not only here in the DRC but also there in the United States and the rest of the world . When you grow up to be a man , John Paul , you will have a right to be free and make decisions for yourself . But you should not take rights away from girls or women . Robbing a girl or women of her rights is like robbing yourself . When a man takes away a girl 's right to go to school , he is taking away a girl 's right to do what she wants when she grows up -- her right to be a doctor , engineer , pilot , teacher , nurse or university professor . He is robbing his community of her talent and contributions . Work for the freedom of others , John Paul . Freedom is like a boomerang . What you throw into the world comes back to you . I 'm sorry I wo n't be home for Father 's Day or to open the card you made for me at school . But I 'm proud to be part of a movement of men working with women around the world to make sure everyone -- regardless of gender -- is treated with dignity and respect . I may not come home in a uniform , but please know that our family 's sacrifice is for the most important struggle of our time . I know it makes you sad today , but I hope one day it inspires you to help others . I am so looking forward to spending future Father 's Days with you . And watching as you grow into a good man . Sincerely , . Daddy .
Michael Alandu : Son , I 'll be gone for Father 's Day , working to help women in DRC . He says life there is hell for many , particularly women who are vulnerable to attacks . He aims to educate men that respecting all , including women , uplifts the community . Alandu : Son , when you are grown , you must treat everyone , including women , with dignity .