The common topic of conversation for most families currently is the cost of living- how does one afford groceries, fuel, school fees, clothes? How do we survive when most of the working class is living month-to-month? Life is hard and getting harder. With 55% of South Africans living under the poverty line and 25% of South Africans facing very real food insecurities, implications of these existing challenges can easily appear overwhelming.
Poverty is more than just a lack of financial resources; it encompasses a web of interconnected issues including limited access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. For families living in poverty, the constant struggle to make ends meet takes a toll on their mental well-being. The stress of not knowing where the next meal will come from or how to afford basic necessities can lead to anxiety, depression, and feelings of hopelessness.
Food insecurity exacerbates the challenges faced by vulnerable families, particularly in a world where the cost of living continues to rise. Many households in South Africa struggle to put food on the table, leading to malnutrition and its detrimental effects on physical and mental health, especially among children. The anxiety of going to bed hungry and the shame associated with relying on food aid further compound the psychosocial burden on families.
Migration adds another layer of complexity to the lives of vulnerable families. Whether forced by conflict, economic hardship, or environmental factors, migration disrupts social networks and support systems, leaving families feeling isolated and disconnected. The trauma of leaving behind familiar surroundings, coupled with the uncertainty of the future, can have long-lasting effects on mental health, particularly among children who may struggle to adapt to their new environment.
How then do we respond to this? In the face of these challenges, it is crucial for individuals to come together and support vulnerable families in our communities. While the cost of living may be tough for many of us, there are still meaningful ways we can make a difference.
Firstly, from a place of empathy. When empathy is the starting point, it shifts stats and numbers back into being ‘real people’. Rather than 55 % of South Africa, we are able to see this as 30 million people – who each have their own life story, stomach/ stomachs to feed and relationships to navigate while living with very real challenges. When we see people, in the spirit of Ubuntu, as people who help us become people, it means that we can relate from a place of as a person, this is what might matter to me in this situation? It provokes the question of what we can do practically, where we are, in response to the need.
One of the potential possibilities to influence this in the South African landscape is to explore a universal basic income grant, rather than the existing disparity between different grant provisions – something that February 2024’s podcast explores. A basic income grant, gives back personal agency, allowing people to make a choice. Policy and its practical implications is one significant way to build a bridge between resourced and vulnerable communities. It’s an election year this year – choosing where to make your cross, is one way you can use your vote to support vulnerable families.
Lastly, choosing a response might involve choosing an organisation that responds to the needs of vulnerable families in your community, or facilitating access to training and support for organisations working with vulnerable families. Choosing a specific focus where you would like to support vulnerable families is one way that we can make a difference in the day to day lives of others.
At Arise we have seen this play out in our family strengthening groups, in our training and consulting spaces where community workers are trained to respond the needs of children and families from a trauma informed and strengths-based approach – which in turn empowers people to make different choices. We have seen this in primary school children who were at risk of dropping out of school and joining a gang but are now role models in their year; we have seen this in families where the psychosocial support and resilience tools that parents were taught in family strengthening groups enabled them to sign up for skills training with a view to future employment. Two families whose stories look different because of access to resources which empowered different problem-solving skills and thus alternative choices.
On our own we can’t do much to change the very real reality of people suffering under the weight of poverty, however building bridges for vulnerable families in South Africa requires collective action and compassion. Together, let us work towards a future where every child and family has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of the challenges they may face.
Written by the Arise Team.