Celebrating the agents of change for child-headed homes in South Africa

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When everything is normal and life is happening all around us, we often fall blind to the challenges of other people. It is back to school season here in South Africa and a great deal of parents have taken to the different social media platforms to share images and videos of their young ones’ first day in school while some shared the joy of seeing their well-kept children progress to higher grades. This, unfortunately, isn’t the reality of all children in South Africa. There remains a number of children who have been forced to assume the role of parenting not only for themselves, but for their siblings as well. Leaving them with no choice but to deal with the harsh reality of figuring life out on their own. 

 

That is why we, as Brand South Africa, take our hats off to one of our ‘Play Your Part’ ambassadors, the Kwanisa foundation. Positive change agents within our communities through the upliftment of destitute child-headed homes. As most already know, the South African social assistance programme is recognised globally for its efficiency. Be that as it may, the Kwanisa foundation in their humble capacity, are the much-needed bridge to the access of basic human rights for children living under adverse circumstances. 

 

According to the South African Child Gauge, an annual publication of the Children’s Institute of the University of Cape Town – 13 million children receive the Child Support Grant (CSG). An overwhelming percentage of the 20 million plus children currently living in South Africa. The remaining percentage is split among children that are in the safety of parental care and those that are not on the system due to lack of access and information. The South African Child Gauge study of 2022 cited that children living in child-only households are rare in comparison to those in other household forms. However, it further highlighted that the rarity of child-only homes does not make children living in these extreme situations any less vulnerable than they already are. This warrants an urgent need for intervention from South Africans from all walks of life to play their part wherever they are, however they can. 

 

Nwabisa Mpotula and Kopano Tsengiwe, the co-founders of Kwanisa foundation, are right at the forefront of tackling these issues head on. They assist child-headed homes with school stationary, uniform and non-perishable food. Over and above that, they assist them with administrative duties that’ll have a sustainable impact such as applications for social grants, university applications and bursary applications. It is safe to say that the pair are helping a whole lot of dreams to come true.  

 

If you’d also love to play your part and collaborate with the Kwanisa foundation, send them an e-mail on kwanisafoundation@gmail.com and let’s work together to make our beloved country as inclusive as possible for all children living in it.