South African Orphans: What does reality say?

Serving the most vulnerable people in our society seems like an obligation we would expect a constitutional democracy would fulfill; however, reality speaks otherwise. Touching on the topic of vulnerability that affects people of all backgrounds deserves the sensitivity that we should wholeheartedly consider yet understanding the severities of some of these realities that we are faced with becomes blurred.

One of the biggest confectionery producers, Cadbury, had launched a campaign in South Africa to raise awareness about orphans and the critical role child development plays. Although Cadbury was under scrutiny for overestimating their statistics recently, research institutions have made efforts to 'right a wrong' on behalf of the corporate. Stats SA defines an orphan as a child younger than 18 years of age who has lost one or both of their parents to death. The most recent data points to the fact that there are currently 2.3 million orphans in South Africa (this includes children with one biological parent still living), which is an estimate of 11.7% of children under the age of 18 according to the General Household Survey of 2018. Of those, 374,520 have lost both their parents. Moving ahead in our timeline, we see that in 2020, Stats SA once again highlights a grim reality of more than 62.1% of South African children being poor, with children ages 0-17 suffering from multiple deprivations simultaneously. As highlighted by Stats SA, multidimensional poverty tends to be more prevalent amongst double orphans (a child whose mother and father both died) with a rate of 77.3 percent and paternal orphans (a child whose father has died) with a rate of 75%.

WHERE ARE THE SAFE HAVENS?

Although the number of orphanages in South Africa is not detailed officially, we can conclude that the statistics of the number of orphans in the country speak a heart-breaking reality of what we are faced with in our democracy. In 2019, Africa News detailed the pressure South African orphanages are faced with in terms of being overwhelmed by the number of abandoned babies NGOs such as "Door of Hope" are faced. In fact, it is said that over 3,000 babies survive neglect in South Africa each year. Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, political unrest, unemployment, criminality, and numerous other factors have led to a devastating orphan crisis in the country. The adoption costs are hefty as we are looking at R12,000-R18,000, which does not include police clearance and medical and psychological examinations. Adoptions through a private worker or organisation can cost up to R60,000. However, this amount consists of all eternal screening, support, and counselling with the process usually concluded by a few weeks, or it can even take years, according to 1LIFE Organisation (2020)

????????????????????????WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ORPHAN TURNS 18?

Most of us have a slight idea of what it felt like to turn 18. It was an age where everything around us seemed exciting and the opportunities endless, but if you were raised in a good and warm environment. Unfortunately, for the average orphaned teenager, the reality is much more devastating and somewhat scary. Unlike many of us, the thought of being kicked out was never the outcome. Many orphanages and foster care homes in South Africa consider adulthood when the child turns 18-21 years of age. These homes cannot cater to this age range due to an influx of younger children entering the homes, resulting in older orphans being told to leave. Some organisations offer transitional services for this age group to adequately prepare the children for transitioning out of care. For example, the Evelyn Connolly Transitional Support Programme prides itself with a network of 36 foster homes around South Africa in 16 communities, including but not limited to Khayelitsha, Zonnebloem, and Kayamandi, to name a few. Together with partner NGO's, they design workshops, mentorship, learnerships, and specific programmes appropriate to helping children transition in the outside world once they can no longer remain in foster care. Unfortunately, not everyone has a smooth start as an increase of homelessness, criminality, and unemployment become inevitable for those who may not have access to what NGOs like Evelyn Connolly offer.

????????????????????????????????????????????????WHERE TO BEGIN

More needs to be done to cater to the most vulnerable group within our society, and the responsibility does not fall in the government's hands only. As corporates, schools, religious associations, and people we have a role in protecting our children, and this begins by us being aware of the realities around us. Awareness brings about enlightenment and further action-orientated campaigns aimed to uplift the broken parts of our society. Our children need our care, guidance, compassion, and empowerment.

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