Coping with Childhood Stress

A very close friend of mine had to deal with chaos and poverty as she was growing up. She was the youngest of three children and her mother was a single parent for most of her childhood. She told me that the worst part was the uncertainty - the uncertainty of wondering if she would be going to the same school from week to week, wondering if she would have friends wherever they lived, and wondering what there would be to eat every day. She and her big brothers would steal bread from the local bakery that was put out to cool, and milk from deliveries in their neighbor's milk boxes. Her mother was fired from a job for stealing money from the company's petty cash so she could buy food for her children. They would live in one place for a few months, until they got so behind on the rent that they were evicted, and no place ever felt like home. Because she was the youngest, she also got the smallest and worst bedroom. In one house she slept in a walk-in closet, and another where she slept in a shed adjacent to the house-no lights and no heat. They coped by sticking together as a tight-knit unit, supporting one another in every way that they could. The children did most of the cooking and cleaning so that the mother could work two jobs, and they all got jobs and helped with the rent as soon as they were old enough. They are still a very close family today and, although there is more stability and financial security, each member of the family knows they can rely on the others for help in any way needed.

In South Africa, over 50% of families live below the poverty line and experience homelessness on a continual basis. In 1998 an act of parliament established the Child Support Grants. These are funds that are given to any caregiver who is directly responsible for the welfare of a child. This funding reaches 10 million children, and is considered to be one of the governments most successful poverty reduction programs. Because of programs like the Child Support Grants fewer children per capita are living in poverty than 15 years ago.

Source: International Labour Organization- https://www.ilo.org/gimi/gess/RessFileDownload