Repository logo

School of Applied Human Sciences

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/6451

The School of Applied Human Sciences (SAHS) consists of Criminology and Forensic Studies, Psychology, The Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS), and Social Work.

Browse

Browsing School of Applied Human Sciences by SDG "SDG1"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Growing up in child-headed households in Ga-maja village in Limpopo province: narratives of youths and caregivers.
    (2023) Lephondo, Memmeru Jacobeth.; Mkhize, Nhlanhla Jerome.
    This study explored the narratives of youths heading youth-headed households, the caregivers (who support the community) and the elders living in Ga-Maja, a village in the Limpopo Province. This study is based on a qualitative research approach that is narrative in nature. The Afrocentric Theoretical Framework also guided this study. Purposive sampling was utilised to select the sample of this study which consisted of ten youths aged between 18 and 35 years, ten elders and ten caregivers from Ga-Maja Village in the Limpopo Province. Individual interviews were used to collect data from the heads of households, elders and caregivers. Thirty participants of both genders were interviewed from a sample drawn from people living in Ga-Maja, a rural area in Limpopo. Most of the participants from youth-headed households and their caregivers were female because of the gendered nature of caregiving that was seen to be culturally inclined. All the participants narrated their lived experiences, challenges and dilemmas about growing up in childheaded households in the Ga-Maja Village in the Limpopo Province. This study used narrative data analysis based on a Thematic Data Analysis Method to analyse the data collected through interviews. The results were analysed from an Afrocentric point of view and shed light on the authentic narrations of the participants. The findings of this study revealed many challenges experienced by the heads of youth-headed households and caregivers. According to the findings, the Ga- Maja community is still traditional, led by the chief, indunas and elders who support the community. Spirituality and the Ubuntu orientation of the community are among the key attributes that sustain the lives of the youths heading youth-headed households. Despite their economic hardships, narratives of hope were evident, as well as a longing for a shared or common sense of identity. A complex gendered dimension of caring emerged in the form of bathing and personal care, transactional relationships and the disproportionate burden of caring assumed by females. The study recommends that youth-headed households be improved by creating jobs for youth-headed households, training caregivers, establishing a mentorship programme, and providing financial support to them. Hopefully, this study will enhance the quality of support provided to youth-headed households, contribute to the advancement of new knowledge, motivate community leaders to improve their traditional methods of supporting youth-headed households and assist policymakers in the design of YHH programmes and policy revision.