orphans & vulnerable children
orphans & vulnerable children
LifeLine Johannesburg - Suicide Support
LifeLine Johannesburg was established in 1969 (42 years ago). The non-profit organisation exists to facilitate the emotional wellness of individuals and communities that it serves.
Some 550 highly trained, volunteer counsellors work in the LifeLine Johannesburg, Soweto and Alexandra offices. They provide a vital, 24 hour telephone counselling service, as well as face-to-face counselling, rape counselling and trauma debriefing to those people who traditionally have no access to psychosocial support.
LifeLine Johannesburg: (011) 728 1347
LifeLine national counselling line: 0861 322 322
1. Are all suicide calls the same?
Each call to LifeLine is unique and it is difficult to generalise. However, there are basically three types of calls:
• The suicidal caller who is seeing suicide as an option.
• The caller who has already made the decision and is dying.
• The third party caller who is concerned about someone who is attempting or about to attempt suicide.
2. What is generally the cause of suicide?
Some of the reasons that people commit suicide are:
• Loss \ anticipated loss
• Stressful events (including university examinations).
• Hopelessness \ perceived inability to bring about change \ difference
• Feeling invisible
• Poor problem-solving skills
• Depression \ mental illness
• Crime and violence
• Exposure to family violence
• HIV AIDS, cancer – social stigma
• Loss of support \ resources
• Change
• Academic pressure – parents \ examination stress \ fear of failure \ fear of disappointing loved ones
• Conflict within the home
• Relationship problems – rejection
• Low self-esteem
• Shame or a shameful incident
• Financial stress
• Alcohol \ drug \ gambling addiction
• Stress
• Rape \ incest
• Feelings being experienced by a suicidal person may be:
• Desperate
• Angry
• Guilty
• Worthless
• Lonely
• Sad
• Hopeless
• Helpless
• Their resulting thoughts (and possible verbal expressions) are:
• “I can’t do anything right”
• “I just can’t take it any more”
• “I wish I were dead”
• “Everyone will be better off without me”
• “All of my problems will end soon”
• “No one can do anything to help me now”
• “I just can’t keep my thoughts straight any more”.
Suicide is a life and death issue. Suicide is simply an option, and as with all options there are at least two ways to go, i.e. the option to die and the option to live (or the knowledge that one cannot continue living within the same set of circumstances). What the person is saying is that, at present, life is too painful and that they do not want to go on with life being the way it is. There may be ambivalence about the choice.
IMPORTANT If a person has recently attempted suicide or is seriously considering doing so now, they need to go to a hospital for psychiatric intervention – not LifeLine counselling. It is the responsibility of family and friends to get the person professional help, because the alternative is death!
3. Is there a rise in problems such as depression and stress related illness in South Africa which may lead to suicide?
Yes. We are also living in a time where there a huge rise in traumatic events such as violent crime and rape, contracting of the HIV virus, stressful circumstances and home environments owing to financial strain and retrenchments. There is an increasing lack of support owing to our need to work harder and longer hours, resulting in spending less time with family and friends. (See 2.)
4. If a person is struggling with thoughts of suicide, what can he/she do (where can they go for help)?
• Call LifeLine and if necessary, come in to see a counsellor (face-to-face)
• Talk to anyone who will listen:
o Spouse/Partner
o Parents
o Family
o Friends
o Student Counsellors/Guidance Counsellors
o Lecturers/Teachers
o Religious heads, e.g. Minister, Priest, Rabbi
• In an emergency, contact the police, paramedics or ambulance service.
5. What can you do to help your friend if you think he/she is struggling with depression and suicide thoughts?
• Ask them to talk to you – and then listen to them! Try not to be afraid of the intensity of the despair and do not try and convince them why their life is worth living i.e. but you have your future ahead of you, you are intelligent and … This is probably not the suicidal person’s reality at this moment in time.
• Watch for actions that correspond with thoughts:
o Withdrawal (family, friends, university/school, work) - “I can’t do anything right”
o Abuse of alcohol, drugs - “I just can’t take it any more”
o Reckless behaviour - “I wish I were dead”
o Extreme behaviour changes - “Everyone will be better off without me”
o Impulsivity - “All of my problems will end soon”
o Self–mutilation - “No one can do anything to help me now”, “Now I know what they were going through”
o Loss of interest in hobbies - “I just can’t keep my thoughts straight any more”
o Giving away possessions – “I won’t be needing these things anymore”.
• Watch for physical signs:
o Lack of interest in appearance
o Change/loss in sex interest
o Disturbed sleep
o Change/loss of appetite, weight
o Physical health complaints.
• Refer them to a psychiatrist, doctor, psychologist, social worker or to LifeLine to help them work through their depression and suicidal thoughts.
6. What can people do to relieve their stress?
• Try to keep a work-life balance. (Emotional wellness is one of eight dimensions of optimal health and wellness. Wellness is the dynamic process of becoming aware of, taking responsibility for, and making choices that directly contribute to one’s holistic well being and that of the common good. It is the integration of body, mind and spirit and the ongoing development of one’s own meaning in life.)
• Do physical exercise, according to their fitness level.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Do relaxation exercises.
• Talk about their stress and share their feelings of stress, feeling overwhelmed, fear of failure and what that means.
• Surround themselves with supportive people.
• Make time to relax i.e. listen to music, watch a movie, go for a walk.
Ends.
Issued on behalf of LifeLine Johannesburg.
For further information please contact Judith Gordon-Drake on (011) 728 1331; 072 664 0950; jgordondrake@lifelinejhb.org.za.
To view other NGO press releases, refer to www.ngopulse.org/group/home-page/pressreleases.
Date published:19/12/2011Organisation:LifeLine JohannesburgCall for Ghana to Abolish Orphanages
Orphanaid Africa, a NGO that sponsors families to care for orphans instead of taking them to orphanages, is calling on the Government of Ghana to abolish orphanages in Ghana.
Head of family support services at Orphanaid, Awo Boatema Aboagye-Dakwa, says orphanages are foreign to Ghanaian culture and that the Western nations have abolished them because they have proven to be ineffective.
“Besides the evidence of abuse and criminal activities in orphanages, they also detach children from society and make them lose their self confidence when they become adults,” she argues.
To read the article titled, “Abolish orphanages-Orphanaid Africa,” click here.Source:My Joy OnlineUNICEF Report Focuses on Children and AIDS
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says a generation of babies could be born free of AIDS if the international community step up efforts to provide universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and social protection.
In its report entitled ‘Children and AIDS: Fifth Stocktaking Report 2010’, UNICEF found that millions of women and children, particularly in poor countries, fall through the cracks of HIV services either due to their gender, social or economic status, location or education.
The organisation states that while children have benefited from substantial progress made in the fight against AIDS, more must be done to ensure all women and children get access to the medicines and health services designed to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.
To read the article titled, “UNICEF says HIV-free generation achievable,” click here.Source:Mail&GuardianEngen Donates FIFA Hampers to Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Press Release
18 September 2010
Johannesburg: Engen Gauteng and Convenience and Corporate Social Investments (CSI) department has donated more than 100 FIFA hampers and lunch to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) attending the kids club at Nkanyiso Nutrition and HIV/AIDS Organistation in Naledi, Soweto.
Speaking during the event, Engen’s Regional Promotions Executive, Sindy Gramoney, stated that, “We are delighted to be able to support and help the children belonging to Nkanyiso”.
Our OVC entertained the Engen delegation and showcased their skills in drama, dance, sharing messages on HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, health and nutrition through poems – which they learn during our kids clubs taking place every Saturday.
“Nkanyiso is very delighted for the support and donation that we received from Engen, the donation means a lot to the children as most of our children have no parents that buy them presents, so it brings a lot of joy to the kids to see that they are also other people that love and care about them too,” says Ethel Zulu, Managing Director at Nkanyiso.
Our organisation is currently operating in Gauteng’s most disadvantaged communities and rural communities of Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape.
For more information:
Ethel Zulu
Managing Director: Nkanyiso
Tel: 011 326 3507
Mobile: 082 976 9805
Email: ethel@nkanyiso.co.za
Sindy Gramoney
Regional Promotions Executive
Engen Petroleum Limited
Tel: 011 480 6342
Cell: 0 82 623 4417
Email: sindy.gramoney@engenoil.comDate published:18/09/2010Organisation:Nkanyiso Nutrition and HIV/AIDS OrganistationNew Children NGO for Rwanda
The new Rwandan NGO, Ishami Advocacy for Children, has been launched to spearhead advocacy for children.
Ishami Advocacy for Children founder and president, Nyanja Nzabamwita, says that the first task to be tackled will be to organise centralised trainings of professionals already working in vulnerable and orphans' fields.
Nzabamwita points out that her organisation seeks to train social workers, lawyers and psychologists on how to provide strong coordination support to orphans and vulnerable children in Gasabo district.
To read the article titled, “New children's NGO launched,” click here.Source:All AfricaChild Support Grant Extended to 18
Cabinet has approved the extension of the state child support grant of R240 a month to children older than 14 years with effect from 1 January 2010 next year.
Government spokesperson, Themba Maseko, says the decision applies only to children from poor households. Caregivers of the beneficiaries would have the responsibility to ensure that the beneficiaries remain in school.
Maseko says the cost to the state will be R1.3 billion, R2.6 billion and R3.5 billion respectively over the next three years.
To read the article titled, “Cabinet approves R7.4bn expansion of child grants,” click here.Source:SowetanGala Dinner in Aid of AIDS Orphans
Christina Swart-Opperman AIDS Orphan Foundation Trust is organising a gala dinner to raise funds for charity.
The Trust says that the dinner, which is scheduled to take place early next month, is aimed raising further funds to help in its goal of helping orphaned children.
On the night of the dinner, 64 special children from projects supported by the Trust will perform cultural performances to entertain those present. In addition, poems by well-known local poet, Mvula ya Nangolo will mellow the dinner which will mean more than just delicious food for the children.
To read the article titled, “Gala dinner in aid of AIDS orphans,” click here.
Source:<br /> All AfricaArticle link:Child Hunger to Increase Due to Climate Change
Up to 25 million more children will be malnourished in the next 40 years due to climate change, with sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia the worst affected, according to a new report issued on Wednesday.
The report, released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and detailing the impact of climate change on agriculture, says without climate change about 113 million children under five years of age will be malnourished by 2050.
But that number is expected to rise dramatically due to the ravaging effects of global warming on food production around the world, IFPRI said.
To read the full article titled, "Climate change to cause more child hunger: report", click here.
Source:<br /> ReutersExploitation of Children Booms in Southeast Asia
Commercial sexual exploitation of children is booming in Southeast Asia, with governments failing to do enough to protect young people, experts say.
"The recent economic downturn is set to drive more vulnerable children and young people to be exploited by the global sex trade," Carmen Madrinan, executive director of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual purposes (ECPAT), said.
According to a recent report by the group, increasing poverty, reduced budgets for social services, and restrictive immigration laws in "destination countries" (which encourage children to avoid detection) are among the factors heightening children's vulnerability.
To read the full article titled, "Global recession boosts child prostitution and trafficking", click here.
Source:<br /> Irin NewsArticle link:Increasing Sexual Predators on the Internet
The United Nations (UN) has warned that some 750 000 sexual predators are constantly prowling the Internet to gain contact with children.
Najat Maala, UN special rapporteur on the child prostitution and child pornography issue, points out that, “The number of sites devoted to child pornography worldwide is growing."
Maala, who also estimates that there are more than four million websites featuring minors, including those of children aged under two years, says that more than 200 new images are also circulated daily. She further states that images of sexually exploited children are not only growing in number but are also increasingly shocking, adding that between 10 000 and 100 000 minors are victims of the child pornography network.
To read the article titled, “750 000 paedophiles prowl web,” click here.
Source:<br /> News24
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