Interactions - Johns Hopkins Health and Education South Africa

INTERSEXIONSINTERACTIONSA guide to facilitating participatory interactive workshops based on the TV drama series ‘Intersexions’PAGE39Synopsis of the episodeSetting: Daveyton and BenoniLanguages: Setswana, Sesotho, EnglishCharacters: Tsholofelo, Charlie, Granny, Nico DonadisUnable to trust men following abuse at the hands of her teacher and with her granny seriously ill, Tsholofelo takes ajob at a restaurant to support her orphaned siblings. There she meets Charlie, a young chef, who takes her underhis wing. But then her granny dies, and Tsholofelo is forced to take a loan from Nico, the restaurant owner, to pay herbrothers’ school fees. One night Charlie tries to kiss her, and she accuses him of being like all men. When Tsholofelocannot repay the loan, Nico makes a pass at her, and Charlie thinks she has accepted his advances. Tsholofelo is indire straits, but will she allow this situation to defeat her spirit and make her vulnerable to further sexual abuse, or willshe learn to trust and believe in herself?Key learning areas included in this episodeResilience and asking for help; support for orphaned and vulnerable children.Essential information on the issues dealt with in the episodeResilienceResilience is defined as a set of qualities that helps a person to withstand many of the negative effects of adversity.These qualities make them stronger and better able to cope with difficult circumstances.Resilience is a mixture of nature (personality) and nurture (upbringing), and is made up of the followingcomponents:• Good self-esteem, derived from personal accomplishments and from being accepted by others;• Optimism and believing that one’s own efforts can make a difference;• Initiative, and the ability and willingness to take action;• A belief in a broader value system (faith or morality), and the conviction that life has meaning;• Trust, and happy experiences or belief in the ability to rely on another person or people;• Secure attachments and emotional bonds with others;• Security with regards to other issues like a place to live, and the meeting of basic needs;• A meaningful role in family and community, and responsibilities which are not excessive;• A sense of identity, knowing and understanding who you are, where you belong and to whom you are important;• Insight into your own difficulties and their causes, and the ability to make a realistic assessment of both the benefitsand the negative effects of these difficulties;• Humour, which allows you to distance yourself from, and therefore reduce, emotional pain.Asking for helpAsking for help is not always easy. There are government agencies and NGOs that can help in different ways, butthere are often many bureaucratic steps to follow before you can get this help. Asking others for help may put you incompromising positions, and it is important to learn who it is safe to trust and who you can turn to when in need.Support for orphans and vulnerable childrenChildren who have lost one or both parents are known as orphans or vulnerable children. Many of these childrenbecome the head of their household, and have to ensure that they and the rest of their siblings have adequatefood, shelter, and access to education and healthcare. These children also need psycho-social support in dealingwith grief and emotional difficulties. There are many organisations in South Africa that assist children in this regard.Government assistance can also be accessed through a Child Support Grant, Foster Care Grant or Social Reliefof Distress Grant. There are a number of processes that you need to go through to access these grants, which areadministered by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) through the Department ofSocial Development.