Don’t let KwaZulu-Natal’s vulnerable children be forgotten victims of the floods

In the face of the national state of disaster declared after the floods in KwaZulu-Natal, we cannot forget the long-lasting effect this will have on vulnerable children. Too often, the biggest concerns around disasters have to do with money, with damage to roads, infrastructure and housing.

While this is important, it is critical too that the voices of our children are not lost as they deal with huge mental, psychological and emotional trauma. Sadly, the psychosocial welfare of these kids, specifically those from marginalised communities, receives hardly any mention.

One of the reasons child welfare is often ignored in these situations is because we, as adults, think children are resilient and unaffected by these events. However, the reality is that the long-term knock-on effects can be even more devastating than the disaster itself. Not only are loss of school time and hunger issues, but in some cases children become victims of alcohol abuse and physical and emotional neglect.

Children are resilient when faced with small changes to their everyday routine. But experiencing a flood of this scale and devastation brings another level of trauma. Nearly every child in KwaZulu-Natal will have been affected by the flooding, either by hearing adults talk about it, knowing someone who has been affected or, even worse, by having lost loved ones.

In other cases, they may have suffered major disruption to their lives. Food is in short supply, clean water is scarce, and electricity lines are down. In addition, nearly 250 schools have been destroyed.

Most children already struggle to make sense of the world. Not every child knows how to describe their emotions and this inability or unwillingness to communicate is often mistaken for resilience. It is in fact fear, anxiety, sadness and hopelessness that can eventually manifest in mental illness.

At World Vision SA we are concerned that the longterm psychosocial impacts of this experience could permanently scar an entire generation. These children have already had years of their childhood stolen by the pandemic. A report we published in March 2021 shows that the effects of Covid could wipe out progress in poverty and disease reduction by 20 years.

Children in KwaZulu-Natal have been dealt an unfair hand. Just when life was getting back to some form of post-pandemic normality, civil unrest in the form of looting and protesting brought the province to a standstill in July 2021. The trauma of seeing homes, schools and businesses looted and vandalised is likely to be etched in their memories for years to come.

If the recent floods were an isolated incident, the psychological distress would likely be short-lived. But this isn’t the case here as children from marginalised communities are forced to deal with one major catastrophe after another. As a result, there is a greater chance of children developing mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.

At the very least, these children need psychological support to help them understand their emotions. We know from past experience that emergencies like these are opportunities for us to build sustainable mental health systems for people in need.

Droughts and floods are likely to be recurring events in Africa. It is imperative that we ensure the right interventions are in place today so that we are ready for tomorrow.

We urge South Africans to join us in raising funds so we can provide vulnerable communities with tools and resources to address the psychosocial long-term effects the disaster will have on our children. Get in touch at www.worldvision.co.za.