With South Africa’s high unemployment rate and xenophobic violence increasingly affecting communities and foreign- owned businesses, many refugees and asylum-seekers are reliant on assistance provided by UNHCR and local charitable organisations. Like Idaya, they borrow money to make ends meet. In South Africa, UNHCR provides social services through its partners to the survivors of GBV, including cash-based intervention (CBI), psychosocial support and business training. In 2013, Idaya fled again to South Africa, where she got married and hoped to find lasting peace. But the cycle of violence continued as she suffered abuse at the hands of her husband. Now a single mother of three children, Idaya struggles to provide for her family's basic needs and worries about the well-being of her children, especially her four-year- old son who suffers from hydrocephalus (“water on the brain”) and is in need of urgent medical treatment. UNHCR has provided cash assistance to over 150 survivors of GBV and their dependents in Durban since January 2023 through its partner Refugee Social Service (RSS). This support helps families to meet basic needs, address GBV risks, and improve livelihoods. The women also receive counselling sessions for psychological support and healing. Idaya received one-off cash assistance of about R2 000 ($105,28) in June 2023, as well as business training, coaching, and counselling. She now participates in outreach activities by sharing her experiences with other refugee women, providing advice and offering emotional support. She is working hard to raise funds to start a small clothing business so that she can pay for her son's medical treatment and rent. “I thank UNHCR and RSS for supporting me with the cash programmes. With the money I received, I was able to pay my rent and provide food for my children. The social workers are assisting me in coping well in life,” says Idaya. Cash support is provided on a one-off basis for the most vulnerable refugees. However, due to funding shortfalls, the amount available cannot reach all those in need. “Because of our funding situation, UNHCR is only able to provide small cash grants. But this can really make a difference - for some women, it can mean being able to feed their children and sending them to school. Other women have used the money to set up businesses such as hair and nail salons, fruit and vegetable stands, and clothing stalls,” says Gloria Ekuyoa, CBI Programme Officer at UNHCR. While there are opportunities for refugees to access national social services provided by the South African Social Security Agency, they often struggle to access grants due to a lack of documentation.
With South Africa’s high unemployment rate and xenophobic violence increasingly affecting communities and foreign-owned businesses, many refugees and asylum-seekers are reliant on assistance provided by UNHCR and local charitable organisations
I THANK UNHCR AND RSS FOR SUPPORTING ME WITH THE CASH PROGRAMMES. WITH THE MONEY I RECEIVED, I WAS ABLE TO PAY MY RENT AND PROVIDE FOOD FOR MY CHILDREN. THE SOCIAL WORKERS ARE ASSISTING ME IN COPING WELL IN LIFE,” SAYS IDAYA
November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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