‘It Seems Hard for Her, but She Tries to Be Strong’: Early Childhood Community Practitioners' Accounts of Foreign Mothers' Vulnerabilities in Alexandra Township, South Africa

Abstract

This qualitative study explores challenges foreign mothers face in caring for newborns in Alexandra Township, South Africa, from the perspective of Early Childhood Community Practitioners (ECCPs). Based on 21 observational reports written by ECCPs and 3 triangulation interviews, the study explores practitioner accounts of specific vulnerabilities and their impact on the ability of foreign mothers to respond to their infants. Using a vulnerability framework, the study shows three themes related to the experiences of 21 foreign mothers aged between 23 and 38, the majority being from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, that practitioners associated with mothers' ability to take care of their babies: experiences of structural and systemic challenges, challenges related to social and caregiving support, and resilience narratives. The interplay of different vulnerabilities shapes parenting infants at particular moments in time. The study concludes that ECCPs associate the parenting capacity of foreign mothers with the emotional toll of their experiences and the uncertainty of social support.