The spirituality of vulnerable children in South Africa: implications for social development and welfare

Abstract

South African children whose families cannot care for them are often portrayed as victims, but they also possess strength and resiliency. This study explores one strength, spirituality, by assessing children’s feelings of connection to others and to God using the Relational Consciousness framework. This qualitative study used a sample of 37 children separated from their families - living in institutions, in non-kin foster homes, and on their own in child-headed households in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A cross-cultural view of spirituality is provided, followed by a description of the children’s spiritual beliefs and related activities within the Relational Consciousness framework. All 37 displaced children and youth who participated in the study expressed belief in a transcendent being who knows them. Most felt that this being loves and guides them, as well. Ubuntu, concern for self and others, was evident in the frequency and content of participants’ prayers. The personal spirituality professed by these children has implications for strengths-based development not only in South Africa but in the sub-Saharan region.