Grief, burnout, compassion fatigue, anxiety and stress are just some of the mental health issues facing South African NGOs.
February 27 marks World NGO Day, an opportunity to celebrate the critical work done by various NGOs around the world, the people behind them as well as the valuable contribution they make to society.
NGOs play a vital role in resolving the challenges and inequalities within communities and are indispensable partners to government, private sector and academia alike.
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Impact of Covid-19
The tremendous work done by NGOs in South Africa needs to be recognised now more than ever, especially with the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on the world’s most vulnerable communities. And South Africa is no exception.
According to the results of a survey of over 170 NPOs around South Africa undertaken by Tshikululu Social Investments last year, the pandemic has had a significant impact on NPOs, especially the twin burden of financial survival in the midst of increasing and overwhelming need within the NPO sector.
While the role of NPOs during Covid-19 has been crucial, many have been working at the frontline to help their communities, often with little or no funding. Countless have been hard hit because of the pandemic, having to stop operations completely, lay off staff, and others are battling month to month to keep their heads above water.
NPO Mental Health Support Programme
It was this research that catapulted the formation of NPOwer, a first-of-its-kind NPO Mental Health Support Programme and 24-hour toll-free helpline to offer mental health care and support to all NPOs.
This partnership between mental health support and advocacy group SADAG and Tshikululu, South Africa’s leading social investment fund manager and advisor, has provided much-needed help to those who help so many in our country.
“In assessing the well-being of NPOs, most of whom were at the frontline serving communities throughout lockdown, the need for an integrated psychological support programme became very clear,” said Dipalesa Mpye, a social investment specialist at Tshikululu Social Investments.
Within a month of launching last October, 127 emails and 234 incoming calls to the helpline were received, with Sadag reaching out to over 479 NPOs to provide support, care and information.
Navigating the pandemic
“Through the NPOwer Helpline, we have done over 500 counselling calls with NPOs who have been burnt out, stressed, exhausted and traumatised – all while navigating their battles with Covid-19 and dealing with the impact financially within their families as well as having to deal with losing their loved ones or colleagues,” said operations director at Sadag Cassey Chambers.
“Response to this resource has been overwhelming, with many respondents praising that there is finally support to social impact organisations and the NGO sector at large.”
The universal concept of World NGO Day is to celebrate, commemorate and collaborate.
What remains clear is that while celebrating and collaborating this critical sector of our society is vital, so too is providing opportunities for collaboration and partnerships to enable these organisations to have a real impact on those who need it the most.
The importance of collaboration
The demand for NPO services has grown exponentially overnight. And while NPOs might not always have the money or resources to keep up with the demand, they seem to have the innate resilience and hearts to persevere.
In fact, despite the negative impact on the NPO sector in South Africa, the partner research conducted last year shows that an overwhelming sense of optimism prevails. The majority of respondents said they are hopeful about the long-term future of their organisation and their ability to counter the damage.
“NGOs exist to uplift, empower and to enhance. This year on #WorldNGODay, we need to celebrate comradery between NGOs who have partnered in the fight against Covid-19 as well as those who stood strong through the ongoing pandemic,” said Hedley Lewis, CEO of the Smile Foundation, a South African NPO that assists children with any type of facial abnormality to receive corrective plastic and reconstructive surgery.
“Individuals, corporates and members of society have joined hands with NGOs across the globe to assist the world to rise above the pandemic and build a future towards a better tomorrow.
“The power of collaboration that sees social investors partnering with NPOs to continue to do the great work that they do all over the country is imperative in moving forward beyond the pandemic, and to see these incredible organisations continue having a real impact in tackling the many challenges that lie ahead,” said Mpye.
NPOwer Mental Health Survey and upcoming webinar
Sadag is calling on NPOs to assist with ongoing research into the mental health needs of the NPO sector by completing the NPOwer Mental Health Survey, open for participation until early March. This online survey can be found at https://www.npowersa.org/
Sadag will be hosting a webinar on mental health skills for NPOs on March 10 from noon to 2pm.
This will include basic trauma debriefing and compassionate counselling skills.
Visit www.sadag.org and https://www.npowersa.org/ for more information.
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