In South Africa, nearly 8 million children live in grandparent-headed households, with the majority of these households led by grandmothers – locally known as gogos. With a third of the country’s youth raised in their care, our concept of a caregiver is incomplete without the labour, provision and love of grandmothers.

 

This workshop explores the power of grandmothers as agents of change, and how prioritising their agency and capacity can create social change and nurture resilient and meaningful bonds within multigenerational families.

 

As elders, grandmothers hold a culturally significant place in their communities. As household heads, they are financially responsible for supporting themselves, their children and their grandchildren, often as the sole source of income as grant recipients. Their unique place in South African society is dual-edged: on one hand, as older persons vulnerable to the perils of living in an unequal society, on the other, as respected community and household heads, affording them strong influence over the health and well-being of individuals in their families and communities.

 

From sharing knowledge of ECD best practices with new mothers to fostering a love for reading in young children to broaching the topic of sexual health with teenagers and young adults, their ability to promote social change will be focus of the day’s session – explored through the lens of Social Behaviour Change Communication.

 

Workshop

 

Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) makes use of the socio-ecological model to support the uptake of new behaviours that are beneficial to health outcomes. Working with the concept of grandmothers as agents of change, this workshop will use group-based activities to identify areas in which grandmothers can promote change.

 

What is critical to this model is the interaction between the grandmothers’ role and the socio-ecological structures in which they and their grandchildren exist. By conducting active SBCC tasks, the group will develop and build collaborative problem-solving plans to stimulate intergenerational conversations to promote improved health outcomes in grandmothers and the grandchildren they are raising.

 

The systemic issues faced by so many South African homes are deep-rooted, pervasive and widespread, and so the solutions must be comprehensive, resilient and context-specific. Using the Social Behaviour Change Communications model, this workshop aims to deepen knowledge of:

 

1. How interpersonal relationships can bridge the generation gap to improve knowledge sharing, facilitate understanding, and cultivate a supportive home environment

2. The societal norms that shape cultural attitudes, stigma, values and peer influence

3. The role of communities as platforms for effective interventions

4. The importance of collaborative action between governments, the private sector and civil society

 

goGOGOgo is an innovation and research hub dedicated to improving health and economic outcomes for grandmothers and their grandchildren through programmes that recognise and help realise their potential as agents of change. Using research and data gained through years of working with gogos in their communities, this workshop will provide participants with a textured understanding of intergenerational family dynamics in a South African context.

Jane Simmonds – Executive Director & Founder (goGOGOgo)

 

Ms Jane Simmonds holds an MA in Public Health and Social Behaviour Change Communication from the University of the Witwatersrand. An activist and public health specialist, she works to uplift South African communities through various organizations, fundraising initiatives and social programmes.

 

Ms Simmonds is the Founder and Executive Director of goGOGOgo, an NGO dedicated to building the capacity, skills, and knowledge of female third-generation caregivers, known in South Africa as gogos. She also serves as a project manager in the office of the Vice President of the SAMRC – the South African Medical Research Council – where she played an active role in the national COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Among her ongoing work with the SAMRC is a project to screen for hypertension among people over 60 in grant queues.

 

She is currently conducting formative research into the acceptability of the polypill for managing cardiovascular disease while running a second NGO, Khulani Creatives, focused on income generation within economically marginalized communities.

 

Valerie Mthandeki – Researcher

 

Valerie Mthandeki holds a BA in Education from Walter Sisulu University and a Diploma in Education Management from the University of Pretoria.

 

Valerie served in the Department of Education as an educator for over 10 years before pursuing a career in the private sector at Old Mutual, Sanlam and Bytes Document Solutions, among others.

Her passion for community building and people saw her transition to the NGO space, where she worked as a coach and facilitator for Flourish’s Grow Great Campaign, aimed at mobilising government, business and civil society to invest in national change and public health outcomes. She served in this role for seven years, facilitating support networks for women and empowering new mothers through the first 1000 days of their children’s lives.

 

Valerie has also served as a Field Researcher, conducting studies and collaborating on various projects, including Lifeline, MAFISA, Tshwane Municipality NDP, Women in Mining and International Youth Fund programs.

 

Hlumelo Gxotiwe – Business Development Officer

 

Hlumelo is a writer with over 7 years of experience in marketing, B2C communication and technical and creative writing. He currently serves as a Business Development Officer at goGOGOgo, working to research and process funding opportunities for the organisation’s various projects, including GOGOcare, a capacity-building programme that provides grandmothers with workshops on perinatal care and GOGObox, a weekly boxing class promoting physical and mental wellbeing for older persons.

 

In his current role, he helps manage the e-commerce arm of Income4GOGO, an initiative which provides grandmothers with skills training and facilities to generate income for themselves and their households. He has also recently become a facilitator for the iGOGO project, which seeks to close the gray divide through a digital literacy course that helps gogos access the power of the internet.

 

As part of a passionate team, Hlumelo works across multiple systems, from grant compliance and management to media engagement and communications.