Pillars of support — Meet the women creating safe spaces in their communities

Nonhlanhla “Nono” Maseko has worked at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s (Sadag’s) counselling container in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, for 11 years. She provides support to residents facing a range of problems, from mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and trauma, to social ills such as gender-based violence (GBV) and unemployment.

Maseko said it was rewarding to see those who seek help at the counselling container improve “day by day”.

“I think, as women, we come from that caring side. When you look at the expectations of women — taking care of children, raising a family — it comes naturally to a woman to care for the other person,” she reflected.

The Diepsloot Sadag counselling facility, where Maseko works alongside three other women, is fondly known as the Blue Container by residents. Established in 2012 as a pilot programme aimed at bridging the access gap for mental health services in the largely under-resourced community, it operates out of a shipping container on a plot of land alongside the local fire station.

Maseko and her colleagues offer free face-to-face counselling for community members, including those who have not yet approached public health services due to fear of judgment, limited resources or a lack of knowledge about how to access care.

They provide information and referrals that streamline access to health facilities and other nonprofit organisations.

“We see our clients’ mental health plans, which could involve schizophrenia, bipolar … depression, anxiety, panic attacks, grief. Then we will see GBV clients. We started this as an information centre. For anyone who needs information, they will just say, ‘Go to the Blue Container,’ and then we’ll guide them,” said Maseko.

In addition to her role at Sadag, Maseko has helped to establish a gender-based violence forum in Diepsloot and contributed to the fight for a rape crisis centre in the community. She believes that women supporting women is incredibly important.

“It’s very significant, because there are women that are still … saying, ‘I can’t get a protection order against my boyfriend,’ or husband. There’s huge awareness that we’re creating every year; and after each event, we … get a large number of clients saying, ‘Enough is enough,’” she said.

Maseko’s work involves empowering people living with mental health conditions and helping them to strive for emotional and financial independence. In some cases, Sadag has facilitated access to learnerships that help mental healthcare users acquire useful skills.

The Diepsloot counsellors also run a support group for men, which tackles the stigma around accessing mental health assistance.

Sadag runs another counselling container in Ivory Park, and provides support group leader training to volunteers aiming to establish safe spaces in communities across the country.

On grief 

One of these support groups, run by volunteer Masulumane Sandawana in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, assists women who are grieving the loss of loved ones. It’s been running for more than three years and meets every two weeks on a virtual platform.

Sandawana, a postgraduate social sciences student, is passionate about building awareness around how individuals’ mental states can be affected by trauma and the environments in which they live.

“[In the support group], we focus on exploring the complexities of managing grief in a world that is filled with unrealistic expectations and societal pressures,” she explained.

Some members of the support group have lost children who died by suicide, while others are coping with the death of a partner.

“The unrealistic expectations would include family members expecting them to move on within a certain time frame… It’s high expectations that are coming from our corporate world, where there is less sensitivity around integrating people who have experienced such trauma,” said Sandawana.

Some of the concepts that members explore at the support group are emotional regulation, identifying anxieties when they surface, and grounding techniques.

“I find each and every woman coming to [the group] holds a safe space for the next one, and finds empowerment in their own stories. When one tells their story, another can relate to or learn from it… It reduces the narrative that ‘I’m the only one going through this, ’” said Sandawana. 

On depression and anxiety 

Dianne Kendall, another volunteer, runs a support group in Westville, Durban, for women living with depression and anxiety. She started holding sessions during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way of “giving back to others”.

“I think it’s so important that we have women supporting women, because in the world today, we see women being broken down so much and feeling vulnerable,” said Kendall.

Kendall grew up in an abusive household, where the problems were well hidden, which taught her “how easily women … keep things close to their chest”.

“Having a space where you know you’ve got a group of ladies that you can say anything to, and they’ll have your back and give you some solid advice in return, I think that’s really empowering,” she said.

Since starting the support group, Kendall has noted the members’ capacities for nurturing others. They share their experiences and strategies for managing mental health challenges.

“When one woman sees another woman making a difference, they are inspired to make a difference. I think it's just a beautiful circle of support happening,” she said.

On living with cancer 

Since March, Pumla Soci has been running a Sadag support group for people living with cancer. It is focused on the mental health of those being treated for cancer, as well as those supporting loved ones with the disease.

Soci believes that the support group provides a space in which people can be heard and have their pain and anger acknowledged.

“It’s almost like people want you to get over it quickly. You face devastation … and then people move on. I think the strategy is to listen to members about where they are in each of their journeys. Everybody just wants to be heard at the end of the day. They want to know that their pain is real and it matters to the next person,” said Soci.

Read more in Daily Maverick: The Sadag story — how one woman set up a mental health helpline for the whole of South Africa

For some people with conditions such as breast or skin cancer, the disease can result in physical changes that are difficult to navigate, said Soci. Others experience depression and anxiety, or exposure to social stigmas associated with the illness.

“We don’t want people to feel ‘less than’ because they have an illness. The cancer does not define you. A lot of people have overcome it, and really, the mental health [challenges] during the discovery and … painful parts of your journey are only a part of it. When we focus on the fact that you are more than the illness, that you are not the illness at all, people can then find the hope,” explained Soci.

On gender-based violence 

For the past three years, Jessica Adonis has run a Sadag support group for women facing gender-based violence. She emphasised that while people often associate GBV with physical attacks, it can also involve verbal, emotional and financial abuse.

“My biggest thing ... is to create awareness for women. That’s the reason I actually volunteered,” she said.

“You want to empower women. If I empower a woman in my community, then she’ll tell the neighbour, or the neighbour will tell someone in the Pick n Pay queue. I firmly believe if you start at home and educate people … it’s a ripple effect. Start where you are.”

The support group builds a sense of common identity among women who are going through similar challenges, said Adonis. They can share their experiences without fear of being judged and receive information on where to go for further assistance.

Among the subjects that the support group explores are self-care, establishing boundaries, staying connected and avoiding isolation. Members also guide the sessions by introducing their own topics based on the challenges they are facing.

“Most of the women build self-confidence. They look at themselves in a totally different way. They’re not that isolated anymore. And I think there’s also that inner healing,” said Adonis. DM 

For those in need of mental health support, Sadag runs several helplines, including: 

• Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0800 567 567
• Substance Abuse Helpline – 0800 12 13 14
• Cipla Mental Health Helpline – 0800 456 789 

More information on Sadag’s support groups can be found here.