“It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
In South Africa, many young people relocate from rural to urban areas for education, attending day schools while residing in rented accommodation. Migration exposes them to risk, including alcohol and drug abuse, sexual exploitation and violence. We developed and assessed a support system for young...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | SSM - Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000611 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849468237594492928 |
|---|---|
| author | Nondumiso Dlamini Siphesihle Hlongwane Carina Herbst Maryam Shahmanesh Nothando Ngwenya Sarah Bernays Janet Seeley |
| author_facet | Nondumiso Dlamini Siphesihle Hlongwane Carina Herbst Maryam Shahmanesh Nothando Ngwenya Sarah Bernays Janet Seeley |
| author_sort | Nondumiso Dlamini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In South Africa, many young people relocate from rural to urban areas for education, attending day schools while residing in rented accommodation. Migration exposes them to risk, including alcohol and drug abuse, sexual exploitation and violence. We developed and assessed a support system for young migrants, aged 14-24 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Five trained peer navigators conducted needs assessments for 283 young internal migrants between June 2021 and October 2022. The intervention included mobile phone support and streamlined referrals through a call centre, connecting young migrants to a study social worker, local healthcare facilities, and peer assistance. To assess the intervention, we conducted repeat in-depth interviews with 20 participants and 5 interviews with peer navigators, in-person and by telephone. Most young migrants rented rooms in unsafe areas to be near their schools, which presented physical, psychological, and mental challenges during the transition from living with parents/carers. The young migrants valued the intervention, including access to sexually transmitted infection treatment, psychosocial support from the social worker, and assistance from peer navigators in tackling general challenges. They appreciated that the peers provided a confidential space to engage and share openly with little fear of being judged. Our findings show that protection for young migrants can be provided through supportive structures such as peer-led interventions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0674fb949b9d4cf7859401a0822e2b36 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-5603 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM - Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-0674fb949b9d4cf7859401a0822e2b362025-08-20T03:25:54ZengElsevierSSM - Mental Health2666-56032025-06-01710044910.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100449“It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaNondumiso Dlamini0Siphesihle Hlongwane1Carina Herbst2Maryam Shahmanesh3Nothando Ngwenya4Sarah Bernays5Janet Seeley6Africa Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaAfrica Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaAfrica Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaAfrica Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Institute for Global Health, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UKAfrica Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Institute for Global Health, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UKLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK; School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, AustraliaAfrica Health Research Institute, 719 Umbilo Road, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK; School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Corresponding author. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.In South Africa, many young people relocate from rural to urban areas for education, attending day schools while residing in rented accommodation. Migration exposes them to risk, including alcohol and drug abuse, sexual exploitation and violence. We developed and assessed a support system for young migrants, aged 14-24 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Five trained peer navigators conducted needs assessments for 283 young internal migrants between June 2021 and October 2022. The intervention included mobile phone support and streamlined referrals through a call centre, connecting young migrants to a study social worker, local healthcare facilities, and peer assistance. To assess the intervention, we conducted repeat in-depth interviews with 20 participants and 5 interviews with peer navigators, in-person and by telephone. Most young migrants rented rooms in unsafe areas to be near their schools, which presented physical, psychological, and mental challenges during the transition from living with parents/carers. The young migrants valued the intervention, including access to sexually transmitted infection treatment, psychosocial support from the social worker, and assistance from peer navigators in tackling general challenges. They appreciated that the peers provided a confidential space to engage and share openly with little fear of being judged. Our findings show that protection for young migrants can be provided through supportive structures such as peer-led interventions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000611AdolescentsYouthMigrationEducationRiskSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Nondumiso Dlamini Siphesihle Hlongwane Carina Herbst Maryam Shahmanesh Nothando Ngwenya Sarah Bernays Janet Seeley “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa SSM - Mental Health Adolescents Youth Migration Education Risk South Africa |
| title | “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_full | “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_short | “It felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders”: findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
| title_sort | it felt like a weight was being taken off of my shoulders findings from an intervention to support migrant adolescents and young people in kwazulu natal south africa |
| topic | Adolescents Youth Migration Education Risk South Africa |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666560325000611 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nondumisodlamini itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT siphesihlehlongwane itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT carinaherbst itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT maryamshahmanesh itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT nothandongwenya itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT sarahbernays itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica AT janetseeley itfeltlikeaweightwasbeingtakenoffofmyshouldersfindingsfromaninterventiontosupportmigrantadolescentsandyoungpeopleinkwazulunatalsouthafrica |