Background: Parents of children with disabilities have faced difficulties in looking after their children, be it socially, economically and financially. Parents in rural areas are mainly left with a huge burden, as there is a lack of services and support from both the state and non-governmental organisations. Parents in Sekhukhune district, a rural area in Limpopo province of South Africa, face challenges in raising their disabled children related to lack of resources and lack of services at their disposal.Objectives: This study focuses on the experiences and life circumstances faced by parents of children living with different types of disabilities at Lehlaba Protective Workshop in Sekhukhune district of Limpopo province, South Africa.Method: The study consisted of 14 participants who are parents of children living with disabilities. An interview guide with a set of questions was utilised to gather data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and themes that emerged were grouped together.Results: Themes that emerged from the data showed that most of the participants had varying understandings on the causes of disabilities to their children. The participants also were of the view that a ‘cure’ for disability was available medically, spiritually or through traditional African medicine. The study also brought the notion of absent fathers, as most men do not want to be associated with children who are disabled. Stigmatisation of the parents was also a theme that the study revealed. The parents are subjected to name labelling as they are viewed to be practising witchcraft or to be paying for their sins they committed.Conclusion: Parents of children with disabilities are in their own battle in raising their children. There is a lack of support structures available for parents of children living with disabilities. There is a lack of legislation available for protecting and promoting the rights of children with disabilities. The researchers concluded that raising a child with a disability is expensive, time-consuming and straining.

This scholarly book is the first volume in the book series Knowledge Pathing: Multi-, Inter- and Trans-Disciplining in Social Sciences. The book series editor is Prof. Mogomme Alpheus Masoga (University of Limpopo, South Africa). The volume editors are Dr Allucia Lulu Shokane (University of Venda, South Africa), Prof. Jabulani C. Makhubele (University of Limpopo, South Africa) and Prof. Lisa V. Blitz (Binghamton University, USA). The book provides a reflection on social work education with a slant towards an Afrocentric approach. It aims to facilitate strong reflective thinking and address local realities about social work education on the African continent as well as in broader global contexts. The first volume focuses on issues around aligning theory, research and practice in social work education. The book makes a significant contribution to the scholarly understanding of opportunity to sustain the academic discourse on social work education. Social work as a profession and a social science discipline is dynamic, and it ought to meet the challenges of the realities of the societies in which it serves, given the history of the changing society of South Africa from apartheid to democracy. Over the years, social work education and training has undergone tremendous curricular changes with the enactment of White Paper for Social Welfare and the national review, respectively, by the South African Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) for the re-accreditation of all Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programmes in South Africa fulfilling the prescripts of the Higher Education Act (No. 101 of 1997, as amended) and Social Service Professions Act (No. 110 of 1978). It is worth mentioning that the curricular changes will also continue with the current reviewing of Social Service Professions Act (No. 110 of 1978), as amended, which is underway in South Africa. The target audience of this book comprises social work educators in the academies and specialists in the field of social sciences. The content of the book is based on contributions from original research and, concomitantly, the authors’ research is entirely their own. The contribution of the volume editors was solely of editing and providing guidance. Each chapter has undergone a rigorous review assessment process for the core qualities of scholarship that we deemed necessary for readers to have confidence in the trustworthiness and importance of the ideas and messages presented in the book. The co-editors evaluated each submission for originality, integrity and accuracy, relevance, credibility and hermeneutics. This book is really ground-breaking! The Afrocentric perspective on social work practice contributes to the current discourse on decolonisation of social work teaching and practice. From a methodological perspective, the book is premised on multi-, inter- and trans-disciplining in social sciences. It covers aspects of social work education and practice through research (narrative, qualitative, African methodology, secondary data analysis, etc.), engendering values and ethics, report writing, supervision in fieldwork as well as exchange programmes and international service-learning. A number of concepts such as cultural competency, cultural awareness and sensitivity are addressed. We hereby declare that this work is an original research and confirm that no part of the book was plagiarised from another publication or has been published elsewhere unless proper referencing and acknowledgement was made.

Social work profession is anchored on theory and practice and has both primary and secondary methods of interventions. The knowledge base of social work is constituted by values, principles, theories, skills and techniques. Globally, social work scholars have developed paradigms, theories, approaches, perspectives, models, techniques, skills and principles that could be applied in a variety of settings to various social ills for the benefit of clients in communities. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring social workers' intervention during natural hazards. The researchers used an interpretative qualitative research approach and case study design. Moreover, five social workers who provide psychosocial counselling and social relief of distress were purposively sampled to participate in this study. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The study found that social workers use three primary methods of social work: casework, group work and community work. Furthermore, the participants stated that they play roles such as educator, counsellor and broker when dealing with victims of natural hazards. Based on the findings, the researchers have noted that not all social workers are active in providing psychosocial counselling to the victims of natural hazards. As such, the researchers recommend more workshops to educate all social workers that social workers have an important role to perform in the midst of natural hazards.

AIM: This research project aimed at exploring the views of secondary school teachers and hostel matrons on the landscape of substance abuse amongst the youth at a border town situated in the northern region of Namibia. METHOD: In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews were conducted with secondary school teachers and hostel matrons, selected by means of a purposive sampling method from five schools representing state schools and private schools. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Namibia’s ethical approval committee, whilst permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, Namibia. Participation was voluntary and based on informed consent. FINDINGS: The themes identified in the study were amongst others; the types of substances used by the youth, the use of substances on school premises and easy access/availability of substances. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that substance abuse seems to be normalised in the community because of the excessive availability of alcohol in the community. The need for law enforcement and law reform as well as prevention programmes at all levels of society is highlighted.

Poor adherence to antihypertensive medications remains a significant challenge in the management of hypertension among women living in rural areas. The objective of the study was to assess the reasons of nonadherence in women suffering from hypertension. The researchers used a qualitative exploratory research design to conduct the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to select fifty (50) Black African women who participated in five (5) focus group interviews. The NVivo program was used to manage and organize the qualitative data. The study revealed that inadequate health literacy, financial constraints, forgetfulness and cultural differences are some of the barriers that prevent women from adhering to antihypertensive medication. Health promotion activities to empower women to become more proactive about their health needs and care should not be underestimated. As a result, they will be more likely to comply with their treatment, which will make them healthier in the long run.

Alcohol abuse amongst the youth is one of the major problems the world is facing, especially in rural communities where the majority of young people are unemployed and have little to do with their time. This study sought to determine the accessibility of alcohol amongst the youth of a rural community in Limpopo province, South Africa. This was a qualitative study which employed the exploratory case study research design which allowed the researchers to explore the risk factors for youth alcohol abuse. Interviews were conducted to collect data which was analysed thematically. The Eco-systems theory was used as a guiding theory for this study. The study found that there were clear associations between physical availability of alcohol, its affordability and high density of liquor outlets in one area and youth alcohol abuse. This study concluded that alcohol and other substance abuse call for preventative and intervention measures in rural communities targeted at the youth. Issues such as educating parents and guardians on how to improve their parenting skills in relation to alcohol consumption and the dangers thereof proved to be of greater need in the rural communities.