“We supported each other and we don’t judge each other. We talked about things we never talked about before.”
– Ronel (aged 13) Support Group attendee
Abangane Grief Support for Children aged 9-19
Abangane Grief Support for Children aged 9-19 programme was created under the leadership of Khululeka Grief Support. It offers psychological support to bereaved children aged 9-19 years. Abangane (“friends” in Zulu) aims to help participants better understand grief and loss, process their grief and gain closure, develop skills to cope with difficult emotions, and establish life planning skills. The programme also helps girls gain support from others, including other group members and trusted loved ones in their lives.
The programme consists of 8 sessions, each session includes 100 minutes of detailed scripted activities.
The curriculum was adapted and successfully piloted in 2022 to meet the developmental needs of younger girls and boys.
For a more detailed overview of the Curriculum please click here.
For a more detailed history of the development of the Abangane programme please click here.
“…[Before] the past weeks that we were together I never talked about what I felt or how I felt and never talked about the loss of my dad. You guys helped me a lot to deal with my sadness and the loss of the person that I love. I do not know how to thank you enough. I am a new person thanks to you.”
– Tammy (aged 13) Support Group Attendee
On the post-test, participants were asked to think back to the beginning of the support groups and rate themselves on a scale of 0 to 10 on various knowledge, attitudes and skills at the BEGINNING of the support group and NOW.
Their results show the following self-rated improvements:
202% increase
(2.8 to 8.4 out of 10)
197% increase
(2.8 to 8.3 out of 10)
160% increase
(3.3 to 8.7 out of 10)
155% increase
(3.0 to 7.7 out of 10)
155% increase
(3.5 to 9.0 out of 10)
