Social workers are among the unsung heroes who work in many communities, but this week they are shown extra appreciation in the celebration of World Social Work Day, which took place on Tuesday 21 March.
One of these is Carien van Zyl, principal social worker at the Khula Development Group in Paarl.
“I chose social work as a profession because I have a passion for helping people and aspire to make a positive change in the lives of vulnerable people,” she said.
Van Zyl has been in the field now for 19 years, and it is a passion she won’t trade for anything.
Growing up in Paarl, Van Zyl matriculated from Paarl Gimnasium High School. She then studied at Huguenot College, where she later also obtained her master’s degree in social work.
“Social workers aim to improve people’s circumstances and behaviour by providing support and assistance to individuals, families and children who are vulnerable or enduring a crisis. The fields of social work vary and depend typically on the organisation. For example, social workers employed by a designated child-protection organisation [DCPO] will focus mainly on child protection services.
“I work for the Khula Development Group, a registered non-profit organisation with a mission to promote a positive culture of learning and strengthen the value of education and school attendance. My work mainly entails supervision and support for social workers and auxiliary workers, through training, creating resource tools, networking and collaboration with external stakeholders.”
Working directly with the community, Van Zyl has witnessed many social ills from substance abuse, child abuse and neglect to gangsterism.
“Another great challenge is dropping out of school, where learners as early as Grade 2 or 3 sometimes fall out of the school system permanently due to many challenges experienced at school and/or home, impacting their future in a negative manner.”
According to Van Zyl, social workers play a crucial role in communities to identify and address specific needs. She says they are change agents where they facilitate change by empowering communities with knowledge and skills to improve their own lives, however they cannot do it without the communities assistance.
“Everyone in the community can play a role to prevent dropping out of school by promoting school attendance as a value and encouraging learners to attend school every day.
“In addition, community members must stand up against social ills and report aspects such as child abuse to the relevant organisations or police. Communities must also focus on what is ‘strong, and not wrong’ and discover what they can do to create a positive change in their own community.”
Focusing on stories of hope and positive change is what keeps Van Zyl motivated every day. She is a woman who is deeply rooted in her faith and believes it is her “God-given purpose in life to assist others in need.
“The work I do is very rewarding since I activate change by empowering others to render services to vulnerable children and their families. It is very uplifting to hear how a child’s circumstances changed for good due to our interventions and services. Although the benefits of social work can not be measured in salary, the emotional satisfaction in making a difference is immeasurable.”
Van Zyl further believes social workers must link-up and work together to make a greater impact in the lives of communities.
She quoted Helen Keller, the blind and deaf American author: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
Van Zyl said she enjoys doing crafts such as glass painting, visiting coffee shops and love taking a walk in nature. She added she celebrated World Social Work Day this year by doing a self-care activity.
Since social workers are always concerned about other people’s circumstances and problems Van Zyl encourages her fellow social workers to take some time to themselves for self-care.
“It is also imperative that social workers practise self-care and ‘recharge their batteries’ so they are able to provide compassionate service to others.”
