SINGLE MOTHERS’ ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES DURING PEACE TIME AND IDENTIFYING THEIR NEEDS DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
Background
The Strong Mama program started in 2021 and is implemented by Sista through the support of the FRIDA Fund. The program works with single mothers through a series of creative workshops and retreats to empower women to develop tools to promote positive behaviour, self-care and connection with each other.
For the second cycle of the Strong Mama Program in 2022, Sista collaborated with Penpena Mouri to hold a retreat that ran for a full weekend and worked with 14 single mothers through a series of creative workshops to empower women to connect with each other, understand their rights, increase self-awareness, develop tools to promote positive behavior, strengthen communication skills, use arts to express themselves and collect their stories. Additionally, a survey was conducted to collect data to understand single mothers’ access to essential services within North Efate and Port Vila, and their needs during the COVID 19 pandemic. This document captures the survey findings and recommended action points for duty bearers to consider.
The workshops are designed to take the single mothers on an empowerment journey and build their power within (confidence and knowledge), power with (solidarity with each other) and power to make decisions (agency). This will involve a series of x2 full day workshops including an evening reflection and storytelling (talanoa) session (8 hours’ x 2 days = 16 hours). The survey will also be incorporated into this program to inform the recommended action points.
The program is implemented by Sista in collaboration with Penpena Mouri and supported by the Frida Fund. Sista will be engaging with local entrepreneurs and self-care specialists to run the workshops and included the following:
Activity One: Yoga & Mediation
Activity Two: Fan, Mat & Pandanus Crown Weaving
Activity Three: Cooking Class
Activity Four: Tie Dying
Activity Five: Spiritual Enlightening – Sunday Worship
Activity Six: Journaling and Reflection
Activity Seven: Feet Scrub
Activity Eight: Jewelry Session
Goals and Outcomes
The goal of this program is:
- For single mothers (aged 18 and up) and their children in rural North Efate to be more respected and safer in their homes and communities and have knowledge and the ability to exercise their rights.
- For single mothers to demonstrate to duty bearers the challenges they face and provide possible solutions.
- To conduct a survey to gather data on the challenges Single Mothers faced during COVID 19 and how they manage and sustain themselves through crisis
- To understand what the single mothers existing networks and supports are during COVID 19
The outcomes will be measured by:
- Strengthened connections and engagement between single mothers, with increased knowledge on tools to promote self-care and positive behaviour.
- Increase the critical thinking and communication skills of single mothers, with a deepened understanding of their rights and ability to exercise their rights.
- Increase the understanding of community and family members about the issues single mothers face and are willing to listen to their needs and priorities.
- Increased opportunity for duty bearers to recognize and act on single mothers’ needs and priorities.
- The use of the analysis that collects both quantitative and qualitative data to feedback to the Gender and Protection Cluster Meetings during response and recovery at the Department of Women’s Affairs
Key Findings of Survey
Activity (WHAT): Strong Mama Workshop Retreat
Date (WHEN): 27-28th August 2022
Location (WHERE): Le Life Epule Northwest Efate
Stakeholders (WHO): FRIDA Feminist Fund, Sista, Penpena Mouri
METHODOLOGY:
Surveys were conducted using one on one consultations to seek qualitative and disaggregated data from a total of 11 participants.
The survey was split into two sections:
Part 1 – Diversity & Living Conditions,
Part 2 – Prevalence of Single Mother Access to Essential Services.
There was a total of 15 questions asked; 11 questions from Part 1, and 4 questions from Part 2. A sample of questions is provided below through the disaggregated data tables and numbered statements (1-6) below. See Annexure 1 for the complete survey.
How many children do you have?
| 1 Child | 2 Children | 3 Children | 4 Children | 5 Children | 6+ Children |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Are you on contraception?
| Yes | No |
| 3 | 8 |
How many people live in your household?
| 2 people | 3 people | 4 people | 5 people | 6 people | 7 people | 8+ people |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
How many people work in your household?
| 0 people | 1 person | 2 people | 3 people | 4 people |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
What kind of violence have you experienced?
| Physical | Physiological | Emotional | Financial |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Do you have access to child maintenance?
| Yes | No |
| 2 | 9 |
1) 34% of the single mothers in Port Vila lived in areas that don’t have nearby clinics, aid posts or a hospital, and it is very challenging for these mothers to take their children to the main hospital or clinic at nighttime because the road is not safe for them and their children. The following areas are without a clinic or health professionals such as nurses or doctors: Beverly Hills, Malapoa Estate, Erakor Village and Ekipe community.
2) 66% of the single mothers from Ekipe have a community aid post but have very poor service. The community nurse decides when to open the clinic and this makes it very difficult to organise a visit given the unreliability of opening hours. The clinic nurse is also a training medical student so most of the mothers opt to visit Paunagisu Clinic, an hour and a half drive with very bad road conditions.
(i) Case Study: One of the single mothers lost her son because the clinic was too far. Whilst she was trying to find transport, her son’s heartbeat began to drop and by the time transport was found to go to the clinic, it was too late. The option of calling Promedical was not possible due to not being able to afford the associated costs.
3) 100% of the single mothers from Port Vila and Ekipe faced challenges during COVID 19 including how would they provide for their children in terms of food, clothes, shelter and afford to also pay rent, school fees, etc.
4) 66% of single mothers from Ekipe community gain income in market sales but due to the lock down caused by COVID 19, the chief stopped all the women in the community from going to the market. It was very challenging for them to provide food, clothes, electricity, etc. There was not much way of preserving food such as meat due to not having refrigeration.
(i) Case Study: It was very hard to earn money as I could not sell my vegetation. I was very stressed, especially as a single mum. It was very hard to financially sustain myself. If the lockdown was any longer, I would not have been able to survive.
(ii) Case Study: My challenge was having food for my kids and I. Sometimes we had water and fruit to survive. I didn’t garden because I worked as a teacher with the kids at school. I would say that the only way to pay for what I wanted for my kids was through prayer. Sometimes we washed our clothes with only water and no soap. It is hard to ask for help to other people.
5) 36% of single mothers have partners, brothers or fathers working in the RSE scheme but the support is very inconsistent, with one participant receiving no money from her partner, and these mothers face similar challenges to those who do not receive any support from family members in the RSE scheme.
(i) Case Study: They only look after themselves and pay for their own things. They haven’t shared anything to support my kids.
6) 91% of single mothers recognise the importance of self-care and have varied levels of routine. Most single mothers are reactive with their self-care approaches and implement them only when they are stressed, worried or upset, as opposed to being proactive and having a consistent routine to assist in preventing undue stress.
Although all of the participants noted challenges during COVID 19, their reactions to the lockdown and how to care for their physical wellbeing were varied. Some highlighted the lockdown as being a positive experience as well as the use of traditional medicines making a return amongst some families due to financial constraints as well as a fear of taking antibiotics and/or visiting the hospital alongside the risk of catching COVID 19. Below are case study examples provided by the participants:
(i) Case Study: During COVID 19 we only used traditional stuff or nature to treat ourselves. We were forced to take the vaccine in order to serve at school. I steamed myself and the kids using the leaves from the seashore.
(ii) Case Study: During COVID 19 our hours of work at the Kaiviti reduced as well as our salaries. The money I gained was not enough for my other needs. My baby’s father was quarantining at the time of lockdown. I am glad that he had to go to quarantine so he could realise how important it is to be with me and our daughter. The reason why we argued every day was because he hardly stays at home to spend time with us. He drinks Kava at night till 4am and we wake up at 5am to go to work and school at 7am and he is still sleeping. At one point I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, so I moved out with my daughter. But because my daughter always asked about her father, I decided to go back to him. Now we are living together, and I feel like I cannot argue anymore so I just leave him in peace.
One other challenge that I faced was accessing medical services out of fear. We were scared to get tested at the hospital, and when we were sick, we were afraid to get medicine or treatment. But I am glad that there’s COVID 19 because we have introduced again the natural or traditional way of curing the flu.
(iii) Case Study: We only have Panadol and we also used a leave that usually grows down by the sea to steam ourselves with. It is a traditional way of steaming.
Highlights
Some highlights from this program included the following:
The single mothers were extremely appreciative to Sista for the opportunity to engage in self-care with some deciding to capitalise on the skills they gained to help other single mothers as well as themselves.
(i) Case Study: I am happy and hope to see Sista more to help us women especially single mothers. Sista has inspired us to speak with other single mothers and start an organisation for single mothers at Ekipe as well as a committee board where we can start making some money through the skills that we learned and together fundraise some funds to help the needs of single mothers. Thanks to Sista now we feel empowered and awakened to move and build this organisation.
Challenges
Some challenges faced within the program were that the number of 20 confirmed participants decreased due to a family ceremony. Other participants also had to cancel due to being single mothers with children and not having anyone available to care for them whilst they attended the program.
Recommended Action Points
The following points are recommended action points based on participants feedback from the survey:
1) Single mothers from Ekipe community working in small businesses, such as roadside markets, need solar fridges to preserve meat, fish, etc. for the business as well as family needs.
2) Government and other funding agencies to give grants to support single mothers, despite their status whether working or not working, to start their own small businesses to support their families with their financial needs.
3) Address the lack of a clinic or health professionals such as nurses or doctors in the following areas: Beverly Hills, Malapoa Estate, Erakor Village and Ekipe community.
4) Put solar streetlights in at Ekipe community, Beverly Hills, Malapoa Estate and Erakor Village for security purposes.
5) Government or other funding agencies to help fund school fees for children in primary as well as secondary.
6) Improve road conditions for Malapoa Estate, Beverly Hills and Ekipe community.
7) Community to better understand the challenges and needs for a single mother/single parent and how they can better support.
8) Review and increase child maintenance fees due to the high cost of living.
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Annexure 1
METHODOLOGY – Single Mother Livelihood at North Efate During COVID-19
QUESTIONNAIRE
PART ONE – Diversity and Living Condition
1)What is your name?
2) How old are you?
3) Which Island are you from?
4) How many Children do you have?
i) Name, Age Group, Sex & Gender, Education Level?
5) Are you currently disabled?
i) If Yes, what is your disability? Visual Impairment / Hearing Impairment / Psychological Disability
ii) If No, any of your children disabled or any immediate family member you look after is disabled?
6) Are you married? Separated or Divorced?
i) If Yes do you have access to Child Maintenance?
ii) If No do you know why you don’t have access to Child Maintenance?
7) Are you Pregnant?
i) If Yes, how far are you?
ii) If No, are you on any contraceptive methods? Family Planning
8) How many people living in your household?
9) What is the current situation of your home like? Do you need to earn money to survive?
10) How many people are currently working in your household?
i) If Yes, What are their professions? Is the father of your children in the RSE Scheme?
- a) If Yes, how often does he contribute financially? What are the challenges?
ii) If No, How do you earn income to sustain yourself during COVID? Selling Vegetables and Root Crops
iii) Don’t Know, what are the other types of activities /entrepreneurship you are involved in during COVID? Fishing? Handicraft? Money Lending? Public Transport? Cooking 20vt Road Market?
11) What are the challenges you face during COVID as a Single Mum ?
- If Yes, explain them? What are your fears? Your mental Health?
12) What do you do for Self-Care ?
a) If Yes, what does your self-care look like?
b) If No, what are the challenges from accessing self care and what is your coping mechanism?
PART TWO – Prevalence of SM Access to Essential Services
- Are there any existing Health Services in your community?
- If Yes – Identify your Geographical location, Name, and Describe the condition of accessing these services;
i). Post Natal, Pre Natal, and Antenatal CARE Services?
ii). Is it Expensive to access them?
- If No – Identify your Geographical Location and how do you access these services?
- Don’t Know – Identify your Geographical Location and how do you access these services?
- Are there any existing Justice Services in your community?
- If Yes – Identify your Geographical location, Name and Describe the condition of accessing these services
i.Police Aid, AP’s, CPU Services?
- Is it Expensive to access them?
iii. Was these services accessible during the COVID Lockdown?
- If No – Identify your Geographical Location and how do you access these services?
- Don’t Know – Identify your Geographical Location and how do you access these services
- Has your partner ever abused you and/or your children?
a) If Yes Identify the form and/or all abuse experienced (Physical, Physiological, Emotional, Financial Abuse?)
i). Did the abuse increase during the COVID lockdown?
b) If No, have you ever experienced community violence perpetuated to you and/or your children?
i). Did the abuse increase during COVID lockdown?
- Are there any existing Organizations, Networks, internal (in the churches & communities) and external (CSO’, INGO’s, Government) that help support you and your children?
a) If Yes, Name and Describe them?
b) If No, Do you know of any existing Supporting Programs in your community?
