The Hidden Struggle:

Cape Town's breathtaking scenery masks a silent crisis: a mental health and addiction epidemic devastating families.  Mental health and trauma continue to be a significant issue among South Africans.  Based on recent studies, 25% of the population is estimated to have depression, as compared to 6.9% in the United States.  1 out of 3  new mothers suffer from postpartum depression, and this has a negative impact on their children since so many are untreated.

As of 2019 the four leading causes of death for people from the ages of 15 to 50 are HIV, Violence, tuberculosis, and suicide. This speaks to the severe trauma that is ravaging the country of South Africa.  When people have trauma, they try to avoid the emotional pain, which is why many of these individuals become addicted to substances. 

Substance abuse among the youth population in the Western Cape which is the province Cape Town is on the rise. In a survey completed in 2020 it was estimated 60% (1,275,000)of the adolescent population had used alcohol  and  23% (483,000) used cannabis.  These actions lead to poor school performance and decrease their ability to develop into productive citizens.  It also points to the trauma from which they are trying to escape.