In this quiet moment, imagine what belonging means to you? What are the images that come to your mind? Is it a feeling, a particular language or a group of people? Is it the documentation you have or the familiarity of your home and neighbourhood?
Many people who live around us feel that they don’t belong. This may be because of how they are perceived or what they believe. It may be because of where they are from, the language they speak, or their job. Some young people feel they do not belong because they have not been granted citizenship or the documents that say, you belong
here.
Statelessness is something that can affect everyone, even those born in South Africa. Simply put, statelessness means that no country recognises you as a citizen because of conflicts in nationality law and its implementation. This results in people not having a claim to citizenship anywhere, even if South Africa is the only place they know. Stateless people face
difficulty in simple and more complex tasks, including opening bank accounts or obtaining a driver’s license and applying for university or voting. Imagine for yourself what this may look or feel like?
Take a moment to think about those who are yearning to belong? What can you do to welcome those who need it? Is God asking you to open yourself up to someone or take action towards someone else’s belonging?
