About 20 percent of South Africans live on less than R350 per month and this kind of poverty could be having real impacts not only on people’s physical health but also their mental well being. Each month, Mary* collects a child grant for her three-year-old daughter. Within hours of collecting the grant, Mary is queuing at the door of the local loan shark in an effort to pay off debts that began last Christmas. “I had to buy Christmas clothes and groceries for myself and my girl,” said Mary, who lives in Kuruman, Northern Cape. “I needed more than the grant itself.” ….more