Farewell and thank you

Fresh out of school armed with my Social Work degree, I was so scared to be practicing as a social worker for the first time. Like every fresh graduate, I’d always wondered what my first job would be like, and where I would be working, and I’d really hoped that my colleagues would be kind to me and understanding. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that my social work journey would start at The Big Issue. I was delighted to join as the social work intern at the beginning of 2022. Being an intern was helpful to me because I had the guidance of the social worker at the time. She really guided me and made sure that I never felt alone, which is one thing about the organisation that really stood out for me. You are not an island when you are working at The Big Issue; you have everyone’s support, and my colleagues’ warmth and advice is something I will forever cherish.

In 2023, I took on the role of being the organisation’s social worker when my senior left. I must say, it is very easy for us to think it’s a simple job when we are not the ones doing it. When you fill the other person’s shoes, you understand fully just how much hard work it is. Despite this, I had my colleagues’ support all the time. They allowed me to make mistakes, to grow and just have fun doing my job. Over the last two years, I have also grown as a professional thanks to The Big Issue. They gave me a platform to run the social work department and meet some amazing people along the way.

Our vendors will always hold such an important place in my heart. I have learned as much from them as they have from me. It is said you never stop learning in life and that is very true. Our vendors have shown me how far in life you can go, as long as you have the courage, will and tenacity to move forward. They feed their families, take care of their grandchildren, and pay all their bills with the profits from their magazine sales. If you think about it in today’s economy, the R15 they get from selling each magazine is not a lot of money, but they save and make things happen. They stand at those traffic lights each day regardless of the weather conditions – such tenacity! They never back down as they believe in our philosophy of a hand up and not a handout. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of our vendors’ children through our Saturday school, who, just like their parents, are determined to make the best of themselves regardless of their circumstances.

I am not a fan of goodbyes because it is just sad to part ways with people who have been like family to me. I have grown to affectionately love our Big Issue family, which includes my colleagues, our vendors, supporters, and our readers, some of whom I got to meet in person. It was so heartwarming to see that there are people who read this column every issue just so that they can see how to assist us as an organisation and our vendors. Last year we fell prey to scammers and lost a huge amount of money, but our readers always emailed or called to ask how they could assist or even expressed their sympathies, which was overwhelming and filled our hearts with so much gratitude. I always write the wish lists of vendors we feature monthly in the magazine, and it is very seldom that we do not find a reader willing to donate or assist somehow with these wish lists. It is very special in these times where almost everyone is faced with some type of economic difficulty. And so, I would like to thank all of you for your co-operation and support during my time at The Big Issue.

As I bid farewell to all of you, our readers and supporters, allow me to express my profound thanks once again to our very small yet dynamic team at The Big Issue that made my time fly because of all the fun I had whilst working with them. I experienced a lifetime of good work ethics and was always treated with so much gentleness and kindness.

Thank you!