In an op-ed, Deon Snyman, managing director of the Goedgedacht Trust, argues that South African development efforts must incorporate trauma-informed accompaniment beyond relief and training to achieve lasting impact. He highlights how unrecognized trauma leads to misinterpretations of behavior in vulnerable communities. Snyman emphasizes the need for funding to support ongoing relational work rather than just initial workshops.
Deon Snyman, managing director of the Goedgedacht Trust, a rural development organization in South Africa's Western Cape, published an op-ed on March 10, 2026, urging the sector to address trauma in development work. He describes how practitioners often diagnose individuals in poverty by asking 'What’s wrong here?' but a trauma-informed approach shifts to 'What happened to you?' This recognizes that people carry histories of violence, shame, instability, and grief that shape their responses.
Snyman recalls the 1990s post-democracy era when relief efforts provided essentials like uniforms, food, and school fees, forming the 'first rung of the ladder.' However, he warns against treating this as the entire solution. Drawing on Central American practitioner Marta Cabrera's question from the late 1990s—'How does one empower a traumatised population?'—he notes that without recognizing trauma, interventions misread exhaustion as lack of motivation or fear as resistance.
Accompaniment, defined as repeated visits to help translate insights into action amid real constraints, is central to his argument. In one example, Snyman used a GROW coaching tool with an older man in a social employment program who dreamed of a vegetable garden but faced barriers like space and costs. Through curious questioning, they identified options such as using a relative's space and rainwater collection, leading to a plan. Yet, Snyman stresses that true change requires follow-up visits, as crises often interrupt progress.
Another instance involves a March 2025 Critical Consciousness process with youth in Esterhof, Riebeek Kasteel, inspired by Paulo Freire's conscientização. Participants sought relationships and community strength, expressing desires for 'a safe space, a listening ear' and to 'believe that we belong to each other.'
The Goedgedacht Trust employs an asset-based community development (ABCD) approach in the Swartland, focusing on children, families, and youth. Snyman critiques funding cycles that reward countable activities over slow, relational work, calling for investment in 'the return visit' to build lasting agency.