Catherine Kayonga: From Community ties to a Welfare state: Social support in Uganda and Finland  

Laughter and ululations fill the sky from the kitchen in the backyard. It is a joyous day and most of the ladies have come together to support their friend, whose daughter will be introducing her fiance to her parents. The party is quite large, and a number of hands are needed to help out with all the preparations and show their support and solidarity with the family. Such is the atmosphere around a support system in a typical Ugandan family.

Just like food, water or shelter, social support is a need for human beings. Despite its universal attributes, social support’s applicability may significantly vary across different cultures and parts of the world. Let’s embark on a journey to explore two vastly different nations: Uganda and Finland.  

Resilience in Community Bonds 

Situated in Eastern Africa, Uganda exudes a warm climate that equally permeates to the way of life. The bustling streets of Kampala almost immediately give way to the vibrant, dynamic and engaging social life of people with over 40 languages spoken. Here, social support is embodied in the term “Ubuntu”, that literally translates to “I am because we are.” At its core, “Ubuntu” emphasises communitarian principles like empathy, trust, and restorative justice, where the sense of self is shaped by relationships with others.

In practice, common bonds within a group are more important than any individual’s arguments within it. Thus, social support is often manifested when families and neighbourhoods come together to offer a helping hand financially, emotionally, or in other ways on both joyous occasions and in times of hardship, fostering a deep sense of interconnectedness and reciprocity.  

In most Ugandan communities, neighbours aren’t just neighbours – they are considered family, especially after many years of knowing each other, and that’s why proverbs that embody this way of life exist: “A child is raised not just by a family, but an entire village.” It is also uncommon for anyone to really be alone as there is always someone in the midst. In old age, care is family-based, where the older adults are invited to start living with their children within the extended family setting or get regular visits from loved ones.

This way of life is not limited to closely-knit neighbourhoods/relationships but extends to strangers. It is usually expected to greet the person seated next to you in public transport without them being suspicious of any underlying ill intentions and, in some cases, have a conversation about life issues.   

This ingenuity and resilience of the communities continues to blossom even amidst the most challenging times, like limited resources and unresponsiveness from government policies and interventions to provide comprehensive services to its population. 

Promoting Personhood through a Welfare State 

Finland is a Nordic welfare state located in Northern Europe. Known as the land of a thousand lakes, Finland lies in the splendour of this nature. As a welfare state, Finland has ascribed to a government system with the equal opportunity principle and established social institutions that promote social and economic wellbeing for all. The system has provided social services like education and health care based on a universal model supported by progressive tax.

Additionally, various forms of benefits and financial support like unemployment benefits, housing benefits, child allowances, parental leave benefits, maintenance benefits, and others exist. The portion of social support rendered depends on individual needs, with children, older adults and people with disabilities yielding more from the system.  

These interventions have cultivated a preventative intervention approach that has sought to mitigate and tackle underlying social problems. Individualised services like counselling are tailored to meet specific needs.

This is not to say that family support and relationships do not exist. On the contrary, there are flourishing expressions of love and support, especially in diverse family settings, where adult children support their older parents, often acting as advocates for them to receive services.

However, just like any other system, challenges to equitable distribution and practical sustainability of welfare social support exist. Yet, the immense positive contribution of this system to the Finnish population still stands strong, playing a crucial role in promoting social justice, inclusiveness, and economic opportunity. 

Lessons Learned 

Owing to the different strategies, we discover beneficial lessons that transcend cultures and borders. Uganda exposes us to the potential of community bonds, resilience, and solidarity in the face of adversity. Finland, on the other hand, has for a long time displayed the capacity of welfare state effectiveness in promoting equality and well-being in society. Ideally, bridging the social support boundaries requires an understanding of the local context and ways of life of people, and only then can the best approaches be suggested to them.  

Whereas there may be differences to celebrate and ponder about in the application of social support in different parts of the world, an undeniable common goal exists in both contexts, which is the need to improve the well-being of people, guided by the values of solidarity, empathy, inclusiveness, human dignity, and promotion of human worth and identity.

All in all, whether from the bustling streets of Kampala to the calm nature in Finland, a more supportive and compassionate society is a quest journey we should all embark on together, hand in hand, across cultures and continents as our need for love, care, being valued, as human beings transcends borders as it is deeply ingrained into our being.  

Admitting vulnerability is often a scary experience, especially in the world today where there is a lot of pressure to match up to “cool lifestyle trends”. This need to always put the best foot forward, instigated by many channels like social media, has made many people shy away from seeking help due to the fear of judgment and rejection. But what is to be human without ever feeling/expressing emotions of sadness, feeling down, having a bad day, and admitting the need for an extra hand?

I think seeking help is the bravest thing anyone can do, as it fosters an awareness from deep within, revealing a need for support to help us get back on track with personal growth and development.  

References 

Social services – Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (stm.fi) 

Catherine Kayonga works as a doctoral researcher in the Neuro-Innovation PhD programme. Her research focuses on unmet social and healthcare needs of older people.