Nokwanda (Kwanda) Grava is from Durban, South Africa, and is currently in her fifth year of the Counseling Psychology program at Purdue University. She completed her BA in Counseling Psychology from the University of South Africa before earning her MS in Child Development from Michigan State University. Her passion lies in decolonized community work where she works alongside communities and community-based organizations particularly in South Africa to identify solutions to problems faced by vulnerable children and families. Kwanda remains very active in her South African community, working with orphaned and vulnerable children in various settings including orphanages, residential foster care, preschools, community centers, and schools. Kwanda’s past research has looked into indigenous parenting values, traditions, and mores within the context of South Africa. Most recently, Kwanda has been studying indigenous African conceptions of healing and wellbeing, specifically, looking into systems of healing as conceptualized by traditional healers within the South African context.
2024-07-14