Ms Santham Ajodhia

Santham Ajodhia is a social work alumnus from the University of KwaZulu- Natal. She is extremely passionate about serving humanity and therefore followed her dream of becoming a social worker. In 2007 she obtained her social work degree followed by her master’s degree in 2016. Santham is currently a PhD candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Social Work Department.  Her PhD is a mixed method study focusing on intimate partner violence and depression among women. Her practice experience in the field centered around child and family protection. Santham was employed at the NGO sector for over ten years. In 2013 she ventured into academia as a social work supervisor and workshop facilitator for UNISA and UKZN. In 2016 she joined UKZN Social Work Department as a lecturer. At UKZN she further developed her skills as a mentor supervisor when she worked at the MA’AT Institute as well as served on the Board of a non-profit organization namely KZN CORE who focus on rendering social work services to those vulnerable and in need. In 2022 she was trained by the Valued Citizens Initiative and became a training officer serving the KZN province. As a valued citizen she was actively involved in training social service professionals on sexuality education and on the Ichoose to be responsible parent program where she trained parents on parenting skills.  In 2024 Santham joined the University of Fort Hare, East London Campus as a lecturer. Santham is a social worker and lecturer with 17 years of experience, who brings a unique blend of real-world experience and academic expertise. She translates her experience from direct social work practice into engaging and insightful lectures, fostering a dynamic learning environment. Santham’s research interests lies in mental health, gender-based violence, child protection and disaster management/climate change.