Divorced with no financial means to sustain her five children, one of whom nearly lost his life due to Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, Felicity Guest had no choice but to head to court to sue her husband for maintenance, which changed her life and made her a voice for many women with the same experience.
Guest divorced from her husband in December 2010, but things turned sour when he emailed her a divorce decree a few months later in March.
She said it took her two more years to get divorced and during this period she would have to beg for money for the children.
"When I got divorced and I had a maintenance agreement, I thought at least I would be able to have recourse through the maintenance courts. I was horrified at having to spend days at the courts, one night after another," she said.
As a result of her ordeal, Guest started a Facebook group in 2014 called Child Maintenance Difficulties in South Africa, and today there are about 80 000 members.
She said her group is empowering women mostly on how to claim maintenance, what to expect, and who to complain to.
"In 2018, I began advocating full-time for a more equitable and just child support system. The impacts of women raising children without financial support have far-reaching economic and financial consequences that impact the child, the mother, her family, the community, and the country. It is a major driver of gendered violence, poverty, and inequality," said Guest.
Sammy Xaba, who was helped by Guest with her maintenance battles, described her as an attentive and hard working individual who put herself in someone’s shoes as she has gone through similar experiences.
“I reached out to Felicity to guide me regarding an issue where I had been sent from pillar to post and left me discouraged. Upon our initial interactions, she made every effort to reach out to me and provided me with the necessary documents and information. With her assistance, I have been able to pull myself up again for the interest of my children,” said Xaba.
For her work, Guest has been nominated for several awards, received a Human Rights Award in 2018 in the women's category, and in 2021 was named one of Ackerman's Faces of Change.
In July 2022, she joined the international economic abuse community and sat on the panel of the first Global Economic Abuse Summit.