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Enacting community development principles in women empowerment projects : a case study in Ondo State, Nigeria

- Olaniran, Sunday Olawale, Perumal, Juliet

  • Authors: Olaniran, Sunday Olawale , Perumal, Juliet
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: Women empowerment , Community development , Sustainable development goals
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/482915 , uj:43808 , Citation: Olaniran, S.O. & Perumal, J. 2021. Enacting community development principles in women empowerment projects : a case study in Ondo State, Nigeria. , DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40609-021-00210-x
  • Description: Abstract: There is increasing global interest in women empowerment and the ways in which rural women are involved and supported in community development. Women empowerment, a vital component of community development, is closely linked to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 in the United Nations Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which is geared toward achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls by the year 2030. While there is broad consensus about the importance of women empowerment for economic growth, scant attention is given to how community development principles inform community projects aimed at empowering women. Using a singlecase study research design, the article explores the extent to which principles of community development (such as self-help, self-growth, felt need, citizenship participation, self-reliance and self-direction) are employed by a Nigerian-based nongovernmental women’s organisation in empowering vulnerable and disadvantaged women in the rural context of Ondo State, Nigeria. A systematic document review of the organisation’s published bulletins, journal articles, annual reports and social media posts about its empowerment activities were analysed as part of the study. The case study shows that when women beneficiaries are actively and inextricably involved in the design and implementation of programmes intended to improve their livelihoods, the impact is exponential, and the results are achieved expeditiously. The article argues for community development programme planners and implementers to see women beneficiaries as active contributors and participants to their development instead of conceiving of them as passive recipients, and consumers of palliative interventions.
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Governance in banks using not-for-profit organisations to deliver their corporate social responsibility

- Penn, V. C., Thomas, P., Goldman, G. A.

Stakeholder engagement : asset-based community-led development (ABCD) versus the traditional needs-based approach to community development

- Nel, Hanna

Strategies to facilitate community engagement in the Faculty of Health Science at an Institution of Higher Education in Namibia

- Nuuyoma, Vistolina Nenayishula

  • Authors: Nuuyoma, Vistolina Nenayishula
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Service learning - Namibia , Community and college - Namibia , Education, Higher - Citizen participation , Community development
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/457818 , uj:40639
  • Description: Abstract: Community engagement is one of the functions of higher education, alongside teaching and research. Despite that, teaching and research silos are observed to be priorities at many academic institutions. Community engagement activities require a planned approach, yet most academic institutions do not have support in place for faculties to run those activities. In addition, community engagement is a small and under-researched area and not much attention is paid on how universities collaborate and produce knowledge in that area. The same observation is made in the Faculty of Health Science at a public university in Namibia. Furthermore, despite the 10% of academic time allocated for community engagement, it was not clear what it entails and how the staff and students should undertake it. The purpose of the study was to develop, describe and evaluate strategies to facilitate community engagement in the Health Science Faculty at an institution of higher education in Namibia. The study followed a qualitative exploratory, descriptive and contextual design, which was conducted in four phases. In Phase One, a concept analysis for community engagement was conducted following the basic principles of Walker and Avant’s model. Phase Two explored and described the perceptions of academic staff with regard to how community engagement can be facilitated within the Faculty of Health Sciences. The study included 19 academic staff members who were purposively selected, and data were collected via focus group discussions. The data analysis process followed a method of analysing phenomenological data proposed by Giorgi. Quality was ensured by adhering to the four criteria for developing trustworthiness of a qualitative enquiry as proposed by Lincoln and Guba. The researcher also adhered to the four ethical principles of Dhai and McQuoid-Mason, namely the principles of respect and autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice. Five major themes and their sub-themes emerged as findings of Phase Two of this study. The first theme is the facilitation of community engagement through communication, marketing and external relations. The sub-themes are marketing of community engagement activities, meetings, training, inducting and mentorship of academic staff, stakeholders’ engagement and partnership, community participation, community entry process, appointment of community engagement focal person/convener, attitudes and characteristics of academic staff. The second theme is the facilitation of community engagement through research-based viii activities, and the sub-themes are: community-based collaborative research, research ethics, incentives and recognition of academic staff. The facilitation of community engagement through curriculum-based activities emerged as a third theme. The sub-themes are students’ assessment, use of community experts, curriculum development processes and students’ involvement. The fourth theme is the facilitation of community engagement through clinical practice and work-based learning. Sub-themes are home visits, rural clinical placements, interprofessional education and practice. The fifth theme is the facilitation of community engagement through university/ faculty services and volunteering. Volunteering and donations, disease outbreak response, participation in health and social events, planning of community engagement activities and a community call centre emerged as sub-themes. Phase Three constituted the conceptualisation of findings from Phases One and Two. It was conducted based on Dickoff, James and Wiedenbach’s six elements of practice theory. The fourth phase of the study focused on the development, description and evaluation of strategies to facilitate community engagement in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The development and description of strategies followed the descriptive components of empiric theory as proposed by Chinn and Kramer. However, the researcher modified the original components as some are not applicable to this study. An evaluation of strategies was done by a group of experts in the Faculty of Health Sciences, following the criteria of clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility and importance, as developed by Chinn and Kramer. Lastly, the original contribution, limitations, recommendations and conclusion of the study were described. , D.Cur. (Nursing Science)
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The design and implementation of a systems engineering framework for small scale rural Community Engagement projects. a case study

- Naidoo, Rene

  • Authors: Naidoo, Rene
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Systems engineering , Project management , Community development
  • Language: English
  • Type: Masters (Thesis)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/284315 , uj:30701
  • Description: M.Ing. (Electrical Engineering) , Abstract: Successful projects are those that meet business requirements, are delivered and maintained on schedule, are delivered and maintained within budget and deliver the expected business value and return on investment. CE (Community Engagement) projects that are engineering focused, rely on the same strategy of success. However, there are a number of CE projects that fail due to a number of factors such as a lack of funds to finance operations and purchase resources required for the project, poor management of resources and finances, poor management of the overall project, lack of youth involvement in community-based project, lack of monitoring and evaluation of community projects and lack of stakeholder participation. Furthermore, CE projects conducted by engineers can suffer while being conducted due to the poor approach of engineers to such projects. Engineers believe in problem solving through the standard “hard” engineering approach. However, this approach frequently ignores the social aspects within these projects. It was deemed necessary that in order to prevent CE projects (that are engineering focused) from failing, to target the root of the cause by encouraging engineering institutions to incorporate CE projects as part of the curriculum. This would cultivate engineering students into ‘community engaging experts’ and allow students to gain a “hands on experience” by physically participating in engaging projects and interacting with communities. Therefore, it was hypothesised that the design and implementation of a CE framework, (CEF) designed for engineering institutions will assist in the successful conducting of CE projects and also allow for student teams to socially interact with communities and physically engage in these projects. The CEF was integrated with systems engineering, project management and CE literature. The framework was built off the (South Africa National Standard) SANS-15288 Systems Life Cycle standards and incorporated processes from project management theory and CE theory, such as work breakdown structures and community selection procedures. The framework was tested on an existing CE project (conducted by The University of Johannesburg), called The Gwakwani project, which ended off successfully with phase 1 in 2014. Phase 2 included the design and installation of a system solution to solve the community’s lighting dilemma. The installation of individual solar lighting units and the donation of hand held solar lighting units (sponsored by Schneider Electric), encompassed this community service initiative. The implementation was tested and evaluated based on the project procedure and whether individual stakeholder requirements were met. The evaluation consisted of a survey analysis (through indicators) and the received data was analysed statistically. The survey revealed information of firstly the implementation of the lighting units and secondly determined the validity of the framework through implication.
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Capacity building : a strategy for development

- Turton, Yasmin

Making great places in slums/ informal settlements

- Mpe, Reabetsoe, Ogra, Aurobindo

  • Authors: Mpe, Reabetsoe , Ogra, Aurobindo
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Slums , Informal settlements , Community development , Place making , Human settlements , Urban transformation
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:4925 , ISSN 978-0-86970-781-4 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13025
  • Description: According to UN-Habitat (2007) “a slum is a heavily populated urban informal settlement characterized by substandard housing and squalor”. The word slum is generally used to describe low-income settlements with deprived conditions. (UN-Habitat, 2006). There is no universally agreed definition of the word slum. As conditions differ from country to country, different scholars from various countries define the term “slum” differently. Definitions mainly include: illegal, poorly-constructed settlements without basic services, even when some of them are relatively more different and have proper structures? An informal settlement can be defined as stated by Huchzermeyer and Karam (2006) as those settlements that were not planned by nor have formal permission to exist from government. Srinivas (1991) defines informal settlement/ slums as an area where the urban poor resides and usually have no access to tenure rights and are forced to ‘squat’ on vacant land either private or public. While slums/ informal settlements differ in size and other characteristics in different counties, but what most slums/informal settlements share in common are the lack of reliable basic services such as the supply of clean water, electricity, timely law enforcement and proper services. (UN-Habitat 2007). Place making is a described as an approach that is used to inspire and encourage communities to create their own space/ places. Place making is how we collectively shape our public realm to maximize shared value (Project for public spaces, 2009). The focus on place making was intended to remind planners of the human aspect of city-building and the ultimate goal is to create places that people use, that inspire social interaction and promote community stewardship (Urban Strategy Inc., 2008). This paper highlights critical determinants of place making in slums/informal settlements. In the context of slums/ informal settlements, firstly it covers what great places are and what constitutes as a great place. Secondly it covers the characteristics of a great place/ place making and how we can upgrade slums/ informal settlements in to great places. Lastly what is the perception of communities of great places and what they think is needed to make their settlement a “great place”. The paper is based on a research study of Kaya Sands slums/ informal settlements of Midrand, South Africa.
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Place making in tourism-led local economic development (LED) : a case study of Coffee Bay, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape province, South Africa

- Sitinga, Sinovuyo Babalwa, Ogra, Aurobindo

  • Authors: Sitinga, Sinovuyo Babalwa , Ogra, Aurobindo
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Coastal Tourism , Community development , Community engagement , Sustainable development , Tourism - South Africa - Coffee Bay , Local Economic Development
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: uj:4938 , ISSN 978-0-86970-781-4 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13038
  • Description: On the East Coast of South Africa, on the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, lie the shores of Coffee Bay town. This small predominantly rural beach town beams with multitude of tourism potential. The town prides itself for its magnificent beach, hotels, and tourism activities like: horse riding, hiking and boasts of other tourism facilities and attractions. Besides tourism potential this small town faces number of challenges. The majority of the town’s economically active population is illiterate, unemployed and lives under the poverty line. The town on its own is a pot of gold; however, the community needs to be more involved in the decision making for developments within the town, as well as encouraging of pride of citizenship. This would ensure maximum benefit for residents, in terms of economic growth, access to opportunities, betterment of livelihoods, etc. In the pursuit of Tourism-led Local Economic Development (LED) oriented growth in Coffee Bay, the place making determinants becomes central in order to address the number of challenges faced by the local communities. Place making determinants and processes applicable to the area entails optimal use of resources that are unique to an area, for the economic (increased investment in the area, rise in tourists coming in, improved environments for fishing, establishment of a fully functional and beneficial fishing industry), social (improved well-being of local residents), community (infrastructure and livelihood within the town) and otherwise benefits. The paper discusses the place based tourism-led approaches in the context of rural communities and highlights the key determinants of place making process in a rural centric tourism-led local economic development. The research is based on mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative) and brings out the discussion on: essence, self-sufficiency, sustainability and inclusion of communities based on locally available assets, potential and resources.
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An exploratory study on factors associated with participation in income generating community projects

- Sithole, Thomson

  • Authors: Sithole, Thomson
  • Date: 2013-04-10
  • Subjects: Community development , Social participation , Sustainable development , Community organization , Fund raising , New business enterprises - Planning
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7432 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8290
  • Description: M.A. (Social Sciences) , The engagement of local people in development projects has become a common phenomenon that development theorists and practitioners have emphasised for the past few decades. The debate was sparked by the realisation of the failure of the top-down approach to development which had serious consequences in project sustainability. Therefore, the bottom-up approach of community participation in development projects has been viewed as a panacea for sustainable projects at the grass roots level. The study is based on the understanding that community participation is central in community development, in order to ensure sustainability. It has been observed and acknowledged from the empirical evidence that, despite the acceptance of participation as workable alternative and useful approach to community development, there are many collapsed projects and blame has been shifted to lack of funding and other factors such as economic meltdown as the major setbacks. Today, concerns are raised on the ineffectiveness of community participation, which may lead to project failures. In many instances, local people have become recipients of pre-designed projects by outsiders and often the objects of administrative manipulation. This implies that development agents were determined to impose their own thinking and understanding of community participation on the community. As a result, development projects that local people were expected to take over in the implementation phase collapsed and such communities did not take responsibility for their failures. The question to be answered is whether community participation is the hallmark of project sustainability or just one of the processes that is necessary in development articulation. It is against this background that the study explored factors associated with participation in income generating community projects in Botlokwa community in Molemole Local Municipality, Limpopo province. The qualitative method was employed in this study.
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An exploratory study of social enterprise capacity at the Grinacker Development Centre, in Thokoza

- Somnath, Sandra

  • Authors: Somnath, Sandra
  • Date: 2012-08-01
  • Subjects: Nonprofit organizations , Grinacker Development Centre (Thokoza, South Africa) , Occupational training , Community development , Public-private sector cooperation
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:8913 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5384
  • Description: M.A. , Social enterprises are unique in that they serve as potential answers to the socio-economic challenges faced by South Africa. There is growing support for social enterprises, which are viewed as relatively new phenomena in the country. However, social enterprises have existed in varied forms for some time, in the structures of non-governmental organizations of a profit or non-profit-making type. The added benefit of social enterprises is that of skills development or capacity building, of both the enterprise membership and the community members. Thus the public-private partnership between government and social enterprises is of utmost importance in addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by the poverty stricken majority in the country. This study explored the capacity of social enterprises based at the Grinacker Development Centre in Thokoza, one of eight similar centres under the custodianship of the Health and Social Development Department in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality, east of Gauteng. The motivation for the study arose out of the student’s experience of social enterprises in the work environment. These social enterprises continued to be dependent on government funding despite an expectation that they should be a key role-player in job creation. The literature review in this study focused on the significance of social enterprises within the theoretical framework of social development, community work and community development, including community economic development and the community education models. The concepts of self help and the asset based (strengths) approach were also highlighted. A qualitative study approach was adopted to understand the situation from the perspective of the participants. The study design was both exploratory and descriptive as the intentions of the objectives were to describe capacity building programmes that the selected social enterprises were exposed to from 2007 to 2010; to establish the strengths of the participants and observe the assets found within the social enterprises, to identify challenges experienced by the social enterprises towards the achievement of organizational and economic sustainability and to formulate conclusions and recommendations designed to contribute to the promotion of sustainable social enterprises. Subsequent to a pilot study, eleven members from seven social enterprises from the Grinacker Development Centre at Thokoza participated in this study from the original fourteen selected, based on non-probability sampling criteria. A guided interview approach was followed and the study was completed between late August and early September 2011. The main findings of the results were: Training is not planned, structured nor consistent. Most of the training that is conducted is based on the needs of the organizer or training provider of the training. Training is seldom requested and arranged by the potential trainees. Language consideration for the purpose of understanding does occur in many cases (50 % in the study undertaken). Assessment of the trainees needs prior to and subsequent to the training takes place infrequently. After-care support and mentorship was rarely provided either by the training providers or funders although it was seen as valuable in the form of monitoring and evaluation. Although training manuals were provided in most training it was hardly used as a reference. Practical suggestions were made by the participants in terms of the training process, content and training providers based on their experience.
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Nutmeg¹ : power relations between a Mozambican grassroots organisation and its donors

- Van Heerden, Schalk

  • Authors: Van Heerden, Schalk
  • Date: 2012-07-18
  • Subjects: Power (Social sciences) , Grassroots organisations , Nonprofit organizations , Community development , Economic assistance , Manica District (Mozambique)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:8809 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5223
  • Description: M.A. , A linear managerialist paradigm is considered normative in the planning, implementation and evaluation of development through sport initiatives. Such an approach is also assumed in an audit culture that has a clear bias for quantitative indicators that measure pre-set outputs and outcomes. The global popularity of using sport, especially football, as a development tool is being confronted with an uncompromising evidence burden, expecting rigid justification for money spent effectively. This approach is epitomised by techniques such as logical frameworks, which in turn make epistemological and ontological assumptions that are often in conflict with the local paradigms of recipients. What effect does this normative approach have on localised initiatives? A grassroots organisation (GRO) in central Mozambique instinctively employs a strategy of contestations and compromises to ensure that the people benefit from the ‘sport and dev’ industry, while maintaining their dignity. The history of Mozambique coupled with radically distinct contexts lead to donors and recipients collaborating without the ideals of equality, partnerships, transparency and participation being realised. Local beneficiaries start to play subversive games once they sense that they cannot change the donors’ offending impositions. A case study in central Mozambique, reinforcing the work of critical scholars, points to a recognition of unequal power relations as the first step out of the current impasse. An ethnographic approach reveals the complexity of inter-personal relationships, multiplicity of stakeholders and how a simple concept such as friendship can redefine power relations. The sustainability of the specific development through a football programme seems to hinge on the quality of friendship between all the actors that make up an unarticulated network, governed by unspoken rules.
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The role of adult education in community development: a case study

- Jack, Vuyiswa Primrose

  • Authors: Jack, Vuyiswa Primrose
  • Date: 2012-02-06
  • Subjects: Adult education , Adult education and state , Community development
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:2023 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4375
  • Description: M.Ed. , The Sinthumule/Kutama water project in the Northern Province was initiated as one of the RDP Presidential Lead Projects with an approved budget of R4 7, 75m. The Presidential Lead Projects were those projects which were funded by an emergency fund channelled by the former president Nelson Mandela through the RDP to address the problem of shortage of water as well as the associated diseases which were prevalent in the Sinthumule/ Kutama area early in 1995. The main objective was to provide 25 litres of water for each person per day, within a distance of not more than 200 metres from their homes. Residents had to pay 8c for 20 litres of water through a pre-paid system. But more importantly, as an RDP project, the aim was to educate, train and build the capacity of the targeted communities thereby bringing about community upliftment. However, the project collapsed. Communities destroyed water meters and made illegal connections in 18 villages. The reported failure of the Sinthumule/Kutama water project raised serious questions inter alia: );> was there an effective education, training and capacity building strategy and programme for Sinthumule/Kutama? );> if there was, how was it executed? Roge(s (1996) view on development which emphasises the central role of education in development formed the theoretical framework of the research. Against the preceding background the aim of the study was to investigate whether education and training of adults played a significant role in the Sinthumule/Kutama development project. A case study approach was employed to establish the role of adult education in the success or failure of the project. Purposive sampling was utilised to select a sample. Interviews were carried out and various founding documents were analysed to collect data.
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Die rol en bydrae van die Stedelike Stigting tot die politieke hervorming van Suid-Afrika

- Hoogenraad-Vermaak, Salomon

The role of service delivery for local economic development : a case study of Mamelodi township, 1999-2008

- Ramafamba, Elvis

  • Authors: Ramafamba, Elvis
  • Date: 2011-08-31T06:47:31Z
  • Subjects: Economic development , Municipal services , Local government , Community development , Mamelodi (South Africa)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:7176 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3787
  • Description: M.Comm. , The study aims to give a better understanding of the relationship between service delivery and local economic development through the examination of local economic development theories and by evaluating their historical development and evolution in the world, Africa and South Africa. The study also determines, through assessment of available information, whether or not some of the areas in Mamelodi are receiving services from the municipality or local government to sustain local economic development. The theories underpinning LED were examined in this study, and all indicate that there exists a strong relationship between LED and service delivery. From the early stages of LED, areas with inadequate service delivery failed to attract businesses that are instrumental to LED. Central place theory maintains different growth prospects of central and peripheral regions. Attraction theory indicates that communities initiate policies and strategies that will make their areas more attractive. There is a need for the adequate provision of infrastructure to sustain LED, as indicated by the growth and regional theory. Economic base theory maintains that the success of the local economy is determined by the demand of its produced goods, services and products by areas outside its local economic boundaries. Location theory emphasises the importance of minimum cost due to the state of the industrial site in the local area. LED has been developed in different countries to address various economic problems. After the great depression, there was a high rate of unemployment and LED was used as an instrument to create jobs for the local communities in some countries. The study indicates that in some countries like Latin America where LED was implemented, economic problems such as unemployment in the municipal level were addressed. South Africa also had the objective of addressing unemployment in the municipal areas when LED was introduced. However, municipalities have to draft the integrated development plans to indicate how they can tackle such problems. Mamelodi has a number of projects implemented as a way of promoting LED. Jobs were created and areas improved economically. The CTMM has also provided some funding to ensure that the infrastructure in Mamelodi is adequate to support LED. However, much still needs to be done as the area has a number of challenges in terms of housing, water supply, and other related infrastructure for LED. Service delivery has an important role to play in the sustainability of LED. The history of LED has shown that countries that did not provide services in their municipalities failed to succeed in LED as compared to those with adequate service delivery. Financial incentives are other factors that play a major role in the sustainability of LED. Businesses need to be supported financially to create jobs and retain existing jobs.
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Community participation in the planning of water service delivery in a rural community in Limpopo Province

- Koekemoer, Rachelle

  • Authors: Koekemoer, Rachelle
  • Date: 2010-11-17T07:40:54Z
  • Subjects: Rural development , Community development , Rural water-supply , Limpopo (South Africa)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3501
  • Description: M.A. , Providing water services to a community takes careful planning and consideration. It is essential that communities are included from the onset in the processes of the project so that their needs, expectations and circumstances can influence decision-making as well as the activities required for the installation and subsequent delivery of the service. This type of involvement is referred to as community participation and it is a very important aspect when a new development takes place in any sector. This study investigated the nature of community participation that took place when a rural village in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, received a water service from the government. This study also assessed the impacts (beneficial and detrimental) on the needs and expectations of the new water system and the level of satisfaction with the service from the viewpoint of community residents. The methods that were used to gather data were focus group meetings, in-depth interviews and a satisfaction survey. The investigation revealed that community participation was not very extensive and was limited to community meetings and labour by community residents. Seven potential benefits of participation, namely, better health, quality of life, equal benefits, human rights, employment opportunities, affordability and sustainable development were identified, but most of the respondents claimed to have only experienced the health benefit from these positive outcomes. Concerns were mostly about the municipality’s insufficient consultation and the tap water not being easily accessible and constantly available. The satisfaction survey confirmed these complaints. Although the study could not show that the dissatisfaction of the community was related to low levels of community participation at the onset of the water service and the lack thereof afterwards, it was recommended that ongoing community participation can resolve the issues that the community might have with the water service and its provider.
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An evaluation of income generating projects in addressing poverty in Mogale City

- Madi, Thabelo Victor

  • Authors: Madi, Thabelo Victor
  • Date: 2010-07-12T07:51:34Z
  • Subjects: Poverty , Urban poor , Community development , Mogale City (South Africa)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6886 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3334
  • Description: M.A. , The study on evaluation of income-generating projects was conducted on ten (10) income-generating projects in Mogale City in the Gauteng Province. It was conducted during July and August 2007. The study was evaluative research, and a quantitative approach was used to conduct the study. A purposive sampling type of non-probability sampling was utilized to select respondents within the projects. Five (5) respondents were selected from each project. A questionnaire was used as a data collection method and was administered by the researcher to the respondents. A total of fifty (50) questionnaires were distributed to respondents from ten (10) various projects that did sewing, vegetable gardening and brick-making. The results of the study have indicated that the projects in Mogale City are generating an income in order to address poverty. However, it is not effectively eradicated, as some projects are not generating enough money. This means that the money that respondents receive does not meet all their needs
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Citizen participation in the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project

- Khoza, Olga Ntswaki

  • Authors: Khoza, Olga Ntswaki
  • Date: 2010-04-12T10:21:36Z
  • Subjects: Urban renewal , Community development , Alexandra (South Africa)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:6771 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3181
  • Description: M.A. , Many national, provincial and local governmental programmes initiated to promote greater economic growth as well as alleviating poverty and unemployment includes, among others, Urban Renewal Projects. The Alexandra Urban Renewal Project (AURP) which is the focus of this study typically concentrates on the elimination of inadequate housing (informal dwellings, backyard shacks, hostels and formal housing in poor conditions) located in critical, life threatening or badly situated locations. It further contributes to the reconstruction and upgrading of the Alexandra Township through building affordable housing, delivering health services, restructuring welfare services, improving safety and security, providing arts, sports and recreational facilities, and preserving heritage precincts. It is evident that the need to address urban renewal has been firmly placed at the centre of the Gauteng Provincial Housing Department. The Urban Renewal Strategy that is implemented in the Gauteng Housing Department is a locally driven process by which the public, business and local government work collectively together to create better conditions for urban renewal in order to sustain livelihood and to improve future housing and economic prospects. The central problem this research addresses is to establish if the Gauteng Housing Department’s Alexandra Urban Renewal Project constitutes a form of participatory decision-making, especially through the participation of the citizens of Alexandra. This study explored the phenomenon of citizen participation in a developmental local governmental context as understood globally and investigated the perspectives in urban renewal context. The research is furthermore applied, as it seeks to improve the application and existing practice around the participation of the Alexandra citizens in this project. The research proposes the extension of the use citizen participation in the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project beyond that of merely participatory tool, into the realm of the decision-making process. The objectives of this dissertation were to provide an overview of the history of Urban Renewal Projects in general as well as the specific Urban Renewal Projects that took place in Alexandra Township from 1980 to 2008. It discusses specific issues pertaining to the participation of the citizens of Alexandra Township. These included groups such as the business community, civic associations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the youth and women – all were stakeholders in the proceedings, planning and implementation of the AURP. Furthermore, it explores the role of community representatives, structures or forums and their role and the influence in the Urban Renewal Project – particularly in the decision–making process. The study also provided a strong case for the tangible success of the Gauteng Housing Department in embracing a totally new approach in urban renewal by incorporating the citizens of Alexandra.
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Membership decline in poverty relief projects in Modimolle, Waterberg district, Limpopo province

- Mashoeshoe, Dinah Ngwanakgwetsane

  • Authors: Mashoeshoe, Dinah Ngwanakgwetsane
  • Date: 2009-05-20T06:03:52Z
  • Subjects: Poverty , Community development , Modimolle (South Africa)
  • Type: Mini-Dissertation
  • Identifier: uj:8401 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2565
  • Description: M.A. , The South African government is faced with challenges to come up with strategies to combat poverty by involving communities in their own development. Poverty relief projects are one of the strategies designed to address poverty through involving communities. The researcher observed that there is lack of commitment by project members to better their lives and eradicate poverty within their communities. The study was undertaken among community members who were involved in poverty relief projects in Modimolle municipality, Waterberg District in Limpopo Province, funded by the Department of Health and Social Development. It was undertaken in order to determine the reasons for turnover of people in poverty relief programmes within the context of poverty relief projects. The goal of the study was to identify the problems that hinder the sustainability of poverty relief projects. The objectives were to:  To conduct a literature study on Poverty Relief Projects.  To identify problems within Poverty Relief projects The study was exploratory, descriptive and qualitative in nature as it aimed to explore and describe the reasons that hinder poverty relief projects from being sustainable. The researcher conducted a theoretical study on poverty as a social problem, the causes of poverty and the importance of community participation in their own development. From the literature study, it was emphasised that participation of a community for their own development is important in self-help projects to promote reliability of community members and minimise poverty. The researcher compiled a semi-structured interview which was administered to 12 project participants who had previously been involved in poverty relief projects in Modimolle municipality, Waterberg District in Limpopo Province. The document analysis of 12 participants was done. The study formulated guidelines and recommendations that will help the poverty relief projects to be sustainable. Main Findings 1. Respondents recognise the importance of poverty relief projects and felt that fixed monthly income in poverty relief projects will encourage project members and there will be commitment amongst them. 2. Skills offered in poverty relief projects are relevant and worthwhile as it gives project members opportunity to look for relevant jobs. 3. The majority of the respondents had an opinion that funds should be given to an individual who will be in charge of the project and who will recruit people who are unemployed. Unlike the group initiative, an individual will make sure that the project becomes sustainable. 4. Training opportunities were valued as important as they give project members necessary skills for further opportunities. Conclusions in this study indicate that: 1. The Department of Health and Social Development consider giving funds to an individual, unlike a group of people and who would involve unemployed people in the projects to instil commitment amongst project members. 2. The department should equip project members with relevant skills for tendering. 3. Continuous and intense evaluation of project outcomes, should be communicated back to the projects, in order to improve and strive for poverty eradication.
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An evaluation of a training programme in community leadership

- Grobbler, Alen David

  • Authors: Grobbler, Alen David
  • Date: 2008-10-17T13:15:01Z
  • Subjects: Community leadership , Community organization , Community development
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:12619 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1243
  • Description: M.A. , In 1994 the South African government provided a framework and a philosophical context for social development in the form of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). This programme serves as a basis for policy-making across a wide spectrum of social institutions, among them social welfare. The White Paper on Social Welfare (1997) provides a framework in which to debate the future of social work in the developmental welfare system it advocates. It is a system that requires a sincere commitment to working towards minimising poverty in South Africa. Community development is one of the methods used to address poverty, inequality and developmental problems. From this new dispensation, the Department of Social Work at RAU developed a community development training programme to help social service workers become more community oriented in their daily service approach. Although this programme was developed eight years ago, no formal evaluation has been done on the effectiveness of this programme. The study was undertaken among social workers and community developers employed by the City of Johannesburg Social Services department, Regions 7, 9 and 11. It was undertaken in order to empower them with knowledge of community development for implementation in their work setting. The goal of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Community Leadership Training Programme on the staff in the Social Services department in the City of Johannesburg. The objectives were to: „X Conduct a literature study on community development. „X Conduct a process evaluation of the programme. „X Conduct an outcome evaluation directly after the completion of the programme and 12 months later. „X Make recommendations based on the research findings for trainers, social workers, community developers and any related profession working in the community. The evaluation research model followed in this study is programme evaluation as described by De Vos, (1998:368). In order to execute this study, the model as proposed by McKendreck in De Vos (1998:368) is applied.Evaluation research is chosen because a programme is evaluated. The study is qualitative and quantitative in nature and focuses on phases of evaluation, namely process evaluation and outcome evaluation. From the main findings, it was found that: The application of the Integrated Model of Programme Education (IMPE) as described by De Vos (1998:368) was successfully applied in evaluating the training programme. From the process evaluation, it was found that: - Managers lack participatory management and leadership skills and this leads to mistrust and conflict in the workplace. - Adults preferred experiential learning rather than writing or submitting assignments. - The majority of the participants felt that the objectives of the workshop were clear and that the workshop met their expectations. They indicated further that the workshop was practical enough to implement what they learned in their work. - The participants were satisfied with the facilitating skills of the facilitators in that they were not prescriptive but patient in understanding the content of the modules at their own pace. - Skills demonstrations improved their skills in relation to community development, for example, problem-solving skills, giving feedback to the community, and conflict handling. The skills demonstrations assisted them with their own personal growth and to be positive about themselves. - The results of the tests, assignments and skills demonstrations indicated that they had broadened their knowledge base and could feel empowered to implement what they had learned. From the impact evaluation, it was found that: - A new approach to Community development exists called the asset-based model that focusses on the anticipatory needs, assets, capacity building and visionary leadership development in communities. It means that this development strategy starts with what is present in the community, the skills of the residents, and the institutions. It does not start with what is problematic or absent or what the community needs. - The participants felt that the time frame of presenting the programme was appropriate because it did not have a negative impact on their day to day work. The two full days during the week once a month suited the participants. - The participants indicated that the content was relevant to the workplace and that they could implement what they had learned in the community. - The facilitators were excellent in facilitating, but the participants were not happy with the facilitator in project management due her soft-spoken voice and she could not express herself clearly. - The first venue was not appropriate for the workshop due to its impractical setting. However, the second venue was practical and appropriate for the workshop. The following main recommendations were made: (1) The Integrated Model of Programme Education (IMPE) is recommended for programme evaluation not only to evaluate programme monitoring or outcome evaluation, but also for all the phases in the model. (2) The asset-based model is recommended to replace the so-called expert model, not only to bring improvement, but also change. (3) Staff including management must attend the community leadership programme to have a better understanding of participatory management and leadership. (4) Adult learning principles and experiential learning techniques must be applied in the implementation of the programme and minimise written assignments. Hope and Timmel (1994:103) stress that education should stress learning more than teaching in situations where adults could discover answers and solutions for themselves. , Prof. J.B.S. Nel
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A community development project management model in a deprived community in Moretele, Mpumalanga

- Magano, Emma

  • Authors: Magano, Emma
  • Date: 2008-10-17T13:12:57Z
  • Subjects: Economic development projects , Industrial development projects , Community development , Mpumalanga (South Africa)
  • Type: Thesis
  • Identifier: uj:12590 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/1237
  • Description: M.A. , A stable environment for future economic growth in South Africa will depend on curbing violence, crime and poverty. Government has started to address the development backlog by initiating programmes such as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). Urgent problems such as housing shortages, the education crisis, unemployment, violence and poverty are receiving priority. This has had a further effect on the policy of service delivery in the field of Social Work, hence there is a paradigm shift towards development social work as emphasized in the White paper for Social Welfare (Government Gazette, 1997). Communities establish development projects with the aim of creating jobs, etc but are not aware of the process involved (e.g. management) for such a project to be successful. For this reason the researcher is of the opinion that many community development projects fail due to the fact that they are not managed properly. The main goal of the study is to develop guidelines on how to manage development projects in deprived communities. A qualitative exploratory study was used to address the following main question: “How do you manage your project?” A non-probability sampling procedure was used to select two projects that were under study. The data collection methods that were employed were face-to-face and focus group interviews, observation and the analysis of project documents. The method of data analysis utilized was data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing. The following main themes were identified as important entities in the management of community development projects: teamwork, planning, implementation, monitoring and control, leadership and evaluation. All these themes are considered to be very important in ensuring project success. , Prof. J.B.S Nel
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