Aim:
The Community Work Programme (CWP) is an initiative of the State President's office which is designed to create an employment safety net in rural areas. The aim of this investigation is to study whether or not the CWP has made a positive impact on the lives of its participants in social and economic areas. These initiatives are very helpful towards alleviating poverty in South Africa which is why it is important to study whether or not they are actually making the desired difference in peoples' lives
Hypothesis:
I believe that the CWP will have made a positive impact in most of the lives of its participants because it is a well structured and managed program which enables the local people to gain skills and education which gives them an opportunity to break out of poverty.
Secondary Data
Programme Background:
The CWP was started in 2008 in various areas of South Africa but only started in 2009 in Bushbuckridge. It falls under the Department of Cooperative Governance but it is implemented by the Lima Rural Development Foundation a non-governmental organisation operating in KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The CWP is structured in 22 of the 135 villages in Bushbuckridge and within each village the project runs its four sectors; agriculture, construction, education and healthcare. There are two groups of participants in each sector and each group Work eight days each month (two four-day weeks) and gets paid a minimum wage of R60 per day (R480 per month). The aim of this project is to equip the communities with skills whilst also building up the communities' assets through the different sectors. The participants can stay in the program as long as they need to, but they are encouraged to go out and find formal employment or seek further education.