Bibliography: pages 112-113. / There are problems concerning citizen participation in projects especially in the NICRO-Vaal Service. This study reviews participation of community residents in establishing a Welfare Service for crime prevention and rehabilitation of offenders in the Vaal-Triangle Area. Participation is reviewed with special reference to the beneficiaries of the service. The study has al so reviewed the history of citizen participation, as well as the different models and modes of participation in projects. Participation in the NICRO-Vaal Service is divided into two categories. There is participation by community residents who are interested in the project because there has never been a service that was specifically concentrating on prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families and crime-prevention programmes in the area. These community residents have been receiving guidance from the National Council for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders. They formed a committee which is still administering NICRO Services in the area. The second category of participation, is participation by the beneficiaries of the service. Service beneficiaries have been attending all meetings where they were invited by the committee. They endorsed the committee's activities, but they have never been actively involved in NICRO Services. This became clear when the transport services that were organized for the families of prisoners, were administered at a loss. This is indicating that there is "limited" participation from the beneficiaries' si.de. They are still not active in NICRO Services in general. The hypothesis in this study is, "A Service that 1S established without the beneficiaries' involvement is consequently weakened". Both primary and secondary resources of information are used. The information pertaining to the history of the project was obtained from the records of the National Council for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of Offenders (NICRO) and the Minutes of the NICRO-Vaal Services Committee. Information from the beneficiaries of the service was obtained by administering an interview schedule to families of prisoners. The study's hypothesis has been confirmed. The study concludes by proposing an alternative model of participation. Human service organizers will benefit from the study's findings by learning different strategies and modes of starting a project.

0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

Bibliography: pages 136-148. / The thesis attempts to address the dubious statement of conventional community development that the approach is neutral. The central question asked was 'Is community development a value neutral approach established to meet the needs of communities or does it have another function?' Arguing that no approach that deals with people and which was specifically formulated by persons in a definite ideological context can be neutral, the author then sets about proving that the community development approach is closely aligned to the conservative structural functionalist perspective. An analysis was made of the central tenets of the structural functionalist position and central themes of community development examined as to the basis of their assumptions. It became obvious that a very close correlation exists between the community development approach and the structural functionalist position. Once this had been established the broader ramifications of working within this theoretical position were explored. A number of observations were made in this regard. It was argued that community development could never achieve its goals while working within this framework as it failed to address the real structural problems in society. In supporting the existing social order, the emphasis is shifted away from society as a cause of problems and emphasis, incorrectly, placed on individual communities. Persons are thus expected to find solutions to problems they had no part in causing. Thus, within a South African context, a status quo is supported which propagates inequality, injustice and social deprivation. It was then argued that an alternate approach should be sought which addresses the fundamental social problems. A starting point for this approach could be an acceptance on the part of the community development approach of its inherent political nature and clarification as to how this effects the approach. It was suggested that in the South African context exponents should take their lead from the oppressed communities and their expression of need. One such pointer was the Freedom Charter which was drawn up in 1955 by a democratic grouping of the population. In order to give substance to the theoretical argument the arguments were focussed on a rural South African community where research was conducted.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012 / Community development in rural areas is under stress due to numerous setbacks such as theft, neglect, and lack of skills from the community to support development initiatives. The municipality remains the only relevant government institution that could deal with this unsustainable nature of community development by establishing an effective partnership with rural communities. In principle partnerships offer many advantages including that of sustainability of community development infrastructures. This study demonstrates that municipality has a valuable role to play in dealing with sustainability of community development. The study emphasises that both the municipality officials and the community should acquire relevant skills that would promote sustainable community development. The study was descriptive, exploratory and qualitative in nature. A survey questionnaire containing both qualitative and quantitative questions was used to collect the data from the respondents. The findings in this study indicate that the rural communities in Mandeni municipality are not empowered by the partnership between them and the municipality. The municipality is also experiencing a shortage of personnel and appropriate specialists to facilitate mentorship programmes for the rural communities on sustainable community development. In the study respondents also indicated that a partnership is necessary to empower a rural community on sustainable community development provided the community and municipality officials are trained adequately. Partnerships will increasingly become a popular approach to government-community relations, from this perspective there is a hope for improved services for communities in rural areas.

Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of MA in Communication Science, University of Zululand, 2008. / The concept of sustainability has been adapted in business context to achieve balance, integrity, economic, social and environmental performance (Naidoo 2002:129); however Corporate Social Investment (CSI) is a relatively new concept to some companies. This study measures the growing debate over the responsibilities of business and the examination of communication strategies and CSI programmes being implemented by the banking sector in the Chatsworth District The first part of the study reviews literature pertaining to the communication process, electronic communication, mass communication, organisational communication, public communication, communication strategies in corporate social investment and community development. Subsequent chapters deal with the construction of a survey instrument employed to measure and evaluate the extent of CSI programmes by the banking sector and the findings of the survey. Penultimate chapters blend the insights gained from this literature review to interpret the results, obtained through the quantitative research methodology, to describe a set of conclusions and recommendations in the context of community upliftment through CSI initiatives.

Telecentres are an important tool for promoting socio-economic development in areas with very low levels of e-access. They have the potential to offer benefits to rural communities in education, health, agriculture and business. The purpose of this study was to explore the strengths and weaknesses of telecentres in promoting specific socio-economic objectives set in Rwanda’s National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI II) plan 2006 - 2010. The findings were that telecentres have been effective in contributing to community development through access to information, skills development, job creation, study opportunities, low cost in telecentre services and increased income. The three main challenges that hinder rural communities from advanced e-access were found to be literacy and level of education, language barriers, and lack of skills and awareness. Future policy requires comprehensive guidelines to guide the deployment of rich local content in telecentres that will enable more effective use of these facilities to promote socio-economic development through e-Soko type projects, Umuganda activities and other community or egovernment initiatives.

Thesis (M.M.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, 2006. / This study investigates the role of the community in participating in the development and rehabilitation of Lake Fundudzi. The premise of the study is that community is the cornerstone of the success of any development. Conserving the environment is not the only way of ensuring its heritage or managing its resources. The study specifically looks at the way the community interacts with its immediate environment, namely, the lake. It examines the types of benefits available to them. Chapter One introduces the problem statement, delimitations of the study, and significance of the study. Chapter Two reviews the extant literature, proffers an overview on what a wetland is, its function; it also provides different perspectives on Sustainable Development, including international and the local perspectives applicable to South Africa and the local area. Chapter Three proffers Research Design and Methodology i.e. Observations of stakeholders, and questionnaire as a research tool. Chapter Four presents research findings of the research done in the three villages. Chapter Five analyses and interprets the research findings. Finally, Chapter Six recommends and concludes the study.

There is a wide gap between what donors and agencies for development aid believe that they are accomplishing, and what the recipients of such aid perceive to be the purposes and achievements of those agencies and donors. The literature and evidence suggests that this gap ls the result of a failure on the part of the agencies to recognize people of other cultures ( including the culture of poverty) as individuals having the ability to create their own futures. This failure is best seen interactions at the grassroots level. The characteristics which enable Churches to work across the boundaries of culture at the grassroots level are applicable worldwide. However, the country of South Africa was chosen as the field for this research project because of the apartheid system which has legalized cultural barriers, thereby highlighting those aspects of the Church in cross-cultural relationships which contribute to development. The Church is shown to have the necessary infrastructure and the ability to motivate people to effectively work with the poor in these conditions. Utilizing the methodology of participant observation and open-ended, informal, interviews, this project uses case histories of a Christian agency for development; of five Christian denominations; of one local church; and of four individuals; to illustrate the effectiveness of development philosophies. This ls not a thesis on development Per se, but is, rather, about perceptions concerning development.

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