Zambia is a highly urbanized country with 60% of its urban population residing in low cost areas also called peri-urban, slum or informal settlements. The increase in urban population attributed to rapid migration and urbanization due to political and economic changes has taken a toll on service provision as the infrastructure development and service provision has failed to meet the demand. For the 33 peri-urban areas in Lusaka, the water supply and sanitation has been poor, inadequate and unreliable with the coverage being slightly above 50% for water while 90% of the urban population does not have access to the much needed sanitation. The low coverage is a result of lack the financial capacity on the part of the service providers to extend services to un served areas. This research focuses on the strategies to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to peri-urban areas to ensure improved accessibility through the expansion of infrastructure and attainment of full cost recovery. In this era of increasing migration to unplanned settlements where the services are inadequate, alternatives to public provision of water and sanitation services need to be put in place. One of the alternatives is the public-private partnership which encompasses the society, private and the civil society. As has been found in the study the best alternative should not only be completely bottom up but should also be more demand driven and be able to provide for greater contributions from the affected communities. The hypothesis of the study is to ascertain if provision of water supply to the Peri-Urban Areas (PUAs) can be achieved through the partnership between the water utility and the small scale water providers. Therefore, the objectives of the research are to: evaluate and compare the current service provision to the peri-urban areas by the utility and small scale providers in terms of technical, social and institutional arrangements and determine the best way of ensuring sustained service provision to peri urban areas and show how partnership can be the best solution to improving service delivery to these areas. Service provision in PUAs can not be achieved without the involvement of all the stakeholders especially the community who are also the users and whose major role is paying for the service to enhance sustainability. In this study the Small Scale Water Providers (SSWP) users were found to be satisfied with the service provided than the utility users who felt that more needed to be done. The two providers are found to have different strengths which when combined would enhance service provision. The collaboration between utility with its competence in water supply, technical installations, water quality testing and SSWP with theirs in community involvement, cost recovery, effective operation and maintenance and demand driven water schemes have to be merged to achieve the intended goal and it is also an indication that the two can complement each other. Utility should therefore consider opening investment accounts for all the areas so as to detach PUAs needs from the general plan and eventually budget as they would be self sustaining and enhance willingness to pay for the users. The SSWP should therefore be viewed as partners by all and licensing should be considered by the government for the benefit of the urban poor.

Zambia is a highly urbanized country with 60% of its urban population residing in low cost areas also called peri-urban, slum or informal settlements. The increase in urban population attributed to rapid migration and urbanization due to political and economic changes has taken a toll on service provision as the infrastructure development and service provision has failed to meet the demand. For the 33 peri-urban areas in Lusaka, the water supply and sanitation has been poor, inadequate and unreliable with the coverage being slightly above 50% for water while 90% of the urban population does not have access to the much needed sanitation. The low coverage is a result of lack the financial capacity on the part of the service providers to extend services to un served areas. This research focuses on the strategies to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to peri-urban areas to ensure improved accessibility through the expansion of infrastructure and attainment of full cost recovery. In this era of increasing migration to unplanned settlements where the services are inadequate, alternatives to public provision of water and sanitation services need to be put in place. One of the alternatives is the public-private partnership which encompasses the society, private and the civil society. As has been found in the study the best alternative should not only be completely bottom up but should also be more demand driven and be able to provide for reater contributions from the affected communities. The hypothesis of the study is to ascertain if provision of water supply to the Peri-Urban Areas (PUAs) can be achieved through the partnership between the water utility and the small scale water providers. Therefore, the objectives of the research are to: evaluate and compare the current service provision to the peri-urban areas by the utility and small scale providers in terms of technical, social and institutional arrangements and determine the best way of ensuring sustained service provision to peri urban areas and show how partnership can be the best solution to improving service delivery to these areas. Service provision in PUAs can not be achieved without the involvement of all the stakeholders especially the community who are also the users and whose major role is paying for the service to enhance sustainability. In this study the Small Scale Water Providers (SSWP) users were found to be satisfied with the service provided than the utility users who felt that more needed to be done. The two providers are found to have different strengths which when combined would enhance service provision. The collaboration between utility with its competence in water supply, technical installations, water quality testing and SSWP with theirs in community involvement, cost recovery, effective operation and maintenance and demand driven water schemes have to be merged to achieve the intended goal and it is also an indication that the two can complement each other. Utility should therefore consider opening investment accounts for all the areas so as to detach PUAs needs from the general plan and eventually budget as they would be self sustaining and enhance  illingness to pay for the users. The SSWP should therefore be viewed as partners by all and licensing should be considered by the government for the benefit of the urban poor.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / This research aims to assess the role of Social Funds' organizational and institutional characteristics for community participation processes in development projects. The research is based on a case study of the Peruvian Social Fund, FONCODES, and utilizes a qualitative data collection approach. It mainly relies on semi-structured interviews with FONCODES' staff and community members, unstructured interviews with experts, and analysis of operational documents. The research concludes that several organizational and institutional characteristics affect community participation in FONCODES projects but the direction of this influence depends on how specific areas of the organization's context are structured as well as on political variables in the institutional environment. / South Africa

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / This research investigates the nature and extent of community participation and involvement in the recruitment and selection processes for Community Health Workers (CHWs), primarily through detailed case studies of three CHW programmes, one in the Western Cape, another in KwaZulu-Natal, and a third which operates in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The first utilizes CHWs in health education and home-based care in Khayelitsha and Nyanga. The second specializes in the training, management and supervision of home-based care CHWs in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. The third utilizes CHWs in addressing maternal and child health issues in targeted peri-urban and rural areas in the three provinces. The mini-thesis is organized into five chapters: the first chapter provides the introduction and background as well as the methodological design of the mini-thesis; the second chapter focuses on providing a detailed literature review of relevant materials that cover the subject matter; the third chapter provides the descriptive background of the history of CHWs, CHW policies and community participation in South Africa, as well as a description of the three case study organizations; the fourth chapter describes and discusses the findings and the last and fifth chapter provides a summary of the findings as well as recommendations and conclusions. / South Africa

Magister Artium - MA / The objective of the study was to find out whether the decentralisation of responsibulities for social economics development facilitated the management of disaster risk during the 2007 floods in Mozambique. the specific aims of the study were to : analyse and discuss national policies for decentralisation and their significance for DRM. Investigate which responsibilities, human and financial resources were available to local governments for the planning, implemantations and monitoring of DRM activities. Identify mechanisms institutions and activities for DRM and find out whether they provided to be effective. Explore how concerned communities participated in DRM activitiesto reduce their vulnerability to disaster risk.

In order to eradicate the legacy of the past, the South African democratic government adopted a developmental approach to local government. The White Paper on Local Government (WPLG)(1998:17) defines developmental local government as government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways of meeting their social, economic and material needs and of improving their quality of life. A developmental approach aims to enhance the skills and capacity of community members by promoting their participation in their own development process (Theron, 2005a:120). TheIntegrated Development Plan (IDP) awards an opportunity to both the municipality and the community to work together on issues of local development. The aim of this study was to determine the role of community participation in the IDP process of Govan Mbeki Municipality. A qualitative research approach was followed in which data was gathered through document analysis and focus group interviews. The respondents in the study comprised eight community members and six municipal representatives. The key findings of the study indicated contrasting views between the community and the municipality’s perspectives in particular with regard to the role of the community during the prioritisation of needs and the decision-making processes. Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the researcher made recommendations and provided guidelines for the implementation of community participation in the IDP. The researcher concluded that in order for community participation to have maximum impact, local government is obliged to create an enabling environment for participation which includes amongst others addressing the institutional obstacles and the capacity gaps within the community. The researcher finally recommended that these roles be implemented, evaluated and integrated in the current IDP process as undertaken by Govan Mbeki Municipality. / Dissertation (MSD (Social Development and Policy ))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Eskom makes a significant contribution to social and economic development in South Africa, which is realised through its corporate social investment policy. Eskom could reinforce its contribution by adopting Integrated Community Economic Development (ICED), which addresses issues of poverty in a holistic way. Nthomang and Rankopo (1997:209) regard (ICED) as “...a holistic approach that seeks to address socio-political constraints preventing marginalised communities from attaining humane standards of living”. The goal of the study was to explore the views held by corporate social investment practitioners’ on Eskom’s contribution to socio-economic projects within a sustainable framework to alleviate poverty and unemployment. The research followed a qualitative approach, and data was gathered by means of semi-structured interviews. Participants in the study came from four regions, the Central, Southern, Northern regions and part of the North Western region of Eskom’s terrain. From the key findings, it was evident that Eskom contributes to the social and economic development of communities, but its contribution could be more effective and meaningful if funding policies, partnership involvement, the role played by corporate social investment practitioners’ and community economic development strategies were more closely aligned with an Integrated Community Economic Development approach. The study concluded that the Solertia Institute Model Program for the advancement of capable communities provided a relevant framework that could be adapted as a viable strategy whereby Eskom could contribute to sustainable Integrated Social and Economic Development. The researcher recommends that the Eskom management adopt the proposed strategy as part of Eskom’s corporate social investment policy. Further, the implementation of the respective projects should be aligned with the phases of the Solertia Institute Model Program. Projects should therefore be continuously monitored to assess and evaluate Eskom’s contribution to sustainable Integrated Community Economic Development. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

The study primarily described and analysed the attempts made through the former Technikon SA at the implementation of ICT centres in Southern Africa over a period of six years. Based on some contemporary theory, the study suggested an approach for the implementation of ICT centres in developing regions. In the introduction, the study deals with the problems of technology transfer to developing regions and refers to the impact of globalisation on third world economies. In particular, the study highlights the barriers to technology transfer with specific emphasis on the peculiarities that are unique to each region. The study further analysed the approach that was used by the former Technikon SA for the deployment of ICT centres especially as ICT centres were considered by many as an ideal manner for the transfer of technology. In order to contextualise the understand and findings of the research, the study relied on the fact that the research was based on a longitudinal study. The advantages of this longitudinal study meant it was possible to observe and record the life of an ICT centre over a significant period of time. Not only was it evident that there was little regard for the respective communities needs and the that there was no indication of these ICT centres being successful, but that the same mistakes were being repeated. At national level, an enormous amount of effort and money had been channelled into the roll out of ICT centres with little guarantee of success. International symposiums suggested that through technology, third world economies could make the quantum leap into the information age and that the deployment of ICT centres was one of the ways in which this could be achieved at the local level. There was little evidence to suggest that any significant success had been achieved through the many attempts at ICT centre deployment. Through the study, a research instrument was developed that was used to assess and measure the success of each of the centres. The approach for ICT deployment suggested in the study, was based on the research instrument as well as on models developed by certain theorists (Heeks, Van Ardenhoven and Snyman). The study in the end analysed the nature and impact of implementing ICT centres without considering the critical elements that were identified as critical success factors for ICT centre success. Critical success factors that include role players from government to the community, local, ownership, identification of local needs, local knowledge, an understanding of the local conditions, support structures and partnerships were shown to be key to the success of and ensuring sustainability of ICT centres. The study also provides a perspective on the conflict that arose between the implementer of ICT centres and the communities. / Thesis (PhD (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Information Science / unrestricted

Magister Public Health - MPH / In South Africa, governance structures in the form of clinic committees, hospital boards and district health councils are intended to provide expression to the principle of community participation at a local and district level. They are meant to act as a link between communities and health services and to provide a conduit for the health needs and aspirations of the community to be represented at various local, districts, provincial and national levels. This study aimed to assess the functioning of health governance structures in the form of clinic committees. Specifically, the study sought to ascertain the number of clinic committees associated with public health facilities in three provinces in South Africa namely the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu Natal and to identify the factors that are perceived by clinic committee members to either facilitate or impede the effective functioning of clinic committees. / South Africa

Esta pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa e caráter teórico-prático, alicerça-se nas técnicas de observação, entrevista (com base em história oral), análise de documentos e no referencial bibliográfico. O interacionismo simbólico reflete a postura teórica adotada, de valorização do ponto de vista do sujeito. Trabalha-se com as categorias: sustentabilidade, paisagem, patrimônio e comunidade. Seu desenvolvimento define-se na qualificação da paisagem cultural e do turismo sustentável. Tem-se como objeto de pesquisa as representações da comunidade local da vila ferroviária de Paranapiacaba com relação às transformações ocorridas relativas à patrimonialização e à menor influência da atividade ferroviária - e o envolvimento com o turismo na localidade. Em uma abordagem multidisciplinar, utilizam-se conceitos de diversas ciências - Geografia, Sociologia, Antropologia, Psicologia Social -, além de subsídios de estudos sobre Turismo. Como resultados, verificou-se que a comunidade participa da atividade turística desenvolvida em Paranapiacaba, entretanto, essa participação, atualmente, é marginal: dá-se, sobretudo, no nível operacional, não no patamar das decisões quanto aos rumos do setor. Em termos teóricos, propõe-se a aproximação do conceito de paisagem cultural aos estudos do turismo, no contexto da sustentabilidade socioambiental. / This theoretical-practical qualitative research was developed based on several techniques, such as observation, interviews (oral history), and documental analysis. The symbolic interactionism reflects the theoretical approach adopted in valuing the research subjects´ point of view. Categories analyzed were: sustainability, landscape, heritage and community. Its development was defined in the context of cultural landscape and sustainable tourism. The main focus of this thesis was on the representations of the local community of Paranapiacaba, a railway village, in relation to the transformations that have occurred, mainly related to the heritage and the declining influence of railroad activity, and their role in the tourism activity. In a multidisciplinary approach, concepts of several sciences - Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Social Psychology were used, as well as studies in the tourism and leisure field. As a result, it was found that the local community participates in the activity, however, their participation is, mainly, at the operational level, not at the strategic decision-making level. In theoretical terms, this study suggests approaching the concept of cultural landscape in tourism studies, related to the context of social-environmental sustainability.