<p>A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management.</p>

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / A disaster always means a huge death toll, displacement and inconceivable destruction for a poor country such as Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh has taken a holistic approach to prioritising interrelated activities and the involvement of various organisations in disaster management. A number of disaster management committees (DMCs) have been formed to coordinate and implement risk reduction measures. But the levels of success of these organisations have varied in different regions. Improper consideration of local knowledge, corruption of actors, lack of coordination and capacity of actors, etc., are perceived as major causes of this. Primarily, this mini-thesis aims to measure the impact of self-organisation in disaster risk management. / South Africa

The study has established that modernisation development paradigm is currently governing the contemporary world of conventional development. Globalisation is the tool currently in use for modernisation, drummed up by the North, largely targeting the resources of the Southern hemisphere, through Structural Adjustment Programmes. Social welfare development interventions have been devised to provide safety-net for the poor, social casualities of modernisation process. The short cut has been to bail them out through relief handouts. Participatory development concept, is built on the belief that the world had the means to improve the situation of the poor through fair redistribution of wealth, technology, knowledge, and ideas accruing from modernisation. But this calls for the political will to address the issue of inequality, power imbalance and social injustice as a primary goal. Achieving economic growth and ensuring equitable distribution should, of necessity, be compatible. Participatory development approach is to be preferred as it is accommodative, open and creative, drawing heavily from life experiences of those involved. It also puts people at the centre of development process. It is a paradigm that seeks to empower people to assume full responsibility for their own development including the consequences of their decisions and actions. It has been established that management boards and staff are the main prime movers of strategic planning activities in an organisation. Strategic planning was appreciated by the organisational staff as an opportunity to converge their views and towards influencing organisational policy, a precious window of opportunity for them to participate in causing organisational change. Notably, donor partners generally played a minimal role in this regard. Ironically, community constituency played the least role in the planning activities owing to their often marginal disposition among stakeholders. The most satisfactory outcome of participatory strategic planning was the clarity in the future direction of an organisations and more refined planning with sense of collective responsibility. It can authoritatively be declared here that participatory strategic planning is significantly efficacious as a tool for organisation building, but under certain conditions discussed in the concluding Chapter of the thesis. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

This study examines the role of Community Based-Organisations (CBOs) in the response to HIV/AIDS as a development challenge drawing examples from the Gabane Community Home-Based Care CBO in Botswana. The study adopted qualitative methods of research and used group discussions, relative unstructured interviews, direct observation and literature review as methods of data collection. The study found out that HIV/AIDS is indeed a development problem and that it can be dealt with using some existing development approaches such as the sustainable livelihoods approaches. The study further identified specific roles that CBOs play in the response to HIV/AIDS. It also revealed the potential that CBOs have in achieving development. In addition, the study identified and outlined challenges that CBOs face in responding to HIV/AIDS. Key recommendations are that CBOs must integrate poverty reduction interventions in their activities. They must also form coalitions and strengthen their capacity to sustain their activities and manage partnerships. / Development Studies

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This research addresses the problem of how formal organisations can assist on building the capacity of informal community based organisations (CBO’s). Although informal CBO’s are being regarded as valuable resources rendering much needed services to marginalized communities, they are at present still exclude from governmental funding, because they do not meet the requirements prescribed by the state. To obtain the funds which will enable informal CBO’s to render effective and sustainable services to marginalized and poor vulnerable communities, it is from the developmental perspective in welfare crucial to build the capacity of these informal CBO’s. As a point of departure the researcher provides a general picture of the current structure of social service providers in South Africa. This is done, first of all, by conceptualizing “social service providers” within the context of general concepts such as “social welfare” and “social work”. In this respect a schematic representation provides a general picture of the various categories of social service providers involved, followed by a concise description of each, including their focuses, roles and responsibilities. This necessitates that a distinction should be drawn between the government sector, parastatal organisations, profit-yielding non-governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations without a profit-seeking motive. The concept “capacity building” is explored in accordance with the policy and legislative framework applicable to the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations. This framework is supplemented by a description of other key concepts which have a bearing on the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations, such as “empowerment” and “development”. Emanating from this an attempt is made to formulate the objective of the capacity building of informal CBO’s by formal welfare organisations. From the diversity of the developmental requirements and the obstacles informal CBO’s experience, aims for obtaining capacity building are deduced.

The study has established that modernisation development paradigm is currently governing the contemporary world of conventional development. Globalisation is the tool currently in use for modernisation, drummed up by the North, largely targeting the resources of the Southern hemisphere, through Structural Adjustment Programmes. Social welfare development interventions have been devised to provide safety-net for the poor, social casualities of modernisation process. The short cut has been to bail them out through relief handouts. Participatory development concept, is built on the belief that the world had the means to improve the situation of the poor through fair redistribution of wealth, technology, knowledge, and ideas accruing from modernisation. But this calls for the political will to address the issue of inequality, power imbalance and social injustice as a primary goal. Achieving economic growth and ensuring equitable distribution should, of necessity, be compatible. Participatory development approach is to be preferred as it is accommodative, open and creative, drawing heavily from life experiences of those involved. It also puts people at the centre of development process. It is a paradigm that seeks to empower people to assume full responsibility for their own development including the consequences of their decisions and actions. It has been established that management boards and staff are the main prime movers of strategic planning activities in an organisation. Strategic planning was appreciated by the organisational staff as an opportunity to converge their views and towards influencing organisational policy, a precious window of opportunity for them to participate in causing organisational change. Notably, donor partners generally played a minimal role in this regard. Ironically, community constituency played the least role in the planning activities owing to their often marginal disposition among stakeholders. The most satisfactory outcome of participatory strategic planning was the clarity in the future direction of an organisations and more refined planning with sense of collective responsibility. It can authoritatively be declared here that participatory strategic planning is significantly efficacious as a tool for organisation building, but under certain conditions discussed in the concluding Chapter of the thesis. / Development Studies / D. Litt et Phil. (Development Studies)

This study examines the role of Community Based-Organisations (CBOs) in the response to HIV/AIDS as a development challenge drawing examples from the Gabane Community Home-Based Care CBO in Botswana. The study adopted qualitative methods of research and used group discussions, relative unstructured interviews, direct observation and literature review as methods of data collection. The study found out that HIV/AIDS is indeed a development problem and that it can be dealt with using some existing development approaches such as the sustainable livelihoods approaches. The study further identified specific roles that CBOs play in the response to HIV/AIDS. It also revealed the potential that CBOs have in achieving development. In addition, the study identified and outlined challenges that CBOs face in responding to HIV/AIDS. Key recommendations are that CBOs must integrate poverty reduction interventions in their activities. They must also form coalitions and strengthen their capacity to sustain their activities and manage partnerships. / Development Studies

No / The article aims to provide a synthesis of key discussions within scholarship that is critical of Mainstream Institutionalism. It adopts a thematic approach to chart debate and areas of convergence about key issues. The first section of the article briefly charts the rise to prominence of the mainstream 'collective action' school. Each of the themes identified as central to the alternative critical approach is then examined in turn. These are the 'homogenous community' critique, the avoidance of politics critique (further divided into ideational politics and politics of local empowerment) and the sociological critique. The article concludes by reflecting on the challenge of 'making complexity legible' that faces the nascent critical tradition in institutional analysis.

The delivery of psychosocial support (PSS) services to children living with HIV and AIDS (CLHA) by PSS service providers, such as community-based organisations (CBOs) in resource-poor settings, ensures the availability of consistent and sustainable support to children living with HIV and AIDS. These children face various psychological and social challenges associated with living with HIV and AIDS, such as drug adherence to HIV medication, stigmatisation and distress, among others. This qualitative study explored the critical factors that influence the delivery of community-based PSS services to CLHA younger than 15 years of age in a resource-poor setting by a community-based organisation. Multiple data-collection tools were adopted. The findings revealed the critical factors that contributed to the delivery of community-based PSS services to CLHA, and also ways in which these important services could be improved. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

This thesis is concerned with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the challenges of facilitating sustainable societal transformation in Africa, focusing on the case of Ethiopia. The thesis underlines the fact that the conceptualisation of civil society is controversial. Some western scholars argue that the Enlightenment period in Europe provided the bedrock for the foundation of „modern‟ CSOs. As a result, they believed that the life patterns and „traditional‟ social organising practices of Africans, Asians and other societies of the world are incompatible with the civilised world. This outlook constitutes the mainstream view that has played an uncontested role in the decades of development in Africa. Proponents of African and „traditional‟ perspectives of civil society, however, argue that many nations in Africa have centuries-old humanism and a history of volunteerism and civic institutions, which form the backbone of their social fabric. They argue that Africa has its own rich culture and civilisation which is the bedrock for generating and developing healthy human societies and effectively functioning CSOs on the continent. These African civic cultures nurture character and intellect within communities and social spaces despite the challenges of colonialism, globalisation and other external pressures. For this reason, they challenge western-based perspectives on „modern‟ CSOs. Given the predominance of and the tension in these two perspectives, this thesis calls for a re-examination of the concepts, meanings and practices of CSOs and the exploration of the role of „traditional‟ CSOs in facilitating societal transformation in contemporary Ethiopia, Africa. In so doing, it critically examines how the tensions in various international development agendas have led to the legitimisation and proliferation of „modern‟ and western-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) interventions in Africa, and then discusses the way the civil society sector, particularly „traditional‟ CSOs, is side-lined owing to the funding formulas that regard western-based NGOs as preferred development partners. For this, the thesis takes a case-based approach to the study of „traditional‟ CSOs in Ethiopia, and examines their goals and practices leading to social transformation experiences by reviewing the political history, genesis and civic functions of CSOs and the social changes at grassroots levels. The thesis also analyses the ways in which local communities organise their „traditional‟ associations and collectively engage in social action to transform their communities. It also highlights the negative implications of the neoliberal theoretical discourses and the developmental state approaches in relation to „traditional‟ African CSOs. In conclusion, the thesis suggests critical pathways for harnessing the role of „traditional‟ African CSOs in the future societal transformation process in Africa. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)