As the church focuses on people’s spiritual development, there is growing realisation that the church should be holistic in its approach and participate in resolving urban poverty issues through the implementation of community development projects. This study looks at the way in which traditional theories of community development concentrated on stimulating economic growth and ignored the social aspects involved. It suggests that despite the massive injection of donor funds to some communities, the situation of the poor has deteriorated over the years and sustainability of projects has been minimal. The study finds that projects implemented by the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando East, while improving the lives of the community, are not in line with community development principles and the sustainable livelihoods approach primarily because the community was not involved in the assessment of needs or designing of interventions, and the community members were only the implementers. The evaluation of these projects through this study suggests an alternative developmental paradigm that has been used with success in other similar circumstances – the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The SLA contends that urban communities should become planners, initiators and executors of community development interventions so that transformation can occur. The study recommends that urban communities such as that in Orlando East have to change their behaviour and attitudes, be willing to accept change, and take ownership of their own projects. The facilitators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government have to be willing to unlearn their traditional ways, to listen, and to accept that they are not the only experts in community development as they attempt to embrace indigenous knowledge systems. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This study analyses the possibility of introducing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative domestic energy source to charcoal in Zambia to mitigate climate change. The study, conducted in Lusaka, used questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews and literature study to collect data. The study revealed that the introduction of LPG is possible. However, some challenges need to be addressed in order to actualise the change. Lack of knowledge about LPG; non-availability of LPG in most parts of the country; perceived danger of LPG; high prices of LPG and accessories; changing people‟s mind-sets about charcoal; social inequity and lack of government initiative, were the main challenges identified. Social-Ecology and sustainable livelihoods were used as theoretical frameworks to ground the study and analyse the results. The study recommends that government takes the lead to make the change possible and that further research be done on sustainable livelihoods for charcoal producers and traders. / Development Studies / M. A. (Development Studies)

Tourism has been increasingly used for, and directly linked with, rural poverty reduction in developing countries. In recent years, it has, however, been criticised by rural developers for its lack of concern for the rural poor and for being too increasingly focused on tourism specifically. Instead, it is argued that these inadequacies can be addressed by the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), a widely used organising framework for facilitating poverty reduction. But the application, and to an extent the principles, of the SLA may not fully fit the tourism situation, and vice versa. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding about the relationship between the SLA and tourism needs to be explored. This thesis incorporates a review of the literature on rural and tourism development. Gaps between the SLA and tourism are identified. It is suggested that the SLA cannot fully address the issues when tourism is used as a rural livelihood strategy. New knowledge and thinking are needed. Based on the literature review, a Sustainable Livelihoods Framework for Tourism (SLFT) is proposed as a guiding tool in rural development when tourism is a livelihood strategy. For testing the applicability of the SLFT, a mixed methodology and case study research method was adopted. Three mountainous rural villages, respectively at involvement, development and rejuvenation Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) stages, in central China, were examined. Before implementation of the case study, SLFT indicators were firstly developed. Findings show that the SLFT provides an overall organising framework for the consideration of rural development using tourism as a livelihood strategy at all stages of TALC. Revisiting the SLFT, it is argued that an additional attraction capital should be added to the SLFT. Attraction capital includes natural, cultural, and other attractions, and is defined as all resources used to attract tourist arrivals from which local people benefit for better livelihood objectives. Based on the findings, the SLFT and its key elements are revised to offer a more complete insight and understanding of a tourism livelihood system for the purpose of tourism planning and management. Particular attention is drawn to the newly introduced concept of institutional capital, mainly evidenced in community participation practice. Appropriate institutional policies and practices can ensure local people share the benefits from tourism. The implication of a participatory approach is extended to access to tourist markets, benefit sharing, as well as participation in the decision-making. This research indicates that improvement of livelihood assets by tourism enhances local people’s resilience to vulnerability contexts. Institutional arrangements play an important role in mediating this process as well as the impact of vulnerability contexts through the planning portfolio (e.g., planning, policy-making, and legislation). Future research is suggested to evaluate and improve the SLFT’s applicability in multiple development contexts, and to explore ways of further developing SLFT indicators as a means for evaluating the usefulness of the SLFT.

As the church focuses on people’s spiritual development, there is growing realisation that the church should be holistic in its approach and participate in resolving urban poverty issues through the implementation of community development projects. This study looks at the way in which traditional theories of community development concentrated on stimulating economic growth and ignored the social aspects involved. It suggests that despite the massive injection of donor funds to some communities, the situation of the poor has deteriorated over the years and sustainability of projects has been minimal. The study finds that projects implemented by the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando East, while improving the lives of the community, are not in line with community development principles and the sustainable livelihoods approach primarily because the community was not involved in the assessment of needs or designing of interventions, and the community members were only the implementers. The evaluation of these projects through this study suggests an alternative developmental paradigm that has been used with success in other similar circumstances – the sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The SLA contends that urban communities should become planners, initiators and executors of community development interventions so that transformation can occur. The study recommends that urban communities such as that in Orlando East have to change their behaviour and attitudes, be willing to accept change, and take ownership of their own projects. The facilitators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and government have to be willing to unlearn their traditional ways, to listen, and to accept that they are not the only experts in community development as they attempt to embrace indigenous knowledge systems. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

This study aims to understand and assess the diffusion and adoption of RES forenhanced societal wellbeing in developing countries. Furthermore, the purpose is tocontribute to a deeper understanding of the drivers and barriers (D&B) to the diffusionand adoption of RES among smallholders in rural Tanzania. The study onlyinvestigated solar energy lamps and not all products within the scope of RE. This wasto draw a more accurate and relevant conclusion from the empirical study. The study took place in Handeni, Tanzania, from March to May 2022. The primarydata for the study was collected through observations and twenty semi-structuredinterviews in four different villages in Handeni's Rural district. The data sets wereanalyzed through a thematic analysis to identify which D&B the smallholders werefacing regarding the adoption of solar energy lamps. These D&B were later furtheranalyzed with the help of the secondary data from literature studies, where theDiffusion of innovations theory and the Sustainable livelihoods approach were themain theories used. Barriers to adopting solar energy lamps were identified as; knowledge, trust, economy,and accessibility. Driving forces for wanting a solar energy lamp were; the reduced riskof health problems, reduced risk for accidents, portability, facilitating householdactivities, no variable costs, and the possibility to study and work at night. Otherfindings were the need for payment plans, charging on cloudy days, and batteriesthrown in nature. By connecting the drivers with elements from DOI, it was concluded that adoptiononly occurred in households where the driving forces were stronger than the barriers.Furthermore, an assessment of smallholders' wellbeing through the five capitals ofSLA discovered that financial, human, and physical capital were considered low in thestudied area. By bridging the gap between barriers and end-user, an increased diffusionand adoption of RES could occur, raising the capital assets identified as low. This risein the smallholders' low capital assets could push the transformation towardsustainability and enhance societal wellbeing in developing countries. The contribution from this study can hopefully be used for future research on howorganizations in practice can implement presented solutions. Furthermore, the study'sfindings can also provide guidelines on how the diffusion and adoption of RES can beincreased in rural areas of other developing countries. / Minor field studies