Social Development Month 2015

October marks Social Development Month.

Social Development Month aims to engage communities to identify their challenges and put together action plans to deal with these challenges.  The campaign, held in conjunction with the National Development Agency (NDA) and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), also aims to inform communities of the various social security programmes available to them and how these can be accessed.

As part of the October events, the Department of Social Development will also mark the 10th anniversary of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), which provides social grants currently benefitting 16.8 million people, and has over the past decade assisted to reduce poverty and improve food security among poor households. The department has also opened the application period for social-work scholarships and interested people are encouraged to apply before 31 October 2015.

Social Development success stories

Since 1994 our social services have substantially improved the lives of the most vulnerable South Africans 

  • The number of South Africans benefitting from grants increased from 2.5 million in 1993 to more than 16 million by mid-2014.
  • The child support grant was introduced in 1998 with 70 000 beneficiaries. Currently more than 11 million children benefit from it.
  • DSD research shows that grants reduce poverty, improve wealth distribution and generate economic growth within communities.
  • Statistics South Africa’s “Poverty Trends in South Africa” report states that the successes of pro-poor policies are reflected in the decline in poverty between 2006 and 2011.
  • Government’s interventions in Early Childhood Development are already bearing fruit with better achievement levels among learners in the Foundation Phase.
  • In 2011 Government started to roll out the Food for All Campaign as a measure to address incidents of extreme hunger and malnutrition.

Services from the Department of Social Development

Events

Advisories, speeches and statements

Event Category
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