1 - 31 October 2014 - October marks Social Development Month. During this month, government highlights programmes aimed at fighting poverty and building a caring society for a better life.
The Department of Social Development (DSD) kicks off Social Development Month with a Summit on Families under the theme “Building stronger families to promote healthy family life and fight poverty” on 1 to 3 October.
During October, DSD will continue to build on the successes of the past through the national service delivery improvement strategy called Project Mikondzo. Project Mikondzo will further its reach and consult with the following communities:
- Bizana in the Eastern Cape (7 October)
- Limpopo Province (17 October)
- Eastern Cape (23-24 October)
- Matatiele in the Eastern Cape (31 October)
- Welkom in the Free State (4 November).
Project Mikondzo is targeting the 1 300 poorest wards in 23 District municipalities as identified and prioritised by Cabinet. It focuses on the marginalised, vulnerable and those who live in poverty, because they are the primary beneficiaries of our social services.
Government will interact with children, the elderly and people with disabilities throughout this month long programme. Events include:
9 October: The Children’s Parliament – hosted by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in partnership with the Department of Social Development and the Parliament of South Africa – creates a platform for children’s participation in democracy and provides them an opportunity to make input to policies as well as programmes and strategies intended to realise their rights.
27 - 30 October: National Golden Games (Active Ageing) The Golden Games for older persons’ project was first initiated in the Western Cape by the Department of Social Development in 2006, and branded as reputable active ageing programme. The national Department of Social Development adopted the Golden Games project as a vehicle to promote active ageing programme which is a government requirement in the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and other pieces of legislation that impact on the well-being of older persons. Other key partner government departments include Sport and Recreation Department and Health. It will take place in Mbombela.
Support Project Mikondzo
- Project Mikondzo can only be successful if communities, NGOs and other stakeholders help us identify social gaps.
- Information acquired through stakeholder engagement is critical because it provides government with first-hand information on specific areas.
- Participate in the month long Izimbizo and engage us on varied topics through social media:
- Imbizos - #MikondzoMonth
- Golden Games - #GoldenOldies
- Children’s Parliament - #ChildrensParly
- International Year of Families - #UnitingFamilies (post your family selfies)
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
- Social grants
- Register early childhood development (ECD) partial care facilities
- ECD programme certificate
- Adopt a child
- Apply for foster care
- Admission to an old age home
- Register as a community based caregiver for older persons
- Registering as a caregiver for older persons
Related links
