Have you ever imagine how the world will be like if the entire community can collectively start working together in a bid to improving their own socio-economic conditions and creating job opportunities for themselves? Won't this assist government in its endeavour to lifting a people out of poverty? Imagine no more because the newly launched Kwanda community development project does just that!
Kwanda Reality TV series is aired on SABC1 every Wednesday at 21h00. Kwanda, a Zulu word meaning "wealth and growth", is a partnership between the Department of Social Development and Soul City Institute Health Development and Communication. At the recent media launch of this groundbreaking rural community development project in Rosebank, the Deputy Minister for the Department of Social Development Ms Bathabile Dlamini called on all communities in the country to emulate what Kwanda communities were doing in assisting their communities out of socio-economic ills.
The current television series are airing activities that were piloted in only five provinces, including in Pefferville (Eastern Cape), Umthwalume (KwaZulu-Natal), Tjakastaad in (Mpumalanga), Lephephane (Limpopo) and Kwakwatsi in the Free State. Hundreds of volunteers were recruited from across communities in these provinces and were trained to address some of the major challenges being faced by their disadvantaged people.
"Kwanda is a fresh and new approach to sustainable livelihood and development of our people…it shows that we as South Africans we still have the capacity to think out of the box and out of our institutions in our collective effort to develop our country," said the Deputy Minister Dlamini.
"This project is the first of its kind in the country and one that will assist government to deal effectively with the scorch of poverty in the hard-hit rural areas of the country," she said , adding that South Africans came a long way with the spirit of collective volunteerism and the project was symbolic of that historic spirit of volunteerism.
This public-private partnership between the institutions also gives effect to President Jacob Zuma's wishes calling upon communities to begin initiating job-creating projects on their own in an attempt to assist government in alleviating poverty in communities. Similarly, it gives effect to the current government slogan, "working together we can do more".
Kwanda concept was presented to Cabinet in 2006 and it received thumbs up from the then cabinet members. The project inspires people within a specific community to volunteer and work together in a bid to transform their communities through creating job opportunities, reducing alcohol related violence and abuse, crime and HIV and AIDS infections and trying to assist orphans and vulnerable children out of poverty.
Other partners involved in the funding of the project include the Department of Health, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), BP Southern Africa, MTN, and Department for International Development (DFID) and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Issued by: Department of Social Development
8 September 2009
Source: Department of Social Development (http://www.dsd.gov.za)
