Social Work

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Browsing Social Work by Author "Dlamini, Agrineth Nokwethemba"

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    An assessment of development extension projects by women in the Simdlangentsha district , Kwa-Zulu Natal
    (2000) Dlamini, Agrineth Nokwethemba; Faku, C.M.S.
    The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of womens' development projects particularly agricultural extension projects with the aim of investigating their administration and impact on womens' livelihoods. The central view held by this study was that the important role played by women and the potential to fulfil an even greater role has been overlooked to a large extent in South Africa. Although there are numerous organisations and projects aimed at development at the rural and community level, very little attention has been paid to the role of women and the enhancement thereof. Special focus of the study was on women only development projects as it was assumed that these projects are starting points from which developing areas can start a movement of planned development. It was discovered that womens' development projects are still having some flaws because the recognition of such projects is still lacking from the work of development planners. Essentially, the problem encountered among project participants was that of dual or multiple roles performed by women and such environmental problems like lack of access to markets, transportation and theft of produce. Training, management and organisation, empowerment and capacity building is still lacking in project participants. Basically those women who participate in projects do so from destitution. They are old, uneducated and poverty- stricken such that very little about these projects seems to be attractive and very little income is being generated from them The study revealed that an awareness of the importance of development of women has started to surface, and some efforts are being made to accommodate women and to raise them. (v) The critical view of extension projects was that they comprise strengthening the autonomy of women to alleviate poverty. This suggests that women should be brought fully into the development projects and must be given opportunity to put their abilities to full use at every stage of the development process. Extension projects must be seen therefore to be acknowledging this reality. To achieve this, womens' extension projects have to be reconsidered so that they lead to women becoming effective and efficient managers, administrators and decision -makers. Ongoing support and training is needed to ensure that the skills and expertise of women who are project participants are gradually being improved and they are afforded a chance to develop and have equal access to opportunities at all levels in the society.
University of Zululand