Skills Development Project




Description of the project
The bona lesedi disability project was developed to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, living in the community and to also develop the potential and skills of people with various disabilities. On the other hand,they raise awareness in the community about disability need of the disabled and they provide work opportunities and skills development for people with disabilities. Bona lesedi disability project relies totally on donations without donations bona lesedi project is nothing.The project can also be described as a way to improve the standards of living of the disabled people. They were, somehow, previously disadvantaged as they didn't have equal access to education, technology, etc. than us.

Why is this a development ?

This development project was established in 1995 to develop and improve the needs of the people in diepsloot. The aim of the project is to register people with disabilities in the community, provide a centre for babies, develop a vegetable garden , school for learners with intellectual disabilities, a skill development program,care giving and a work shop and all his developments where to be developed and introduced for disabled people living in the community.The organization is based in diepsloot west and it serves people who live in diepsloot community. Furthermore, there is much poverty and unemployment in the community and it is situated in an informal settlement that is made up of shacks. The project is made to improve people's lives and ensure that people obtain skills and to be productive, these skills can help people to perform tasks that will be required in their line of work that they will be applying for it will also give them job opportunities.

The Bona Lesedi project has catered for people with disabilities. Many projects forget to focus on people with disabilities, that is why Bona lesedi decided to take the initiative and try to uplift people with disabilities.With this project people with disabitlities will learn skills such as carpentry, tailoring clothes,catering,cleaning and so forth. Bona Lesedi can use the skills taught to start an entrepreneurship program by selling the tools designed to uplift the community.The projects that they do can also help develop the community by teaching them how to grow their own vegetables and food,which will help them to provide for themselves. Bona Lesedi really lives up its name,bona lesedi means 'look at the light ',that is exactly what bona lesedi has done in the lives of disabled people ,it has shown the people of diepsloot and of the world that people with disabilities can also contribute in developing a community.This in a way has provided hope and a reason for people living with disabilities.

Bona Lesedi project has changed the stigma that disabled people cannot contribute to the economy but now they can.People with disability are gradually getting educated and are taught life skills which can help them in the future,The skills at Bona Lesedi can help people with disabilities to acquire skills and develop them. As well as their are numerous things that they can do to provide for themselves such as vegetable gardening, sewing which they can use to make and sell there own made clathes and provide for themselves.People with a less serious disability can learn work skills such as typing, answering phones, work on the computer and this will enable them to get a job in the future.It is now up to organisations to take them seriously and accept them as equal individuals.

Bona Lesedi Project was developed to improve the standards of living of the disabled young people as they were previously disadvantaged. This project aims at developing people's skills and in this manner they will have equal access and have the ability to use the resources. This is a great opportunity for people to fully participate / contribute in the economy. Sets of ideas and the beliefs of disabled people are recognised in such a way that they express their views and suggestions on how the business / project can become a success and in this manner the project may expand and many people can get employed and develop their skills. This the social theory.

What development theory underpins this project ?

The theory underpinning the Bona lesedi development project is Grassroots development ,it establishes the needs of the people with disabilities in Diepsloot, and this is because the project gives skills to people with disabilities in the community and it improves the quality of their lifes .the project relies on funds they get from the public sector(NGO,s) and the private sector.According to Willis (2005:103)NGO,s provide facilities to develop skills for the people.NGO's are the key actor of grassroots approaches they contribute empowerment.

How does it impact on youth?

The grassroots development theory focuses mainly on the youth and challenges we face. The theory tries to reduce the high rate of teenage pregnancy and crime within the community. As crime and teenage pregnancy are the main socio-economic issues.

The capabilities approach

Although The grassroots theory is the theory that underpins with our project, we should however focus on what approach it takes in order to reach its main purpose. The capabilities approach seems to be the proper approach to take as it focuses on education, employment and health .These are important factors because disabled people have limited access to these social services. Advocacy, Employment and communication(IEC) strategies and tools are employed to generate awareness and change public perception of disability and persons with disabilities and this happens via television, radio, newspaper, etc. National Programmes have been developed and implemented in support of the training and eventual employment of persons with disabilities, this kind of programmes help people with disabilities to be educated so that they can have beter chances of being employed. This approach is therefore beneficiary to people with disabilities. (google)

This theme is about giving various skills to people with disability.It includes various projects like community based projects such as vegetable gardening,it provides skills for disabled people and it aims at improving and empowering disabled people.The organisation relies primarily on donations which is evident that the organisation needs an immediate assistance from other organisations that provides help to other organisations that seems to be neglected by the government.This is where the Non-Governmental Organisations (N.G.O) comes in.In development terms,the NGOs plays an important role in development as well as empowering and providing skills to the people at grassroots level.Furthermore, the NGOs work effectively because they help local communities to improve their community and provide skills and education to the people which will then lead to economic growth.As many disabled people get skills,it will lead to the necessity to build more firms,which will in turn lead to many other people getting skills and jobs.The underlying fact is:disabled people get empowered through NGOs,and as such it will also contribute to the development of the country and therefore the GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT is thus relevant to the theme at hand.
The projects helps improve the life style of individuals by helping them improve their skills and gain knowledge from what they are learning. It also gives opportunities to those who are illiterate and are in need of konwledge and understanding.

Type of project

Non Governmental Organisation (NGO)

Advantages

• The community also have the crucial impact in youth and children lives by providing community programs for young people in the society, therefore, children learn active and responsible citizenship through opportunities to practise it. As for young people the youth contribute their knowledge, energies and perception about local environments, and reminds adults of their rights and special needs vulnerabilities. On the other hand the organisation called NGOs also is laboring in the field of poverty alleviation to create better society to the community. Many disabled people now have opportunities in terms of social skills activities, and also getting supports to the community, government, and organisations etc, furthermore the government-supported health care infrastructures for disabled people. The grassroots organisations provide community-based support to individuals with disabilities or chronic illness.
• The project empowers children and youth with disabilities by providing necessary skills for them. some of the other advatages earned in the community are that the projects provide are:
• Reduces high rate of teenage pregnancy and crime within the community.
• High rate of drug users is decreasing because the project keeps the youth busy.
• The project icreases the chances of employment, even though they might not be directly employed they have chances of being self-employed because they have the skills to do so. and this is because the project ensure that people obtain skills and become productive, these skills they obtain can help people to perform tasks that will be required in the jobs that they will be applying for.
• contributes to the country's economic growth.
• gives skills tho the youth and this skills acquired in bona lesedi project can be used to start an entrepreneurship program by selling the tools designed to uplift the community.
• reduce crime
• The project improves the people's lives.
• Bona Lesedi project has changed the stigma that disabled people cannot contribute to the economy but now they can because they have the skills and knowledge to do so.
• Children with disabilities will be provided with many oppotunities to better their lives though the help of the NGO.

Disadvantages

• Most of the NGO's rely on donations to achieve their goals, so if there is no support chances of the organisation surviving are slim
• Some of the NGO's do not provide accredited qualifications after the training and this might be probamatic if individuals seek employment
• lack of funding
• lack of motivation
• if the disabled individuals find difficulties in learning or acquiring this skill's , qualifications or learning can course this individuals to doubt themselves in the future and can also be damaging to their self esteem that they where never meant to be good in life.
• the disabled people maybe be so committed or attached to achieving and learning the skills that they sometimes focus only on gaining the skills and forget about their other lives( i.e spending quality time with their family) since they have to prove themsleves so much in the community that they can do it on their own.
• this can this disturb family relationships and the disabled people prove themselves even at their homes that they are able and not ask for help even when they really do need help from family members who are not disabled.
• Disabled people get to be victims of oppression as are exploited,discriminated and disadvantaged.As youth and children who are brought up from overcrowded families where none is unemployed ,they have to take responsibility of working at young age which lead to vulnerable. HIV/AIDS would be ignored as they lack education compare to other children
• One of the main disadvantage about this project is the fact that it is a voluntary project people do not get income from it, therefor poverty will continue.
• It will take much time for the voluntaries to accetp that they not are not getting paid and they are doing it for the love of the community.

Developed by:

Mbatha B.J.V 201128769
Aphane I.N 201120110
Mamkeli N.T 201142453
Thabede M.C 201009004
Mangwane L 201000558
MABOE M.L 201030702
Segole R.Z.S 201013237
segobe B 200936631
Silinda N.B 201105431
Molefe T 201115056
Mahlangu N. 200832103
Pooe K 201117007

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