Water development activities, be it for human consumption or irrigation, has been considered of pivotal importance in ELCSA-DS rural development package. During the year, one rural water system was implemented at Sithintheni in the Eastern Cape. Here, ELCSA-DS was responsible for material and technical skills whereas the community provided all unskilled labor. The local Department of Water Affairs paid for the unskilled labor component and thus making this a job creation activity. Water is now within 200 meters of each household, with 25 litres for each person per day. 120 households benefits from this project.
As part of the sanitation programme of ELCSA-DS, assistance was also given to households who dug the holes for Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines. 100 at Ndakeni and a further 158 households in the Vhembe and Mopani districts have been given the necessary assistances related to constructing their VIP latrines. Usually, as basic education and awareness related to sanitation is provided to such beneficiary communities, this development engagement continues to contribute to improving hygiene in the home environment.
Agriculture & Environmental Activities
The market gardening initiative is meant to enable the small groups to grow vegetables for sale and own consumption. In some locations, such activities were promising and viable. Members have been able to produce and, in some cases, supply to public institutions like hospitals. In general, however, as most of such market and nutritional gardens are rain-fed, it is not always dependable. Thus, where possible to consider small irrigation-based gardening activities can be more assuring and encouraging. Overall, during the year 35 men and 195 women or a total of 230 people have participated in market and nutritional gardening projects.
To improve the situation of rural households and subsistence farmers; ELCSA DS through education has tired to are introduce drought resistant cultivars. One hundred and eighty seven households/subsistence farmers received drought resistant seeds after attending the training workshops.
Five workshops on environmental friendly agricultural practices were conducted and four nurseries were established at schools. A total of 2 159 farmers have participated in these workshops. Parents, teachers and children look after the nurseries. Fruit trees were also planted at two project sites.
The irrigation scheme at Madzwororo has now been completed. It is a furrow irrigation scheme, covering an area of 66 hectares now under irrigation and could be cultivated throughout the year. The scheme provides individual plots of forty families.
A near by tomato factory has indicated that they would be willing to do business with the farmers. One of the participants in this scheme summed up the excitement about the scheme and what it will mean at least for his family when he said “ Now my child can have tertiary education” The prospects for the participants of this scheme is quite promising.
Income Generation remains the main thrust of ELCSA-DS programme. Groups who become engaged in these activities are usually unemployed and, thus, they do so with a hope to draw some income from such involvement. Eighteen new projects were established this past year which consists of three poultry, one egg production, three bakery, four market gardens, three piggeries, one brick making, two retailing, one stone crushing and one leather work projects. During the year, it is noted that forty-five men and 224 women are participated in the new projects.
Surprisingly, the stone-crushing project of Tshandama emanated from the year 2000 floods disaster of 2000. The erosion of soil by the floods exposed many stones and so a group of community members saw the potential of it as an income-generating project. The idea was shared with some friends and very quickly a group of three men and twenty-seven women came together to form a stone-crushing project. Soon some people showed interest in the activity and started buying the crushed stone for building purposes. In a short space of time the group was able to make a saving of ZAR19, 000.00 in the bank. Soon the demand exceeded production. Although during the summer months, the group has extended the working hours from sunrise to sunset, demand is still greater than supply.
Overall, project management and practical skills training, both to the new as well as the other on-going groups, has remained an important feature in the small income generation or self-help micro projects package. Altogether training was given to 105 project members in skills required by their respective activity of engagement.
With an estimated 4.2 million out of a total population of 40 million, in South Africa reported as HIV positive. It is one of the worst HIV/AIDS-infected countries in the world. Indeed, 2001 was a critical year, which witnessed the attempt of many multinational drug companies to take the Government to court for trying to provide affordable medicines to the people. Due to pressure from the public and from outside the court action was dropped. Thereafter, as well, the government’s position has still been posing a lot of challenges from within and abroad.
As far as ELCSA-DS is concerned, it holds a strong view that the challenge of the pandemic must be taken seriously. The ELCSA-DS programme in the Northern Region was also able to collaborate with Spoornet, a parastatal, and thereby organize awareness-raising programs. Overall, during the year, both at schools and elsewhere in the various communities, 5 994 participants have taken part in various ELCSA-DS activities.
The Cape Peninsula falls within the winter rainfall area of South Africa. It was therefore not unusual to have torrential rains during the month of July. However, during the second half of July 2001, the rain intensified and became the heaviest recorded in 44 years where around the end of the month, national weather bureau recorded 324.6 mm of rain. Comparative figures for the same period in 1999 and 2000 were 40.7 and 46.00 mm respectively. Following the unexpected rainfall serious flooding where houses, roads and power lines were seriously affected.
The
worst affected areas were the informal squatter settlements in Guguletho and
Nyanga areas for which an appeal to intervene was submitted through ELCSA
Cape Orange Diocese appealed to ELCSADS. Soon needs assessment was conducted
and an appeal was made to ACT International for assistance. With assistance
from ACT and with the help of volunteers, emergency relief food and blankets
were distributed to a total of 1,920 affected persons in KTC and Millers camps.
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