The Development of ELCSA Development
Service ELCSA Development Service is an association that was incorporated
under section 21 of the South African Company Act in June 1997. Its main business
is to render humanitarian assistance to the poor and victims of both natural
and man made disasters, on the basis of need regardless of their political
affiliation, race, gender and religious convictions. It carries out its activities
in cooperation with the Lutheran World federation, Department for World Service.
The partnership with the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF), Department for World Service, on humanitarian aid
work started with the Drought Relief Project that was implemented in the Northern
Province during 1992. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA)
in cooperation with the LWF, Department for World Service Swaziland Programme,
distributed food to thousands of rural people who were affected by severe
drought in the province. This was followed later by similar arrangements for
another Drought Relief Project, which involved the distribution of seeds to
selected subsistence farmers in the Northern Province. About 1147 families
with some 7900 family members benefited from this project.
In 1996, the ELCSA Development
Service - LWF/DWS partnership implemented a crisis and post crisis flood relief
project which involved assisting victims of the 1995 Slungspruit flood in
KwaZulu/Natal.
These activities highlighted the
urgent need for a planned and structured development intervention, particularly
among the rural poor communities in the former black homelands. At the same
time, ELCSA was seeking an appropriate response to the Government's Reconstruction
and Development Programme (RDP), which called on business and non-government
organisations such as churches to join in the fight against poverty. Negotiations
with the LWF-DWS commenced and the result was the establishment of the ELCSA
Development Service, an association incorporated under section 21 of the company
Act.
Although South Africa is comparatively
speaking regarded as a rich country in Africa, the reality is that over 50%
of the majority of people live under the poverty datum line of ZAR300-00 per
month. Most economically active people are unemployed. The country's inability
to create new jobs is potentially disastrous and bodes ill for efforts to
combat the high crime rate. An increasing number of people are finding themselves
economically inactive and are either being supported by already overburdened
relatives, turn to crime, or end up on the streets of the country's towns
and cities.
