Community Development

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Participants in a course for emerging entrepreneurs.

The three new pre-schools in Cato Crest, Wiggins Umkhumbane and the Old Dunbar are stafed by Educare workers trained by the project

Clusterboxes provide postal addresses for residents in areas not serviced by street mail delivery.

Building Capacity
Given the legacy of apartheid, the Project has identified the critical importance of rebuilding the capacity of civil society organisations and individuals within Cato Manor to engage with and utilise the opportunities presented by the development. Long-term sustainability of the Project depends on the creation of strong and durable local institutions which have the ability to guide the efficient maintenance and growth of the area into the future. A range of projects has been devised to build the required institutional capacity amongst Cato Manor residents.

Management Programme for Development Committees
Development Committees exist in all areas of Cato Manor and form a key link between the CMDA, its development partners, and the resident communities. Because of their strategic importance to the success of the development, a course to equip development committees and other community-based organisations (CBO's) with the skills to enable them to run their committees and organisations effectively, has been implemented.

Basic Housing Management Skills
This programme aims to empower Cato Manor development committees by equipping their members with the skills needed to communicate effectively with professionals driving project development and implementation, particularly as regards housing.

Training of Educare Workers
The training provides Educare workers in Cato Manor creches and pre-schools with the skills, knowledge and correct attitudes required to care for, teach and prepare children for school. The training also aims to equip the local creche and pre-school association (Masibumbane) with management, facility maintenance, financial management and fund-raising skills. Masibumbane is responsible for running the three newly built pre-schools and it has been assisted to formally constitute itself.

Literacy and Numeracy
The main aim of this project is to enable illiterate and semi-literate Cato Manor residents to participate fully in skills development projects in order to improve their employability. The CMDA engaged the English Resource Unit (ERU) to provide adult basic education, particularly in those areas of Cato Manor without schools. The classes are held at the Cato Manor Technical College and at Umkhumbane Primary School. Candidates are registered with the Independent Examinations Board and 240 people had been trained by June 2000.

JOB opportunities bureau (job)
JOB was established to facilitate access to job opportunities for Cato Manor residents. A data base of local residents is used to feed the training courses and to take advantage of work opportunities that arise through the construction projects. To date 4 220 people have been registered on the JOB data base and 1 344 work seekers have been placed on construction projects.

Home Ownership Education Project
This programme involves the training of new home owners to deal with the challenges of urban ownership as regards land and housing, affordability, services, maintenance and the requirements of urban living. A team of housing advisors has been trained and they have subsequently registered themselves as the Seliyabuya Co-operative. They now facilitate home ownership education for the broader community. Three thousand seven hundred Cato Manor residents have benefitted from this project.

The Cato Manor Community Organisation (CMCo)
Working hand in hand with the CMDA, the CMCO is an umbrella body formed to represent the interests of Cato Manor residents and to assist in skills development. The CMCO consists of two representatives from each Cato Manor precinct. Its main objectives are to systematise communications around development policy and programmes, identify potential problems and explore routes for resolution, develop local understanding of development issues, and strengthen inter-community communication and working relationships. A division of interests is reflected in the six sub-committees of the CMCO: Economic Development; Education and Training; Health and Welfare; Safety and Security; Sport and Culture; and Infrastructure (transport, electricity, water, housing, environment and waste management). The three new pre-schools in Cato Crest, Wiggins Umkhumbane and Old Dunbar are staffed by Educare workers trained by the Project. Participants in a course for emerging entrepreneurs.