4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37773

Browse

Filters

2021 - 20243

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.NGOs

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Development aid, non-governmental organisations, and the north-south divide in Ghana
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bob-Milliar, Gloria Kafui; Alagidede, Imhotep Paul
    Aid effectiveness and sustainability has become topical as donor countries face more interesting demands in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proxy war in Europe and low economic growth. In sub–Saharan Africa, poverty is perceived and acknowledged to be profound and nearly enduring. Many multi-lateral and bilateral organisations have intervened to address concerns of poverty and under-development, as donor-funded projects have targeted needy communities in developing countries. In Northern Ghana, years of neglect and lack of workable economic resources have culminated in its underdevelopment compared to Southern Ghana. Similarly, a plethora of third-sector funds have been channelled to the region with little evidence of their effect on poverty reduction. Despite the large inflows of donor funds, the north remains impoverished compared to the south. This thesis addresses the critical concerns of the north-south divide in Ghana, and the steps taken to lessen these development and inequality gaps. Data collection and analysis were conducted through a productive mixed-method approach, encased in a theatrically adapted grounded theory framework and technique. The study presents an invigorating perspective on the political economy of donor aid and its heterogeneity within a narrow target area of the savannah regions. It empirically showcased the culture of aid dependency through NGO activities based on the lived vulnerabilities of beneficiary communities. This was achieved through the evaluated mission and vision statements of NGOs, and their analytically measured impacts. The empirical evidence, however, shows a mismatch of interventions between some donor- funded NGO projects and community needs. Consequently, the study concludes there is beneficiary stress degenerating into a phenomenon the research calls ‘poverty dance’. As aid continue to target communities’ needs through project intervention advocacies, scores of NGOs similarly strived to be aid implementers with the sole aim of poverty reduction. There were various scenarios of aid fragmentation and project duplication efforts found in the research region, signalling a principal agent problem. Further evidence from this objective unveiled an aid dependency syndrome termed the red ii herring of aid implementation. The contextual conclusion to this thesis is that donor aid is producing an aid ineffectiveness conditions at the micro level, the twin phenomena of donor aid: the poverty dance of beneficiary communities and the red herring of NGO projects. This research leads the way in promoting the contestation of empirical ideas in donor aid effectiveness with robust theoretical debates on the underdevelopment of Northern Ghana. This thought-provoking research fills in the gap of the political economy of donor aid from the community perspective and proposed practical policy solutions to rural development.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Effects of donor funding on the HIV/TB programme outcomes in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2021) Sokhela, Cleopatra Zinhle; Saruchera, Fanny
    There has been decreasing donor funding for the past years, especially in developing countries. With the global economic crisis fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been mounting pressure on governments and NGOs to sustain healthcare services and the HIV/TB programme implementation. Despite the efforts made in curbing HIV and TB in South Africa, the country is still struggling to meet its planned HIV and TB programme outcomes. The purpose of this study was to establish the factors that influence donor funding for HIV/TB programmes in South Africa and understand how NGOs utilise donor funds to achieve HIV/TB programme objectives. The study intended to determine the factors that influence donor funding for HIV/TB programme in South Africa; to establish how NGOs utilise donor funds to achieve HIV/TB programme objectives in South Africa; to establish strategies to sustain South African NGOs beyond donor funding, and to propose HIV/TB programme implementation strategies for NGOs in South Africa. The study was guided by the donor and recipient models intended to establish the relationship between donor interest, political interest, NGO funding, and HIV/TB programme outcomes and establish if NGOs sustainability is influenced by decreased donor funding. A quantitative and deductive study was conducted using an online survey. Data was collected from 308 respondents drawn from 30 donor-funded organisations across South Africa. The study's key findings revealed that donors give generously for the HIV/TB programme with no expected returns. Poor HIV/TB programme implementation by NGOs and lack of social impact affects future international funding opportunities. The study further established a positive relationship between recipient needs, NGO funding, and HIV/TB programme outcomes. The paper also concludes that NGO sustainability is not affected by declining donor funding, but a strong positive relationship between NGO leadership capacity and NGO sustainability was identified. A significant portion of respondents indicated that sustainability planning, government co-funding, diversified revenue-generating strategies, meaningful stakeholders' engagement and NGOs leadership capacity development were essential to ensure better HIV/TB programme outcomes and NGOs' sustainability beyond donor funding. In order to enhance the sustainability of donor-funded organisations and programme outputs, the study recommended the need for donors to review regulation governing donated funds utilisation; developing sustainability plan at the beginning of the funding cycle, NGOs to review their business models and NGO leadership capacity development on resource mobilisation and financial management. Future studies could focus on South African NGOs providing HIV/TB services readiness to transition from donor funding and evaluating the most effective revenue-generating strategies that NGOs can implement in South Africa
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Experiences of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their wellbeing: A study of CHWs in Johannesburg Townships
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-03) Mashinini, Lethiwe Yvonne; Carrasco, Lorena Nunez
    Community Health Workers (CHWs) have become important role players in the provision of health and social services in many underprivileged communities around South Africa. Despite the role and impact of these cadres in many communities, few studies have focused on the impact of their work on their wellbeing. Hence, the study's interest in expanding its inquiry on the experiences of CHWs and their impact on the cadre's wellbeing. This research further inquired about the national CHWs policy and CHWs scope of practice facilitated through the WBPHCOTs strategy that resulted from the re-engineering of the PHC model. As an observer qualitative data was collected through non-participative observation. Drawing from in-depth interviews this study further examined and describes the self-reported experiences of CHWs and NGO managers. To frame the experiences of CHWs and the impact of these experiences on their wellbeing the research findings were theorized from the perspective of social constructionism. The fundamental concern was to understand how cadres define, describe, and think about different social aspects of their life as CHWs and how these experiences influence their reality. Specifically focusing on two NGOs situated in Johannesburg townships the study participants were composed of eight CHWs (six female and two male cadres) as well as two male managers who were consulted as key informants. Concerning the national CHWs policy and the guiding scope of practice in the functioning of CHWs, the research yielded interesting findings. The managers of the NGOs were unaware of the existence of the national policy framework dubbed the Ward-based primary healthcare outreach team’s strategy (WBPHCOTs) policy framework. Hence, the organizations had not adopted or aligned the work of CHWs with the WBPHCOTs strategy policy framework. Instead, the NGOs maintained their arrangement of CHWs programmes as multi-stakeholder projects. This raises concerns about the implementation of the WBPHCOTs policy framework as a national CHWs policy, particularly in the NGO sector. The research also revealed multifaceted findings about CHW's experiences, which were largely positive and influenced by altruistic sentiments. Cadres also felt a sense of self-development and the possibility of improvement in their lives, which had a positive impact on their social wellbeing. CHWs also encountered some negative experiences such as challenging working conditions and poor remuneration and this had adverse impacts on their physical, psychological, and economic wellbeing. Therefore experiences of CHWs impacted their wellbeing both positively and negatively.