CASE STUDY Working for the Coast
Working for the Coast is a programme initiated under the Social Responsibility Programme, which provides jobs and training for unemployed people in coastal communities to create and maintain a cleaner coastal environment. The programme works towards protecting the coastal ecosystems, which are essential in providing food and sustenance for the many people living in urban and rural coastal areas.
Te Working for the Coast programme involves activities that contrib- ute to the goals and objectives of the government’s coastal policy. Such activities include:
• Business and technical training to improve the viability of the Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) that are part of a co- operativ e programme;
• Cleaning coastal areas of litter on a regular basis; • Rehabilitating coastal dunes and estuaries; • Providing safety and security on beaches through monitoring and reporting;
• Removing invasive alien vegetation; • Recycling waste, creating and selling craſts; • Developing and upgrading tourism infrastructure along the coast; • Training participants in topics such as numeracy, environmental edu- cation, and financial planning; and,
• Maintaining coastal facilities and infrastructure. Recruitment process
Project teams are recruited and trained to carry out Working for the Coast tasks. The criteria for selecting workers require project teams to be made up of lo cal, unemployed people with the ratio of 60 per cent women, 20 per cent youths (between the ages of 18–25) and 2 per cent disabled persons. Preference is given to femaleheaded households.5
Programme evaluation
The 2007 midevaluation report on the Social Respon sibility Programme (SRP) revealed that Working for the Coast consistently outperformed the four other SRP focus areas with respect to delivery against the key mandate of the SRP and the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Project Input and Outcomes (2003–2011)
Working for the Coast was allocated R351 633 64 for the period of 2003–2011. The funds were used to implement pilot projects at selected sites along the coast.
In relation to poverty reduction, the main outcome of the Working for the Coast programme is the many jobs that have been created for unemployed women and youths living in South Africa’s coastal areas. Overall, the programme has contributed to reducing un employment and strengthening the general skill base. Among
the environmental benefits are the beach facilities which have been rehabilitated, road infrastructure upgraded, alien species removed, indigenous vegetation planted and waste collected.
In terms of work job days per coastal province, the Eastern Cape created more work job days than the other coastal prov inces. This is partly due to the budget allocated to this particu lar province, which was substantially higher than for the other three provinces.
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