Abstract:
In South Africa, shelters that accommodate survivors of domestic violence also
adopted the Skills Development Programme with the intention of empowering
survivors to be financially self-reliant. In shelters the Skills Development Programme
is rendered for a period of six months depending on the stay of the survivors. Despite
the provision of the Programme, which has been identified as intervention strategies
towards poverty alleviation, it is evident that the level of skills training provided does
not conform to the identified skills shortage in the economy. Sometimes it is due to
limited time which the training had provided.The programme is not sustainable, and
as a result, there is a high beneficiary turnover. Furthermore, resources of training
beneficiaries to be independent are limited. Monitoring and evaluation is also poor.
This programme is acknowledged to be expensive. The graduation from this
programme does not mean success for the survivors. Instead, it results in the
participants going back to poverty status and be dependent on government resources
to make a living post-institutionalisation.
This study titled “An evaluation of the effectiveness of Skills Development
Programmes in the shelters accommodating survivors of domestic violence in
Gauteng Province, Tshwane Region” evaluated the effectiveness of the said
programme. It has adopted a qualitative approach which was evaluative in nature,
guided by the Stages of Change Model (Trans-theoretical Model) underpinned by
Theory of Reasoned Action. The participants consisted of three (3) different sets. They
were survivors (individuals) of domestic violence from the shelters, shelter managers
and a focus group made out of those individual survivors. Five (5) survivors of
domestic violence and five (5) shelter managers were interviewed on a face to face
basis. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. This was followed by
a focus group discussion. Multiple sources provided verification and trustworthiness
while complementing similar data. As a result, more comprehensive data was
obtained.
During the data analysis process, different themes emerged. These were presented
in the form of a report. It was evident that the Skills Development Programme
presented in the shelters is not effective to help survivors of domestic violence to be
financially self-reliant. However, there is a potential in the programme if it can be well
resourced.
