Impact of home community based care as a strategy to create work opportunities for the poor in Greater Giyani Municipality, Limpopo Province

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Home Community Based Care as a strategy to create work opportunities for the poor in Greater Giyani municipality, Limpopo province. The study was intended to define the linkages between HCBC and EPWP, assess the effectiveness of HCBC as a strategy to create work opportunities for the poor and assess the sustainability of HCBC organizations in Greater Giyani Municipality. The sample consisted of 55 HCBC organizations funded by the DOH serving as focal point for Home Community Based Care in the area of the study. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodology was applied to enable the researcher to have an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon and to uncover general laws of linkages that are applied in HCBC. HCBC organizations do not seem to have skills to mobilize resources beyond government funding. Government has created a system that promotes dependency of HCBC organizations on government as the main source of funding. Recommendations included commissioning of a study for the impact analysis of the HCBC programme, to avoid creating employment for rendering services that are no longer critical for the country, as a result using HCBC programme as a new form of social grant payments (financial assistance) for the unemployed community members. The study will assist the country in establishing the possibility of expanding or scaling down the HCBC services in the country to avoid misuse of tax payers’ funds