Perceptions of the beneficiaries regarding income generating projects at Gauteng Department of Social Development : Sedibeng Region.

Income generating projects represent one strategy adopted by theDepartment of Social Development to alleviate poverty and foster sustainabledevelopment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions ofbeneficiaries of income generating projects regarding these projects andwhether the income generating projects run by the Development Centres inthe Sedibeng Region, Gauteng Department of Social Development wereperceived to be making any impact and were responding to the needs of thepoor. The research design for the study could be classified as qualitativedescriptive.A sample of 20 participants was drawn from two DevelopmentCentres. The sampling method for the study was partly purposive and partlyavailability sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews andresponses obtained from the interviews were analyzed using descriptivestatistics and thematic content analysis. The main findings that emerged fromthe study were that participants appeared to have a clear understanding ofthe fact that income generating projects represented a government strategy tofight poverty, create jobs and uplift the standard of living of the poor.However, most participants were dissatisfied with the lack of clearly definedexpectations, planning and monitoring on the part of the Department of SocialDevelopment. Despite the fact that there were challenges and limitationsencountered by beneficiaries during implementation of the projects, theDevelopment Centre was perceived to be an effective service delivery modelfor alleviating poverty and enhancing the quality of life of beneficiaries. Theconclusion drawn was that income generating projects conducted at the twoDevelopment Centres seemed to be achieving their aims even though therewould seem to be room for improvement in terms of knowledge and skillsimparted and participation of beneficiaries in decision-making. These findingsare discussed in terms of their implications for Development Centres, theDepartment of Social Development, social work practice and future research.