Alien Species.vp - IUCN

Transformation and Empowerment
Empowerment of the historically disadvantaged is a huge challenge in this transitional society.
The WfW Programme focused implementation on several key principles demonstrating its
commitment to poverty relief and people development. Projects are not approved unless labour
intensive clearing or rehabilitation methods are used. Unemployed contractors and the workers
are selected from the most marginalised and poor in the community. Single female-headed
households rank the highest for job opportunities. This is also balanced with the employment of
youth and disabled generally marginalised and in dire need of development opportunities.
Employment statistics for the 1999/2000 financial year demonstrates this clearly, with 56%
women, 23% youth between the ages of 16 and 25 and 1% disabled having been employed.
The programme also acknowledges that creating disposable household income does not
automatically translate into economic emancipation. Encouraging a culture of life-long
learning and pursuing accreditation, an integrated skills development programme is a core part
of the package you sign up for when taking a job with the programme. Its education and training
programme’s primary focus is functional and technical skills training for invasive alien
clearing operations. In addition emphasis is placed on essential life- and business skills
development. During the past year 884 emerging contractors were trained (33% were women,
10% youth and 0.5% disabled. Fifteen percent of these are collective business models).
Training and development programmes are developed on the principles of an exit strategy
for contractors and workers. The Emerging Contractor Development Programme aims at
transferring skills that will enable workers and contractors to tender for independent clearing
contracts with landowners. They could also choose to get involved in the service and hospitality
industries like selling consumer goods and the tourism industry. The Secondary Industry
Development Programme will focus on skills and market development towards the long-term
sustainability and survival of workers.
The programme further developed a partnership with the Homeless Peoples Federation who
works with local groups actively encouraging workers to contribute towards savings schemes.
Contractors and workers are encouraged to save. Training in personal finance and budgeting is
a core component of the savings programmes. Groups are encouraged to explore enterprise
development as an alternative source for future income. Group savings are currently used
mainly for funding education and the purchasing of goods and services.
Transformation and change is not only required in terms of people development. The
programme is therefore fostering a culture of collective governance. The programme and its
implementing agents work closely with local communities. Civil society is encouraged to own
the problems of clearing invasive alien plants individually and collectively. Programme
management insists on local organisational participation and the established steering forum at
project level serves as a project reference group, guiding the implementation process and
keeping it relevant to local conditions.
Social relevance
The WfW Programme constantly strives for social relevance, integrating key initiatives
demonstrating this commitment to the workers and the beneficiary communities. Development
interventions are not entered into unless there are clear long-term sustainability factors built
into the interventions. Key examples of some of the programmes are:
■ HIV/AIDS Programmes. In its second year of implementation, an HIV/AIDS
workplace and community-based programme is implemented with the total
commitment and support from the Department of Health. Core activities are an
awareness programme on the spread of HIV/AIDS, condom distribution and facilitating
access to voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and testing.
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Human dimensions of invasive alien species