OUR PROGRAMME AND WORK
Overview of Programmes
Following several organisation assessments (including a recently completed Child Right Situation Assessment and Endline[1]) and strategic reflection processes, which aimed to assess the alignment our work with the social and economic challenges of the communities we work in, our focus on youth, children and building a new cadre of community development activists emerged. These processes highlighted that our innovative in mental health, youth and children´s programmes are in line with South Africa´s national development challenges and goals. Thus, for the three-year period 2023-2025, Sinani’s programme work will concentrate on the following aspects:
- Community-based support to children and teenagers and their families
- Youth development, including meaningful ways to ensure the inclusion and active participation of youth in their community and economy
- Building environment of co-existence and equipping people to deal with current and past traumatic experience and dealing with mental and physical health challenges at community level.
Through these programmes, the cross-cutting themes of personal development, leadership development, peace building, dealing with trauma, health, gender equality and active citizenry will remain. We will also continue to focus on the development of people linked to a wider collective, for example those involved in community-based organisations or youth organisations, community leaders or community health workers connected to government departments. This focus is based on our belief that individuals are best placed to be change makers within their spheres of influence.
Sinani prioritises genuinely collaborative community partnerships which promote ownership and sustainable participation. Tools we use during our programme implementation to support this include a combination of:
- Consultation with leadership and community-based structures
- Baseline assessment visits is introduced to solicit real needs
- Residential training workshops allows for a deeper personal and group process of development
- Practical training workshops which provide learning and practice opportunities
- Accredited training in Victim Empowerment and community facilitation
- Community based mentorship and follow up visits to implement the practical aspects of the learning topics
Central to our programme work is our team of skilled and experienced Community Development Facilitators (CDF). There are currently 8 CDF working with approximately 12 communities each. The CDF do not work with a specific target group but rather support individuals and groups within communities to identify their needs and develop a response.
[1] Both these documents are available on request from partners