NGOs and social development : an assessment of the participants' perceptions of the effects of World Changers Academy's life skills education program, eThekwini Municipality.

Abstract

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

In South Africa, young people are faced with many challenges such as HIV/AIDS, unemployment, poverty, and access to secure education and skills. In that context, NGOs involved in youth development, through their social intervention programs, can serve as platforms that can help to mitigate some of these social scourges. This research was set out to assess the participants’ perceptions of the effects of World Changers Academy’s life skills program. World Changers Academy (WCA) is a local NGO that operates in the eThekwini Municipality with the aim of empowering young people for life success through life skills-based education. Data were collected through interviews and a focus group discussion at YMCA, Durban and at WCA’s Leadership Centre in Shongweni. According to the findings, many participants perceived that the program was beneficial because it has helped them to increase their knowledge, to develop values and good attitudes, to acquire some job preparation skills, and some other critical skills that will potentially help them to cope better with the challenges they faced regularly.