A biblical approach to poverty alleviation : a case study of Pinelands Methodist Church, phambili ngeThemba's community building efforts through job creation in Langa township

Abstract

The purpose of this research project was to determine an appropriate intervention to assist in bringing transformation to the poverty-stricken community of Langa, Cape Town, South Africa. Intense poverty is a fact of life for almost 3 billion people in the world, a figure which includes approximately 50 per cent of the South African population. The Bible gives clear instruction mandating care for ‘the poor’. Therefore, those claiming to follow the teaching of Scripture must make poverty alleviation a priority. Phambili ngeThemba began as an intervention in the Langa Township community to discover ways to engage with issues around poverty. Research facilitated by Learn to Earn, a non-profit organization offering skills training and job creation, was done to understand if individual and community development was necessary and, if so, how it could be structured as a method to alleviate poverty in the Langa Community. Both quantitative and qualitative research was undertaken. Through random proportionate sampling in a thorough needs analysis of the businesses in and around Langa, the ideal character qualities desired by local business for the workforce were elicited. These were traits that could be developed in unemployed people. Use of basic questionnaires and oral feedback by three selected focus groups comprised of Langa residents enabled evaluation of local human service resources and identification of the felt needs in the community. The Priority Index (P-Index) research technique distinguished between the actual needs of the community and their perceived needs or wants. The results became the training foundation for the Zanokhanyo Training and Resource Centre, providing holistic development for the unemployed to equip them for placement in the workforce. Copyright