An evaluation of service effectiveness of selected refugee service providers in urban and surrounding areas of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Thousands of refugees fleeing from surrounding war-torn and destitute African countries come to South Africa hoping to live in safety. Refugee service providers play a major role in providing services to help refugees to rebuild their lives and integrate into South African society. The article investigated issues facing refugees in South Africa, particularly in central Cape Town. It aimed in general to determine how effective refugee service providers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), namely the Agency for Refugee Education, Skills Training and Advocacy (ARESTA), the Cape Town Refugee Centre (CTRC) and the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town (SCCT) assist them in overcoming the hardships of being unprepared in a foreign country, and whether their clients are satisfied with their services. The objectives of the article were to identify the kinds of programmes offered and how they are delivered; to explore refugees’ perceptions about services offered by refugee service providers in Cape Town; to identify the service providers’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT); and to develop and provide a framework for refugee service providers in Cape Town to improve their service delivery. The article also examined how sharing, or not sharing information affects the efficacy of services such as education, vocational skills and self-reliance projects.