Browsing by Author "Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    A qualitative study on South African policies governing youth access to alcohol
    (2025) Matee, Larona; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    Alcohol abuse among youth continues to be a major concern worldwide in the 21st century. It has been suggested in various studies that the age of onset is decreasing rapidly and that admissions to treatment centres are increasing as young people fall prey to substance abuse. This raises serious concerns as alcohol abuse is linked to adverse health outcomes such as physical and mental health problems, social and legal consequences, as well as economic burdens. Zwelihle, a township in Hermanus, is one such community that faces various social issues, including high rates of alcohol abuse amongst the youth. This study used a qualitative research design based on the interpretivist position. Data were collected from twenty participants using a semi-structured interview guide. Fifteen young participants (aged 18 to 35) took part in focus groups, and five professionals with experience working with Zwelihle's youth were interviewed one-on-one. Data were analyzed following Tesch's qualitative data analysis steps. The study results revealed that factors such as a lack of parental involvement, unemployment, socialisation and culture as well as the availability of limited recreational activities were identified to be prominent factors which led Zwelihle's youth to alcohol and the abuse thereof. Other factors, such as alcohol outlet concentration and density in Zwelihle were argued to be one of the factors that facilitates easy access to alcohol in Zwelihle. This is also caused by the plight which comes with heightened levels of unemployment in South Africa, which drives people to alcohol dependency to forget and escape their harsh realities, or people open shebeens as a response to the harsh economic realities. At the backdrop of these concerns were the various alcohol trading policies, which were said to be ineffective in regulating the alcohol trade, and which have resulted in almost every street in Zwelihle having someone trading in alcohol and selling it to young people. One of the reasons participants cited for the failing alcohol policies was due to unreliable law enforcement agencies who were perceived to be corrupt
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    An exploration of Cape Town's Early Childhood Development sector in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic: Challenges, experiences, and opportunities for social support
    (2023) Pearce, Claire; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    The early childhood development (ECD) sector, already vulnerable and inequality-ridden, has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, subsequent regulations, and implications. The Disaster Management Act, No. 57 of 2002, as amended in March 2020, imposed lockdown regulations to combat the spread of Covid-19. ECD programmes were closed by government from 18 March 2020; and only reopened from 6 July 2020 following ECD-sector litigation. This exacerbated existing, and posed new, socioeconomic challenges. To survive, the ECD sector adapted and sought social support, although the experiences thereof were varied. International research continuously emphasises the importance of quality ECD as critical for lifelong development and a nation's socioeconomic development (UNICEF, 2014); thus, a crippled ECD sector is of great concern in South Africa. This study explored Cape Town's ECD sector challenges and experiences in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the experiences of social support offered and opportunities for enhancing effective social support in the future. Undertaking a qualitative exploratory research design, 15 ECD-centre principals and five ECD non-profit staff participated in semi-structured interviews. The research found that Covid-19 regulations triggered a snowball effect of socioeconomic challenges. Among these include unemployment, income loss, difficulties in ECD-sector reopening, hunger, malnutrition, limited child stimulation, child abuse, gender-based violence, drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism and other criminal activity, as well as mental-health challenges affecting children, families and communities, including the ECD workforce. ECD centres were found to be a source of social support for the ECD workforce and serve as safe spaces for young children. Families, too, were found to provide critical support for children's development. During the pandemic, ECD NPOs have provided social support through information provision and capacity building. Government support included local government support, and grants and subsidies – yet, the study found that rather than support, these proved problematic with overly-cumbersome requirements, significant delays, and nonpayment. The research study showed ECD-sector social support following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic through communities and intersectoral collaboration, including food relief, ECD forums and activism. Opportunities for effective ECD-sector support that emerged from the data, and were highlighted by ECD principals and ECD non-profit staff, included recognition of ECD and the ECD sector, empowering families and communities, scaling NPO support, and ECD workforce skills development and capacity building.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    An Exploratory Study On The Monitoring And Evaluation Systems Of Non-Profit Organisations In The Western Cape
    (2023) Thesen, Leila; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    The implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation (herein referred to as M&E) activities and processes have become a critical tool for accountability, transparency and impact within NonProfit Organisations (herein referred to as NPOs) within South Africa. The study aimed to explore the implementation of M&E systems within NPOs in the Western Cape. The study utilised a qualitative exploratory research design as its purpose was to explore perceptions and experiences of NPOs within the Western Cape region. The sample size consisted of 16 NPOs. All participants were involved in M&E implementation within their organisations. Of the 16 NPOs represented, 5 were M&E personnel, 5 were CEOs/directors and 6 participants performed M&E duties as an added responsibility to their job titles. The study utilised a semi-structured interview guide for in-depth interviews that allowed for engagement between the researcher and participants. Furthermore, the study employed a thematic analysis for the qualitative data collected. The findings of the study showed that the perceptions of participants were influenced by various factors such as experience, training, and the M&E capacity of staff. Participants highlighted that M&E systems were implemented for programme implementation, accountability, and donor requirements. The experience of implementation was characterised by both positives and negatives which to varying degrees affected the implementation of the system. Challenges identified included system challenges; shortage of human and skilled resources as well as financial capacity to undertake M&E within organisations. Participants also highlighted M&E as a beneficial tool that allowed for programme support and implementation, accountability claims and funding opportunities. The findings from the research aims to contribute to the knowledge of M&E within NPOs. It is intended that the study's findings will contribute to the practice of M&E within NPOs as well as the research available on this field of study.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Exploring how NPO leaders maintained effective organisational performance amid the Covid-19 pandemic
    (2023) Mncube, Thembekile; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    For an organisation to function effectively and accomplish its goals, it must have effective leaders, who can lead the organisation towards the fulfilment of its objectives. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the organisational performance of companies and NPOs across the globe, and it was the responsibility of organisation leaders to develop strategic action plans for how to maintain the achievement of their goals during these turbulent times. In this study, a qualitative research design was utilised to explore how NPO leaders maintained effective organisational performance amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders from a sample of 16 non-profit organisations, based in the Western Cape, were purposively selected to voluntarily participate in the study by means of a virtual interview. According to the findings of this study, the leaders were responsible and effective which contributed to the maintenance of positive organisational performance. The Covid-19 crisis led organisations to suffer from financial issues and made it difficult for organisations to function virtually. Conversely, working virtually created hybrid working conditions that participants appreciated. Participants were resilient and agile, they empowered and motivated employees and clearly articulated their plans and worked with their colleagues, stakeholders, and partners, which contributed to participants meeting their goals and maintaining operations. It is recommended that leaders implement solutions, such as ensuring a wide pool of funders to mitigate the issue of NPOs struggling financially amid any crisis. Furthermore, the provincial government, through the Department of Social Development, should assist NPOs to develop financial sustainability plans that may be implemented to assist them in achieving financial sustainability.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Factors influencing employee turnover and retention strategies in the non-profit sector in Cape Town
    (2021) Myburgh, Michelle; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    Employee turnover can have devastating consequences on an organisation's efficiency and productivity, as it has cost implications, affects the human and social capital investment of an organisation, and can lead to employee burnout. Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) provide valuable services in South Africa by addressing social and economic development issues. Should NPOs have a high employee turnover, it can impact their sustainability, growth, and performance. Consequently, this can influence the contribution they make to the social and economic development of the country. Retention strategies are used to prevent and combat employee turnover, with the aim of increasing organisational performance and sustainability. Therefore, the study sought to identify and explore the factors that lead to employee voluntary and involuntary turnover, the retention strategies NPOs use, and the effectiveness of these strategies. The study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach. The quantitative phase of this approach involved identifying current trends relating to staff turnover and retention strategies used by NPOs in Cape Town. The key themes that emerged through the quantitative phase of the study were explored in more depth by the qualitative phase of the study, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute towards employee turnover and the retention strategies used to retain employees. The study's population was staff in leadership and/or management positions (CEO/Director and Human Resource Manager) at NPOs that provide social development services in Cape Town. The non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample from the population for the quantitative phase of the study, of which 40 NPOs responded. The nonprobability purposive sampling technique was again used to draw a sample of 8 participants from the quantitative responses to participate in the qualitative phase of the study. The main findings of the research suggest that NPOs are aware that leadership styles and practices, and organisation culture and cohesiveness are strong contributing factors that lead to voluntary turnover, low performance, and deviant behaviour. NPOs experience that a goaldirected and people-orientated culture implemented by transformational leaders and organisational cohesive practices that make it clear what is expected of employees are the most effective ways of increasing employee motivation, satisfaction, commitment, and performance. Although these are strong retention practices, NPOs experience funding as a huge barrier to retain staff and implement retention strategies. In addition, NPOs implement strong stress reducing practices to address the emotional and psychological stress and burnout that is associated with NPO work. NPOs have a high focus on providing their employees with training and development opportunities to increase their performance but lack the ability to promote employees due to the size of the organisation. The findings suggest that NPOs are aware of the organisational factors that impact employees' performance, behaviour, and desire to leave. The effectiveness of retention strategies used by NPOs can be increased by addressing the barriers that prevent NPOs from implementing retention strategies.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Factors promoting the education of pregnant high school students and adolescent mothers: A qualitative comparative study in Argentina and South Africa
    (2025) Alvarez, Almada Adriana; Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne
    Adolescent pregnancy represents a significant challenge in Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa, often leading to girls dropping out of school, limiting their future opportunities. This study explored positive factors on the school retention of high school pregnant learners and adolescent mothers in Argentina and South Africa, focusing on school and NGO strategies relevant to development contexts. This study used a qualitative research approach with an exploratory design and employed purposive sampling techniques. Five NGO staff in Argentina and four in South Africa, as well as four school staff in Argentina and four in South Africa, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data analysis followed Tesch's steps for organising unstructured qualitative data, where transcripts were reviewed to identify and categorise themes by frequency, relevance, and connections, and then compared across both countries. The research findings revealed that structural issues, such as poverty and lack of access to social services, increase dropout risks for adolescent mothers, along with inadequate support from school and their broader environments. Prevention strategies in both countries include sexual reproductive education, raising awareness, and support networks. In South Africa, additional efforts emphasise providing information and parenting skills, while in Argentina, the focus is on early identification of learners' needs and the school provision of accommodations. Finally, the study found that positive experiences were determined by a support network, and customised and comprehensive support. In South Africa, fostering a sense of purpose emerged as a significant factor, and in Argentina, the flexibility in re-entry policies results in educational engagement. Recommendations provided were for schools, NGOs, and policymakers to create strong support networks, and adapt schools'systems to accommodate the diverse needs of learners. Future research should focus on the needs of adolescent fathers, flexible approaches in schools, and strategies for academic success of pregnant learners and adolescent mothers. In summary, this research study has provided insight into the determinants that facilitate the schooling of pregnant learners and adolescent mothers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The role of corporate social investment in supporting early childhood development in South Africa
    (2013) Van Niekerk, Lauren-Jayne; Smit, Andre de V
    This research study, The Role of Corporate Social Investment in Supporting Early Childhood Development in South Africa, explored the role of and the degree to which, corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives in South Africa support early childhood development (ECD). Trends of CSI expenditure in ECD over time were examined, as well as the motivations for investment in the ECD sector. A key intention of this study was to establish the benefits of corporate investment in the ECD sector, and to discover how the ECD sector can tap into more CSI funding in the future. This study adopted a quantitative methodology and made use of an online survey tool (SurveyGizmo) to gather information from both the CSI and ECD Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) sectors in South Africa. The sample populations consisted of CSI initiatives of 500 of South Africa's best managed companies from the TOPCO Media: Top500 publication, and 62 ECD NPOs in South Africa from a database developed by one of the leading ECD NPOs in South Africa, Centre for Early Childhood Development (Atmore, 2012).