Living water ministries is a Non-profit Organization in Oyster Bay focussing on providing clean drink water to rural communities of the Eastern Cape and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They conduct regular outreach projects to Transkei, Gamtoos Valley and villages in and around St Francis Bay, Oyster Bay, Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay.

More information is available on their website Living Water Ministries.co.za

Africa has very interesting community development opportunities. Volunteers from all over the world are working in community development positions all over Africa. Their main aims are to address issues like poverty, disaster, health, HIV/AIDS, hunger and development aid.

Street Children

The Joshua Project in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa is one of these projects who is supported by volunteers. This project work specifically with street kids. The Joshua Project is a safe haven for vulnerable children and children living on the street where they receive love, support, education, and training. Through consistent relationships and education-based programs, we seek to help these children to realize and develop their unique talents; to become healthy, responsible adults and a productive part of the work force and community; and most importantly, to discover their value as a child of God created for a specific purpose.
The project’s main focus is to ” M.E.N.D.” the children.
M=Mentor
E=Educate
N=Nurture
D=Disciple

Project Goals:

• To be an agent of restoration and instrumental in children’s emotional healing
• To teach these children skills and develop their individual gifts
• Nurturing these children
• To appeal to community churches, business and organisations to take serious interest in the spiritual health of the kids
• To teach and develop the children to become literate and successful in life
• Develop fully equipped staff and programs
• To see street children free from drug abuse

Between 40-60 children which include vulnerable children who either live on the street or spend most of their time on the street as well as at risk children from the Pellsrus community visit the project daily from Mondays to Fridays.

The tools we use to do this are:

Physical Care,                                  Arts and Crafts

Education and Life Skills,              Skills Training                      ABET

A nutricious breakfast and lunch is provided to all the chilren who are part of  the educareprogram. We also give them the opportunity to take a shower and provide clean clothes.

Education and Life Skills

School is a normal thing most people go through when they’re young . People learn to read and write there and learn many other subjects. The kids of the Joshua Project school are 10-18 years of age and have never been to that kind of school, so sometimes they can’t read or write. This is not their only problem. “  We educate and train them so they can transfer to a regular high school or trade school. Some will attend only our school before they start to work. What a privilege to help these kids with the skills that will enable them to make their dreams come true. ”

Arts and Crafts

In the afternoons activities are organized for the children in the age of 6-15 who live in the community
a few activities are:

• drama
• music
• painting
• woodcraft

Skills Training

The goal is to give learners exposure to the different fields of trade such as carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical and mechanics. The Joshua Project will not become another training center but only a stepping stone to guide learners from an unskilled position to a semi-skilled level. The goal is to identify learners and to show them basic skills and if they are interested, they can enter the formal trade schools.

The aim is to establish a Father-child relationship between the teacher and learner as they work together and learn together. So as a father teach his sons basic skills like using a hammer, changing tap washers, changing a tyre etc, the Joshua Project wants to teach the children basic skills and with that build relationships and trust and therefore developing the child’s character.

For more information click here for Joshua Project

Sociology not only for Academics

The science of Sociology is often called a boring science by students. This tendency is mainly caused by the fact that many of the advocates of Sociology believe that it is only an academic science. They therefore teach all the theories and history of Sociology but never come to the application thereof. Students then tend to take the subject as an easy additional subject to make up their credits for a degree and then forget about Sociology’s existence a month after graduation.

Sociology is for the real world

Sociology is actually a vibrant and highly applicable science to the challenges of our different communities today. We need more sociologists to work within the International Planning Arena, National Government Structures, Non Governmental Organizations and the Private Sector. University lecturers should focus more on the development of applicable methods of social planning and modern social research. There is definitely a lack of social data, especially in third world – and developing countries.

For example, the only available demographic data In South Africa is the data from 2001, totally outdated. The only other sources of information can be found in Integrated Development Plans (IDP’s), Local Economic Development Plans (LED’s) or Spatial Development Frameworks (SDF’s). These plans are not always compiled in a professional scientific manner and are not necessarily informative or statistically correct.

Social Impact Assessments

One of the new developments in social planning is Social Impact Assessments (SIA) as part of Environmental Impact Assessments. This is required by many Governments as environmental and social policy.

Social Planning

If the promoters of Sociology want to get to the forefront of these developments, they should act quickly for Environmentalists and Project Engineers are taking over the development of this science. We can study old theories and practices but Sociology must start exploring current populations, develop new applicable and practical methods of social planning and as a result be part of the planning of the future.

Sociologist the promoter of Sociology

Sociologists must come forward as specialist consultants and give expert advice to city planners, engineers, policy makers and developers. It is indeed possible to have a career in the field of Sociology and to earn a living as a Sociologist.

Need more information?

Contact Willie Oosthuizen for more information on the application of Sociology to Community Development, Local Government Planning and Policy, Business and Counselling.

We are committed to promote sociology as a social science and to show it’s practical use in the work place.

The greatest challenge for the sociologist is to put social theory into practice. Many scholars feel that sociology is only reserved for academics and leave it to the ranks of professors and lecturers at universities. But the sociologist could bring valuable contributions to the table.

Sociologist in practice

Sociologists are much needed at policy level as specialists in their field of social behaviour. The world need the social scientist to formulate strategies and methods of handling various future challenges. We are involved in various fields of practice like socio-economic impact studies, social impact studies, disaster management, socio-economic profile studies, social counselling, team building, organizational behaviour as well as various research projects.

Your views on practical sociology

Use sociologist.co.za to post your views and comments on social behaviour and social science. Remember, we focus on practical ways to implement the science of sociology.