Communities needs assessments for bid submission

The brief was to carry out detailed community needs assessments in the towns adjacent to a wind and solar PV facility. This was done by finding the relevant communities and the statutory as well as non-statutory organisations that function within them to form a basis for the development of a high-level stakeholder matrix from which to conduct an initial needs analysis of potential areas identified for intervention including environmental, education, healthcare, skills development, and enterprise development.

The needs assessments were successfully concluded with appropriate project plans and with minimal disruption to the communities, and subsequently, both projects that were supported were successful bidders into the REIPP bid window round four of the South African renewable energy programme. Due care was taken not to increase community expectations of the arrival of mass jobs and socio-economic opportunities once the facilities were awarded preferred bidder status.

Primary school pupil on recess in a rural community in the Northern Cape.

Community needs assessments Northern Cape

The REIPPPP uniquely incorporates fundamental socio-economic development objectives to which bidders of the programme are required to adhere to.

AltGen needed to conduct community needs assessments in 3 different district municipalities of the Northern Cape. We provided in-depth reports on the status of the beneficiary communities as well as highlighted potential opportunities for the client’s ED strategies that were unique to the territory. AltGen went into these communities as a neutral party with no affiliation to any entity or programme which allowed us to provide an unbiased depiction of the holistic community needs.

This project entailed that the AltGen Research Consultants spent hands-on time in the communities, understanding the nuances of how they operate and engaging with various stakeholders, from police to social workers, to educators right through to SME entrepreneurs, public servants and local community members. As objective bystanders – we needed to see how these communities operated as a whole, and where room for improvement lay open. The objective of this project was to acquire useful and real needs requirements/necessities of the communities from a generalised LSM scale, of those most in need.

Our goal was to provide unbiased – insight for impactful measures that would aid the potential communities while ensuring transparent communication with the potential benefactors. As a neutral party, our partners and networks in the industry have benefited from AltGen connecting key players with similar goals to one another.

At the end of the day, it’s all about making a difference – AltGen’s impact is through people. The networks we foster, the relationships we establish and the ideas we share. Every human being desterves the right to clean water, energy and education. At the end of the day, its us – PEOPLE. that create a SUSTAINABLE. future for us all.

Northern Cape Community Needs Assessment
Children's shoes are cleaned and left out to dry at an orphanage.
Youth-Disparity-in-the-Northern-Cape-Community-Needs
The Northern Cape tends to display an alarming disparity between youth versus aged.