The Social Responsibility Program is a non-core Program under the Office of the Speaker, which was established in 2004 to enable the Office of the Speaker to make interventions and provide any support to initiatives made by individuals or organizations which have a potential to ensure their self-sustainability and creation of opportunities for others.
The Program is biased towards initiatives with potential to make positive socio-economic impact. Though the interventions are at a small scale, the feedback from beneficiaries shows that the interventions are highly appreciated and desperately needed.
The Program is sustained through partnerships with the private sector, provincial departments and Non-Governmental Organizations(NGOs).
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OBJECTIVES
The Objectives of the program are the following:
- To make or facilitate interventions or any form of support to deserving individuals, households or organizations.
- To enhance partnerships between the legislature, Non-Governmental Organizations, provincial departments and private sector in tackling socio-economic challenge facing our communities.
- To create space for the legislature to respond to urgent or emergency situations and complement the work of provincial departments or partner with them.
- To inculcate a culture of self-sustainability among communities, particularly women and youth through providing support to their viable cooperatives.
- To leave a legacy for the legislature in all communities where it has hosted its outreach Programs.
APPROACH METHODOLOGY
The Program is rolled out in two approaches
1. Social Responsibility Program as part of Outreach Programs
The Speakerâs Social Responsibility Program is linked to the Legislature Outreach Program (Sectoral Parliaments and TLTPs). For every outreach Program, the leadership of the hosting region is engaged to identify an organization which is involved in humanitarian projects which benefits the community. This culminates to a visit to the organization to verify its legitimacy and to establish the kind of activities it is involved in and determine the kind of intervention to be made.
2. Request driven interventions
The Office of the Speaker receive requests for support and other interventions from individuals, households and organization. These requests are screened and the necessary interventions are made where it is justifiable to do so.
The Office of the Speaker receive requests for support and other interventions from individuals, households and organization. These requests are screened and the necessary interventions are made where it is justifiable to do so.
AREAS OF FOCUS
The Program focuses primarily on interventions pertaining to education and social services
1. Education: This involves non-academic support including, donation of uniforms, computers, school furniture, sanitary pads, organizing summits to engage on strategies to improve education, organizing debates as part of enhancing leadership skills etc.
2. Social Services: This involves any interventions that provide relief to deserving individuals or households including, donation of desperately needed items to needy individuals, households, homes, building of houses for destitute families and support in referring people to relevant institutions of departments where they receive assistance, organizing cultural activities, fun-runs, marathons etc.
SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES
Successes
The Program impacts where it matters most since the beneficiaries are identified through local structures with firsthand information about their status.
The Program complements the War Room Program in attending to urgent and emergency situations, particularly on bread and butter issues.
Through the Program, the legislature can obtain information pertaining to the situation on the ground and refer issues to relevant departments and portfolio committee and this enhances oversight.
Through the SSR Program, the legislature produces the newsletter three times a year which is distributed during outreach Program and in delivered into municipalities.
Challenges
The Office receives a huge number of requests from individuals and organizations hence the office is unable to meet the demand.
Thank You.
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