The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has been hailed as one of the government’s initiatives to alleviate poverty.The EPWP has, over the past 22 years, created more than 14 million work opportunities, making it the largest continuous public employment program in the world. This success is realized through continuous partnerships with the private sector and civil society.
These work opportunities have contributed to skills development for the participants, as shared by Thato Makofane, who used to be a caregiver at Ikusasa Lethu Care Centre in Freedom Park, South of Johannesburg.Makofane started at the centre in 2003, visiting people living with HIV and making sure they got proper assistance. At the time, we were not getting any stipends. Along the way, the City of Johannesburg launched a program called Ijozi ihlomile, and that’s when we started getting stipends.
He says, “Working through this programme, I gained experience and there was an opportunity from the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance where I was appointed as a Community Development Worker (CDW).”Ikusasa Lethu Youth Project (ILYP) is a registered Non-Profit Organisation established in September 2002 and based in Freedom Park, Johannesburg. The organization was founded to address the growing social and economic challenges faced by vulnerable communities, particularly orphaned and vulnerable children, youth-headed households, homeless individuals, elderly persons, and disadvantaged families.
For more than two decades, ILYP has implemented community-based programs focused on social support services, youth empowerment, homelessness interventions, and dignity restoration for vulnerable individuals. Through partnerships with government departments, development partners, and community stakeholders, the organization continues to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities across Johannesburg.The organisation prides itself on having produced professionals such as nurses, social workers, retail managers, and accredited security guards.
On Tuesday, the Gauteng Department of Social Development officials from the HIV & EPWP Directorate visited the organisation to assess its work and their books.The Expanded Public Works Programme is a social intervention designed to help people put food on the table. The programme is necessary because South Africa has a high unemployment rate, and people need to be skilled to go out and obtain employment.EPWP has four sectors, and each one of these sectors is important. The purpose of EPWP is to develop skills to assist people in obtaining employment.
Phase 5 improvements focus on stronger coordination, fair and effective recruitment across all target groups, a clear exit strategy, and expanding the programme to reach more unemployed people, particularly young people. EPWP is open to anyone who is not receiving another social grant.