Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 15.1
Benefits of ARISE as identified by the ARISE employees
Use of additional income
Changes in social well-being
No.
No.
Item
respondents
%
respondents
%
More and better food
42
86
Take care of family
14
29
Acquire new/better
Gained self-respect
4
8
clothes
35
71
Improved health
3
6
Pay school fees
26
53
Changes in friends since
Furniture and house-
ARISE:
hold equipment
20
41
—Unchanged
25
51
Building house
10
20
—Gained new friends
TV/DVD player
4
8
and lost none
21
43
Burial society
3
6
—Lost friends and have
new friends
3
6
• Thirty-one percent complained of being dependent on others, mostly family.
• Twenty-nine percent cited a shortage of money.
• Ten percent complained of not having a job.
The respondents were also asked to indicate how ARISE had changed their liveli-
hoods and general well-being for better or worse. More than 50 percent of the respon-
dents indicated that they benefited from ARISE by being able to buy more and better
food and clothes, and that the income obtained from ARISE enabled them to pay
their children's school fees (table 15.1). Twenty-nine percent of the respondents indi-
cated that their social well-being had improved since the income obtained enabled
them to take care of their family. Only 6 percent of the respondents indicated that they
have lost friends due to the project since they now work and earn an income while
their friends do not. By contrast, 43 percent indicated that they had gained new
friends as a result.
Other indirect benefits included the availability of vegetables—these were pro-
duced by ARISE employees and on sale from the nursery. The respondents indicated
that their average monthly family income, that is the salary received from ARISE and
all possible other revenues, mainly subsidies from government and income from fam-
ily members, was R1,550 (US$155). This translates to an average daily income of
$5.30 per household; prior to ARISE, the average was $2.20. ARISE, therefore, in-
creased average household income by 130 percent. Because every household has an
average of six and a half members, the per capita income of R236 (US$23.60) per per-
son per month or $0.79 per day after ARISE began was still low, but it was nearly
double the per capita income before the program began. Although income levels
remained very low in absolute terms, the relative contribution of ARISE was mean-
ingful. This is highlighted by all respondents indicating that they were satisfied with
their daily work and by 89 percent indicating that they would like to work for ARISE
until retirement. ARISE also contributed to the training of employees, thereby im-
proving its own performance and the likelihood of employees finding alternative em-
ployment (table 15.2).
