INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Community Development Association is a well established student-run society at Edgewood campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, whose main function is to raise social awareness on critical issues such as HIV/Aids and develop schools engagement in matters related to literacy, leadership and extra curricular activities.
The CDA was founded in 2002 through the Masakhane Youth Leadership Course, an annual youth leadership course that focuses on the training of grade 11 disadvantaged school leaders on youth leadership for seven days at a higher education institution. In 2002 Masakhane operated as an organisation on its own and only had seven members and 25 learners who participated in the course. In 2003, the founder, Dr Thabo Msibi, decided to form a debating club that would focus on developing debating among previously disadvantaged level throughout the province of KwaZulu-Natal. In the same year he also decided to start another organisation looking at the provision of bursaries to disadvantaged schools. At that stage he was chairperson to all three of the organizations. In 2004 he decided to call all the members of the three organizations to a conference where he laid down his vision to have one organisation, with multiple arms and multiple projects targeting disadvantaged schools across KwaZulu-Natal, and South Africa at large. The proposal was approved by all present. The new organisation was called the Community Development Association (CDA) and a new structure was proposed.
The CDA has grown from strength to strength since its formal formation in 2004. Through principles of hard work, accountability and volunteerism, the organisation has been identified as a flagship organisation with regards to student outreach projects. As it stands, the organisation operates in three campuses at UKZN. It has over 300 members and works with hundreds of schools annually.
Founder & Lecturer (UKZN): Mr. Thabo Msibi
AIM
The aim of the Community Development Association is to mobilize and develop student leaders around social issues whilst uplifting learners from disadvantaged schools namely, rural and urban township schools.
Objectives
Our objectives are two-fold, i.e. for university students and learners and schools.
Learners and schools:
To develop, educate, inform and reawaken disadvantaged schools, teachers and learners through leadership, development, literacy and awareness projects.
To offer groundbreaking and innovative projects that will uplift disadvantaged learners and schools.
To form links between the University, Faculty of Education and the disadvantaged schooling communities.
To provide additional support for schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in terms of finance and resources.
To be the key specialists in school development and outreach in the University, the region, the province and indeed the country at large.
To provide the South African youth with exemplary youth driven initiatives that will encourage and demonstrate the possibilities available in South Africa.
To facilitate change and offer services needed by different schools.
University students:
To provide a forum for the exchange of views and ideas and to promote fellowship amongst members.
To be the leading student community engagement and outreach society within the University.
To develop student-teachers to have independence and gain fundraising skills necessary for their future occupations.
To foster and promote a culture of personal and emotional growth in student-teachers.