An evaluation of service effectiveness of selected refugee service providers in urban and surrounding areas of the Cape Town Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Thousands of refugees fleeing from surrounding war-torn and destitute African countries come to South Africa hoping to live in safety. Refugee service providers play a major role in providing services to help refugees achieve self-sufficiency soon after entering the country, and the support and assistance required to rebuild their lives and integrate into South African society. The study investigated issues facing refugees in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, and how service providers assist them in overcoming the hardships of being unprepared in a foreign country. The researcher followed a mixed methods approach, implementing both qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore services provided to refugees in Cape Town by three refugee service providers, namely the Agency for Refugee Education, Skills Training and Advocacy (ARESTA), Cape Town Refugee Centre (CTRC) and Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town (SCCT). Quantitative data was collected by administering a survey questionnaire to 120 refugees, all clients of the selected service providers, to obtain their perceptions about the services they receive. The researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with senior staff of two of the service providers to gain insight into the services offered and challenges they face in assisting their clients. The study revealed that the majority of clients received assistance, with 75 percent of respondents reporting having received assistance and only 6.67 percent reporting not having received the requested assistance. However, some who had received services indicated too few services were on offer for them to choose from; they took what was offered although these may not have been what they really required. Reasons some refugees do not get services include lack of proper documentation and problems related to the non-availability of the services required by refugees. This is largely due to insufficient funding to provide needed services, and results in refugee service providers either serving only a few people or providing insufficient aid. The study highlights good practices, suggests improvements and concludes with recommendations for the key stakeholders concerned.