Continuing Education for Africa (cefa) as an organisation that strives to holistically improve the lives of people in Africa. We are a successful organization with a sound track record in the education and training of Social Auxiliary Workers. Training is aimed at addressing the critical social issues that confront marginalized communities on a daily basis, thereby reducing their suffering and bringing holistic solutions to these communities in Africa. We do this through carefully designed and registered community training programmes. cefa is able to demonstrate how this training has made a difference to the lives of people in many communities within South
Africa. Clearly we cannot achieve this on our own and therefore need the support of partner organisations to achieve ongoing success. If you desire a formal and successful education partner in Africa we would very much like to invite you to partner with us. We invite you to read further.

South Africa’s social fabric has become increasingly frayed at the edges over the years and is constantly under serious threat of unraveling completely from a variety of issues such as crime, unemployment, retrenchment, violence (particularly against women and children), drugs, divorce, orphaned and vulnerable children to name but a few. It would be fair to say that the situation has the potential to deteriorate further in the present economic climate and so these issues must be addressed practically and with haste. cefa has decided rather than be a spectator to participate in a positive way and do something concrete to make a difference and has already begun to do so!

The Need:
It is estimated that there are around 28 million people in SA that are presently dependent of some aspect of social services or interventions or another. These interventions are mainly managed by social workers, supported by social auxiliary workers. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that there is a drastic shortage of approximately 60 000 social and social auxiliary workers in South Africa. The Department of Labour recently published a document known as the National Scarce Skills List: 2007 (Dept of labour 2007) in which social work and social auxiliary work was declared a scarce as well as a critical skill. It is a known fact that many of those seeking support will not get it if this situation is not addressed correctly and efficiently. cefa has a unique solution to this burning issue and has addressed the situation in the following manner:

The Solution:
In an effort to address the shortfall of qualified social workers and social auxiliary workers the model developed by cefa is one that offers social auxiliary training to trainees already in the employ of social services organizations. The model encompasses registered training supported by a strong mentor and coaching programme. In conjunction with the training of learners, members of the community are identified and trained as facilitators as well as mentors and coaches. The principle of "training at the workplace" ensures that learners are trained whilst they continue to work so that they remain economically secure and at the same time gain valuable practical experience from indigenous mentors that are trusted by their communities.

The Advantages:
The training period offered by cefa is much shorter than that offered by an institution of higher learning – one year versus 3 years. In the period of one year, the learners acquire a qualification whilst at the same time gain experience in the workplace which greatly enhances their knowledge and skills thereby preparing them to understand and manage the requirements of the job.

This training offers learners a career path in a professional field. These trained social auxiliary workers become, in most cases, the foot soldiers who have a broader reach into communities that require competent resources to deal with the social issues that confront them on an ever increasing scale.

Another benefit is the low cost of training. This sort of training is much cheaper than professional training. Training at an institution of higher learning is in the region of R40 000 (plus additional costs) per year over a period of three to four years. In contrast, the training of a group of approximately 30 social auxiliary workers costs in the region of R30 000 per person for one year. In the event of training a group of 60 trainees means costs reduce significantly to around R26 000 per learner per year.

Impact:
One social auxiliary worker has the potential to reach and support 100 people in a year. To date, cefa has trained in the region of 1 300 social auxiliary workers who have reached approximately 130 000 people needing social support. Our organisation has had a remarkable success record in the training of large numbers of learners in various venues around South Africa. Testament to our success is the fact that in 2008 cefa received an Institution of Sectoral or Occupational Excellence (ISOE) award which is a clear signal that our training is impacting on communities in need and has been recognized by the sector.

Conclusion:
In order for our country to flourish economically, socially and environmentally, everybody has to become engaged in the upliftment of those in need in order to create healthy, viable, safe communities. We therefore invite you to become a partner of cefa and play a meaningful role in meeting the critical social needs of marginalized communities.