Solar heating system for a home for the disabled

Pevensey Place aspires to create a happy and safe environment resulting in a productive, purposeful life for cerebral palsied and similarly afflicted adults.

OVERVIEW

Pevensey Place is a residential farm for 76 adults with cerebral palsy situated at the foot of the Southern Drakensberg. The farm operates on a Kibbutz system, where residents are responsible for tasks suited to their abilities. Thirty-two staff also live at the farm and provide the necessary care and support to the residents. Examples of tasks include working with cattle and chickens on the farm; assisting other residents with more severe disabilities; or helping in the kitchen and the laundry. Pevensey believes that these activities serve to give residents a sense of purpose and self-worth.

Pevensey Place has decided to convert its whole heating system to renewable energy in order to avoid the frequent power cuts and increasing cost of electricity. The conversion will start with the installation of four of the 13 units required for the several buildings that accommodate the residents. The four units will serve specifically identified areas that use the most power, namely the ladies bathrooms and the farm’s kitchen and laundry.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• The supply of electricity to Pevensey Place is unreliable and escalating in cost. This project will make the home more self-sufficient and reduce costs.
• Solar energy is a clean and sustainable source of power.
• The home will save money on electricity, which can be used to provide better care for the residents.

EXPECTED LIFE CHANGE

An investment of R56,300 will fund four panel units of solar power. Two units will be installed at two of the ladies bathrooms and the other two will serve the kitchen/laundry. The 76 residents plus the 32 staff members living in the house will be positively impacted, at a cost of R521 per direct life change.

NEED

While South Africa has some of the world most comprehensive legislation and policy protecting and promoting the rights of disabled people, there remains a lack of funding to implement policies. The inextricable link between disability and poverty remains a threat. Only over 0.5% of the disabled in South Africa are formally employed, with the overwhelming majority relying on grants. This puts a huge burden on families, since care and support must often be provided for life. Funds are necessary to support community-based infrastructure, which can provide quality care and support for the disabled while reducing the burden on the families.

ACTION PLAN

Preparation

• Four complete solar units will be ordered from a local supplier. These will be delivered to Pevensey Place, where they will be stored until they can be installed.

Implementation

• Existing heating facilities will be removed by sub-contracted builders;
• The four units will be installed.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The work will be monitored on site by the Director. He will make sure that installation works align with quality standards and do not cause unnecessary disruption for the residents. Long-term maintenance of the panels will be a priority for the management.

Monetary savings in electricity consumption will be monitored by the financial administrator upon installation.

ORGANISATION ASSESSMENT

Pevensey Place Association is a unique model of participative and integrative living for adults with cerebral palsy. By offering a sheltered environment where residents who could not cope alone in the outside world are given practical opportunities for self-development and to contribute to a common good, the organisation addresses a major and often neglected social issue.

The staff, management and board are highly committed to the organisation’s mission. Good planning structures are in place and the organisation has demonstrated an ability to mobilise resources (human, intellectual and financial) where necessary in order to sustain operations and expand capacity when required.

The organisation collaborates well with relevant government departments, the Natal Cerebral Palsy Association and other local entities. Despite the improbability of government cutting subsidies, excessive dependence on this source of funding could pose a potential risk for the sustainability of the organisation.

RISK PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: The project uses the available natural resources in the region as a clean and sustainable source of energy. Aside from the environmental benefit, this will also serve to reduce the farm’s dependency on the overburdened national power supplier and to reduce spending on electricity.
• Design: The home has requested extensive advice to maximise the benefit of the solar units.
• Capability: The staff have previous experience of overseeing renovations in existing buildings as well as construction of new wings.
• Control: Pevensey Place has good financial controls and oversight in place. Apart from the staff and the board of directors, the parents and families of the residents are also a good resource of skills. Two members in particular provide input around fiduciary responsibilities and one mother has made available her professional experience on fundraising to the home.
• Sustainability: Solar water heaters are typically designed to last long with little or no maintenance involved. The benefits of this capital investment will thus extend well into the future.

Key Risks - Medium Low

• Concept: The efficiency and effectiveness of the new water heating system will depend on the good use that the residents make of the new facilities
• Sustainability: Quality of workmanship and reliability of the building contractor can only be determined once the work has been completed.
• External: The cost of the project, according to quotation, might change due to price increases, prior to project start.

Project Profile VP-KZN-AUG09-0005

Organisation: Pevensey Place

Sector: Vulnerable People

Project Duration: 6 months

Project Budget: ZAR 56 300

Shares Issued: 1126

Shares Available: 0

Risk Assessment (0 to 5)

Concept: 2

Design: 1

Capability: 1

Control: 1

Sustainability: 2

External: 2

Organisation Rating (0 to 5)

Purpose: 4

Planning: 3

Performance: 0

Resources: 3

Governance: 4

Sustainability: 2

Project Budget

Project Sector

Vulnerable People

South African society includes a disproportionately large number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). This demands unprecedented efforts from government, civil society and the business sector to strengthen and support communities so that they are able to meet the physical, emotional and psychosocial needs of all our children. Importantly, these efforts to mitigate this social crisis need to be sustainable into next decades, enabling the children to grow into productive adults.

It is widely accepted that the world-best models of care for OVCs are to be found within their own communities. Institutionalising orphans is particularly cost-intensive, and in our current situation, the vast number of orphans has already overwhelmed the viability of institutional, residential and foster systems. It is also well-proven that it is far better for an orphan to remain in familiar surroundings, connected to their social network. The largest numbers of South African orphans are to be found in the most under-resourced communities, and so South Africa's poor are bearing the largest brunt of the orphan crisis. While many communities have responded by absorbing orphans with resilience and compassion, there is much evidence that families are increasingly struggling under the strain and failing to provide fully for the children's needs. Currently, home-based, community-supported care of OVCs is exacerbating the poverty of many households.

Although the response to the OVC crisis is growing, it lacks the necessary urgency, speed and focus. Many community-based models of OVC care have been implemented by communities themselves, non government and faith-based organisations, but the challenge remains to undertake an affordable, effective effort that matches the scale and longevity of the crisis. There is a great need for cross-sectoral partnerships employing systemic strategies to address the needs of South Africa's OVCs. The government has particularly called on the business sector to play a significant role in supporting the nation's efforts to care for OVCs.

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SASIX Evaluation Metrics

The organisational rating

In partnership, Trialogue and The Funding Site developed an expert organisational capacity diagnostic test, which has been further refined by GreaterGood South Africa based on its consultations with Geneva Global and others active in this area. The result is a comprehensive evaluation and verification tool that GreaterGood South Africa uses to assess the capacity of non profit organisations according to both qualitative and quantitative metrics. The tool encompasses the purpose, strategy, performance, resources, governance and sustainability of the organisation and its activities. GreaterGood South Africa project managers are employed in the field to conduct the evaluations with the organisations implementing SASIX projects. The results of their findings are assessed through a peer review process, and then coalesced into the organisational ratings presented on the front page of each SASIX Project Profile.

The project risk assessment

In consultation with Geneva Global, GreaterGood South Africa uses a comprehensive risk assessment tool to evaluate target projects - a tool that encompasses the project's concept, design, capability, control, sustainability and external factors that will or may affect the successful implementation of the project. At the completion of the project, GreaterGood South Africa will issue a Project Performance Report that compares the actual life change with the expected life change forecasted on the front page of this profile. This report will also include the key lessons learned.

GreaterGood South Africa Services

Project identification - Through wide, expert consultation and screening processes, GreaterGood South Africa identifies top South African non profit programmes that address the greatest development needs in the country.

Site visits - In order to become a recommended SASIX project, GreaterGood South Africa's project managers must have seen the project first-hand and undertaken the necessary evaluation interviews with the project's implementer(s).

Desk research - International best practices and other references are used as benchmarks to measure the projects.

Peer review - Information gathered and project profiles are assessed through a peer review process.

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When you invest in a SASIX project, GreaterGood SA will:

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Assist with funds transfers - GreaterGood South Africa will assist with the necessary transfers of funds, according to the funder's requirements.

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Check progress - At around 3 months, GreaterGood South Africa confirms that the project is proceeding according to plan. The project managers are available to project implementers for advice and consultation on an ongoing basis.

Measure results - After the conclusion of the project, GreaterGood South Africa collects the necessary data and compiles a Project Performance Report which includes an analysis of the outcomes and the lessons learned. Each funder of every SASIX project receives the report.

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To fund this project

Please contact: SASIX
Tel + 27 21 794 0580
Fax: 27 21 794 2239
Email: sasix@ggsa.co.za

Postal address: Postnet Suite 293, Private Bag X16, Constantia 7848, South Africa