ACESS JAMBOREES

At the beginning of 2002 ACESS initiated discussion with the national Department of Social Development around developing a partnership whereby we pooled resources and products and skills to develop literacy material and host joint registration drives to increase the number of eligible beneficiaries accessing the child support grant and other children’s grants. This culminated in the jamborees and the publication of a children’s grants booklet as part of our joint campaign.

In October 2002 when we started our joint campaign, only 2 126 000 children were getting the child support grant. By 24 February 2003, after the jamborees and after publication of our booklets and posters it had jumped to 2 501 039 – ie by almost 400 000 more children in 5 months. As at August 2005 that number has increased to 6 160 011.

About 187 500 people attended the jamborees. 4 408 CSG applications were made at the jamborees, and a further 6 068 applications were made in the two weeks following jamborees in given areas. 10 913 applications were made for birth certificates at the jamborees and 13 615 identify document applications were madder.