My research has significantly advanced knowledge in Community Development and Higher Education's Community Engagement, attracting substantial external funding and fostering impactful collaborations. These grants have enabled me to be part of multidisciplinary project teams, working on initiatives that address pressing societal challenges and enhance organizational research capacities. Additionally, it provided opportunities to collaborate on initiatives that resonate with my research philosophy and core principles of ethical partnership, participatory methodologies, social justice advocacy, impact-driven approaches, and reflective practice.
Research Grants & Completed Projects
ORIC ARIS Programme (2021-2022): Grant Value: R92,973.00 Supported by the ARIS grant, this program aimed to enhance organizational engaged research impact - i.e. a “landscape” analysis of research impacts at UWC . The project deliverables were an extended and infused Scholarship of Engagement (SoE) at all levels of the UWC with a focus on: Integration, Decentralization, Internationalization, and Impact (IDII) to firmly position and highlight the SoE as an infused principle that is, and always have been, part of UWC’s ‘DNA’. Additionally the project assessed the options to showcase the IDII SoE in the form of individual digital CE staff portfolios which would present the core functions of their respective projects, as well as capture the partnerships with non-governmental, governmental service agencies and civic organizations, resulting in a comprehensive framework of societal/broader impact (SI/BI).
Partnership for Water & Sanitation in Informal Settlements (2019-2022) Grant (Nuffic) Value: R3,951,738.00: In collaboration with the City of Cape Town, CEU-UWC, VU University, and World Waternet, this project addressed water and sanitation challenges in informal settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The project deliverables were: partnership development between the Dutch entities, UWC and City of Cape Town, capacity building and training of City of Cape Town officials and dissemination of information during and beyond the project lifespan.This partnership exemplifies my commitment to ethical and inclusive collaborations, addressing urgent community needs through practical, research-driven solutions, whilst ensuring capacity building of stakeholder engagements and analysis development at community and organisational level.
Aligning Pharmacy Education to Social Accountability for Community Health. (2019-2021) Grant (NRF) Value: R5,297,721.00: This research project aimed to enhance pharmacy education across South African higher education institutions, aligning teaching, research, and community engagement towards social accountability in community health. Framed on Boyer’s scholarship of engagement, it involved a three-phased plan. Phase one (2019) conceptualized community engagement practice patterns. Phase two (2020) identified overlapping stakeholder roles to maximize community health and medicine use. Phase three (2021) focused on lessons learned, applying co-created knowledge, and translating findings into policy briefs. Additionally, the project provided bursaries for Masters and PhD students at UWC and sabbatical international exchange opportunities for the 4 project team members. The Evaluations improved current practices and informed Boyer’s model. By integrating community engagement into the pharmacy curriculum, the project promoted a socially accountable healthcare education model, enhancing the relevance and impact of academic programs on community well-being.
UWC DVC: Research & Innovation Exchange Scholarship Grant (2019) Grant Value: R50,000.00: The purpose of the exchange was to: develop and extent networking and research; collaboration opportunities not only on my key research interest, but also for my peers at UWC to further drive the UWC research and innovation agenda in so far as community development, community engagements and national and international development drivers. Collaboration relationships were achieved within the: College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR): i) Community Development Extension; ii) Community Development Academy; iii) Academic Division: DASS; iv) OSEDA: Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis and v) Community Commons. Additionally institutional relationships regarding community engagement were achieved within: UM Extension Leadership and Related Offices/Entities: i) Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, Extension and Engagement - Campus Compact and ii) Associate Vice Chancellor for Extension and Engagement.
Drafting the Community Development Practice Policy Framework (2014-2016) Grant Value: R496,625.00: The project required the Drafting of the Community Development Practice Policy Framework. This policy had to ensure that the Professionalization of Community Development in South Africa will be successful. It had the following project deliverables: Community Development (CD) independent status as both a discipline and a profession; CD Scoping and Profiling; CD Code of Practice (Principles, Norms & Standards); Promotion and Awareness of pride in the CD profession; Data-base of all individuals, institutions, corporations and organisations (formal & informal) that are interested and active in the field of CD; Partnerships in Theory and Practice of CD; Accredited CD Qualifications Roll-out plans (NQF Levels 4, 5 & 8); CD Recognition of Prior Learning roll-out plan (RPL: formal & informal learning); Audit of CD practice needs; Established Research Foci in CD Theory & Practice; Suggested capacity development and resources for quality assurance by all stakeholders and implementers of CD; Established Code of Conduct and Ethics; and Compiled Draft documents towards an application for registration as an Accredited Professional Body with the SACSSP.
Implementation Evaluation Study of the ICLDP Pilot Project (2015-2016). Grant Value: R2,672,663.00 ($507,456 from UMSAEP and matching funding from UM Extension): Supported by the UM-UWC Partnership grant, and the first of its kind for Community Engagement funding, this project evaluated the International Community Leadership Development Programme training and the international exchange between community leaders for USA and Cape Town South Africa. The partnership between UM Extension - Columbia and the Community Engagement Unit at UWC highlighted the transformative potential of cross-institutional collaborations in leadership development and community engagement. The project deliverables were course material and a theory of change evaluation framework for similar community development leadership development programmes - both nationally and internationally.
These projects, supported by significant external funding, reflect the practical application of my research philosophy and vision. These projects afforded me opportunities to advance my principles of engaged scholarship, fostering partnerships that bridge the gap between academia and community needs. Through these collaborative efforts, my research continues to contribute to societal transformation, ensuring that knowledge leads to tangible improvements in people's lives.