ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the government's funding policy often ignores the role of community and community development. It suggests that community-based organisations (CBOs) are commonly seen as an extension of government–and, as a cheap extension of government. The chapter describes the growing body of literature on community-based care and particularly community-based care for children. It focuses on a small but growing body of literature that questions the role of government as the initiator and funder of community-based programs in South Africa. The chapter explores how community-based care is applied in South Africa, and conclude with observations and lessons for policy and practice. It describes two methods: a semi-structured questionnaire and critical discourse analysis. The chapter examines government guidelines for CBOs dealing with orphans and vulnerable children and shows that CBOs are inextricably locked into a service-work arrangement with government in which CBOs represent the interests of government.
