Rev. Dr. Claudia Haarmann & Rev. Dr. Dirk Haarmann
From 1991 to 2001
development and fund raising work for projects in “Five Rand” squatter camp
Okahandja (Namibia) and the old age home in “Nau Aib” Okahandja (Namibia).
Since 1990 active
member of the Arbeitskreis Südliches Afrika (AKSA) Ombili Group, which
is a partner group of the Omundaungilo congregation (Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia, ELCIN)
in northern Namibia. In 1993 organisation and leading of a youth work camp in
Omundaungilo.
Since 1995 active
member of the Mainzer Arbeitskreis Südafrika
(MAKSA) which is a member organisation of the Kirchliche Arbeitsstelle
Südliches Afrika (KASA).
Research work on
poverty and social policy in South Africa for: Parliamentary
Committee of Social Development, the South African Government Committee on
the restructuring of social security for children (Lund
Committee), the South African Government Committee of Inquiry into a
Comprehensive Social Security System (Taylor Committee), the Congress of South Africa Trade
Unions (COSATU), the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the Economic and Policy Research
Institute (EPRI), and various NGOs (1995-2001).
Main focus of the
research is the link between social policy and poverty alleviation. The
methodological approach is based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. The
main focus has been on poverty analysis as well as the application of
microsimulation methodology for generating social policy options.
Microsimulation uses national household surveys to model the effect of social
policy change in terms of the social and economic effects. This enables to test
the impact of social policies on household level and hence the impact on poverty
as well as costing on a national level. In 1996 to 1998, the focus was on the
introduction of the Child Support Grant in South Africa (see Publications). From 1997 to 2001, the
focus has been the development of options for a comprehensive social security
system for South Africa, in particular a Basic Income Grant for South Africa.
Since 2003 the
research focus - following the appointment as Project Directors of the DfSD -
has been broaden to include Poverty and HIV/AIDS in Namibia, with several
research agendas (see DfSD Projects &
Resources: accomplished and current programmes). Part of the DfSD
responsibility includes training and building local church structures in
participatory research methodology.