Stockholms universitet
Institutionen för socialt arbete
Socionomprogrammet allmän inriktning
HT2011
Bobbi Bear
-a qualitative minor field study of a non-governmental
organization working with child victims of sexual abuse in
South Africa
0
Författare: Maria Tallvik
Handledare: Michael Tärnfalk
Bobbi Bear – a qualitative minor field study of a non-governmental
organization working with child victims of sexual abuse in South Africa
By: Maria Tallvik
ABSTRACT
In a country like South Africa, with a social welfare system similar to the Swedish, there are a
large number of Non-Governmental Organizations that play a significant role in society. This
study deals with Bobbi Bear, a nongovernmental organization that works with sexually
abused children. The study aims to explore, describe and analyze Bobbi Bear's work and role
in its context and why the organization has the structure it has. The questions are: How do the
respondents describe Bobbi Bear's structure and experience its interaction with the outside
world? Is it possible to draw any conclusions about how the outside world has influenced
Bobbi Bear's structure, and if so what are these conclusions? This qualitative study is based
on four interviews with members of the staff. Analysis where made through organizational
theory and the perspectives empowerment and advocacy. The result shows that the structure
is influenced by the staff experience and personal commitment. The interaction with the technical and institutional outside world affects the organization's structure.
Key words: non-governmental organization, social work South Africa, sexual abused children, organisation*.
Number of words: 15 964
1
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5
Purpose ................................................................................................................................... 5
Questions ................................................................................................................................ 5
Limitations.............................................................................................................................. 6
Outline of the study ................................................................................................................ 6
The organization in its context ................................................................................................ 7
Outline of the chapter ............................................................................................................. 7
From apartheid to democracy ................................................................................................. 7
South African Society and HIV/AIDS ................................................................................... 8
Bobbi Bear .............................................................................................................................. 9
The epistemological field ....................................................................................................... 10
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 10
Literature search ................................................................................................................... 10
Limitations of the literature .................................................................................................. 10
Non-Governmental Organizations ....................................................................................... 11
Description of NGOs and their funding ........................................................................... 11
The relationship between state and NGO ........................................................................ 12
Summary and relevance to the study.................................................................................... 12
Theoretical Perspectives ........................................................................................................ 14
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 14
Organization ......................................................................................................................... 14
The structure of organizations ......................................................................................... 14
Interaction with the environment ..................................................................................... 15
Empowerment and advocacy................................................................................................ 15
Advocacy .......................................................................................................................... 16
Empowerment ................................................................................................................... 16
Reflection on the choice of theory and its relevance for the study ...................................... 16
Method..................................................................................................................................... 18
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 18
Choice of method ................................................................................................................. 18
2
Selection of interviewees...................................................................................................... 19
Interview Guide…………………………………………………………………………….19
Conduct of the interviews………………………………………………………………….19
Data processing and analysis………………………………………………………………20
Validity and reliability.......................................................................................................... 21
Generalizability .................................................................................................................... 22
Ethical Considerations…………………………………………………………………….22
Pre-understanding ................................................................................................................. 22
Results ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 23
The interviewees................................................................................................................... 23
Perspective A: Advocacy ..................................................................................................... 24
Theme 1: Representing the client ..................................................................................... 24
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 25
Theme 2: The surrounding environment .......................................................................... 25
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 27
Theme 3: Personal experiences that influences the organization .................................... 28
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 29
Perspective B: Empowerment .............................................................................................. 29
Theme 1: Empower the client ........................................................................................... 29
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 30
Theme 2: Organizational Resources ................................................................................ 31
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 32
Theme 3: Purpose and mission of the organization ......................................................... 33
Comments ......................................................................................................................... 34
Comprehensive Analysis ........................................................................................................ 35
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 35
The organization's resources ................................................................................................ 35
The organization's structure ................................................................................................. 36
The employees' motivation................................................................................................... 36
Interaction with the technological environment ................................................................... 36
Interaction with the institutional environment ..................................................................... 37
3
Concluding Discussion ........................................................................................................... 38
Outline of the chapter ........................................................................................................... 38
Summary picture of the results…………………………………………………………….38
The epistemological field ................................................................................................. 39
Methodological discussion ................................................................................................... 39
Suggestions for future research ............................................................................................ 40
Referenser ............................................................................................................................... 41
Litteratur ............................................................................................................................... 41
Articles ................................................................................................................................. 41
Internet.................................................................................................................................. 42
Appendix 1 .............................................................................................................................. 43
Intervjuguide ........................................................................................................................ 43
Appendix 2 .............................................................................................................................. 44
Pictures ................................................................................................................................. 44
4
Introduction
South Africa's history is marked by apartheid and the country has only relatively recently become a
democracy (Palmberg & Strand, 1995). The road to democracy was a long one and even today inequality and class distinctions are evident in many ways in the country, which is seen as one reason
for the widespread crime in South Africa. which is ranked by the United Nations as the world's second most dangerous country (United Nations, 2005). The number of violent crimes is high and so
too are the number of violent crimes against children. The country has about fifty million inhabitants, of whom a third are reckoned to be under 18 (www.unicef.org).
South Africa has ratified the UN's Conventions on the Right of the Child and its laws are based on
this (ibid.). The social welfare system is structured in a manner that resembles the Swedish system
on the surface, with a social service that has ultimate responsibility for children who are in need of
support and protection. It is an offense to harm children - physically or sexually - and it is also punishable if a private person does not notify the authorities if they are aware of a child being in distress.
Although the welfare system seems to be well developed, the non-governmental organization hereinafter abbreviated NGO - Bobbi Bear works to save children who are the victims of sexual
abuse, supporting them through the legal process and helping them to handle the trauma. An NGO
is a voluntary organization that is not run by the government, but may still possess the power to
influence society, partly related to the financial resources of the NGO in question, but also because
NGOs can lobby and influence the policy makers in the country (Bendell, 2006). Research also
shows that residents in a country can perceive NGOs as supplementing the state and performing
duties in areas where the state is not active (Brass, 2012). Bobbi Bear says that they do work that
the social services do not do and they also strive to highlight the problem of sexual violence against
children in order to influence attitudes and legislation.
Purpose
This study aims to explore, describe and analyze the non-governmental organization Bobbi Bear's
work and role in this context and why their work has the structure it has.
Questions

How do respondents describe Bobbi Bear's structure?

How do respondents experience Bobbi Bear's interaction with the outside world?

Is it possible to draw any conclusions about how the outside world has influenced Bobbi
Bear's structure, and if so what are these conclusions?
5
Limitations
I have chosen to highlight the staff's thoughts and ideas about the organization's structure and about
influences on it from the outside world, and thus provide a deeper understanding of NGOs in general and of Bobbi Bear in particular. The study does not aim to provide a full description of the
work the organization Bobbi Bear performs, nor of how any other organization actually functions, it
aims to illustrate the interviewee's narratives of the work they and others do. Nor does the study aim
to convey any truth or objectivity. Only a few members of staff are involved in the study and I want
to highlight their subjective descriptions of Bobbi Bear and their personal perception of the work
the organization performs, in order to provide answers to the purpose and questions of the study.
Outline of the study
The thesis is divided into eight chapters with subheadings. The introductory chapter provides an
introduction to the study, the objectives, questions and limitations. The second chapter introduces
South Africa's modern history from a political perspective and gives an idea of how the society has
been affected by the spread of HIV / AIDS. The chapter ends with a background of the organization
Bobbi Bear. The third chapter presents previous research related to the study area. Chapter four
provides a description of the theoretical approaches that have been used in the study, the motivation
for the choice of these theories and application of the thesis. The fifth chapter contains the method.
Study findings are reported in the sixth chapter, which includes commentary by each thematization.
An comprehensive analysis of the study's results are presented in the seventh chapter. A final discussion, methodological discussion and suggestions for future research conclude the thesis in chapter eight.
6
The organization in its context
Outline of the chapter
This chapter provides a brief description of South Africa's political history during the latter half of
the twentieth century, with a view to its transition to democracy. It then describes society and how
HIV / AIDS affects the society. The chapter ends with a presentation of the organization Bobbi
Bear, where the source is the organization's website and personal communication with the given the
difficulty in finding an independent source.
From apartheid to democracy
The Nationalist party introduced apartheid in 1948 – it was a social system based on a set of rules
about how different racial backgrounds would be separated. Black Africans, Asians, whites and socalled coloreds – mixed races - would be separated, writes Wickstrom (2008). The white stood at
the top of the hierarchy and the blacks and coloreds were not allowed to be in the cities, unless they
were there to work for the whites and had a work permit. For Africans housework and gardening for
white people were the urban jobs, and so that they would not have too far to travel to work special
housing for African workers was built on the outskirts of cities.
Ten so-called "homelands" were formed, where blacks were allowed to live. The white population
was, at the the end of the apartheid era, only one-tenth of the total population, while 75% of the
population were black Africans. These 75% were forced to crowd together in only 13% of the country. One of these homelands was KwaZulu which was located in the northeastern part of what
would after the fall of apartheid become KwaZulu Natal (ibid.). This total segregation and the open
racism led to the different population groups being almost totally isolated from each other and with
very limited knowledge about how the rest of the country lived.
The struggle against apartheid in South Africa was long and it was watched by the whole world.
Apartheid means separation, apartness, and is the name of the social system which was introduced
by the Nationalist Party in South Africa during the 1950s (Palmberg & Strand, 1995). In South Africa the opponents of those in power were exposed to violence, including the black demonstrators
massacred by police who shot dead 69 people and injured around 200 in what is known as the
Sharpeville massacre (Lodge, 2011). The outside world imposed sanctions on the country for a period and all trade with South Africa was prohibited (Palmberg & Strand, 1995).
What makes the struggle for freedom in South Africa stand out in history is mainly the fact that
power positions in society were reallocated on the path of democracy in a relatively peaceful manner, a long process that astonished the world. Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National Congress - the largest opposition party - was sentenced in 1964 to life imprisonment because of his
work in the Resistance. Mandela was initially an advocate of non-violence in the struggle against
oppression, but after the Sharpeville massacre he became involved in the armed resistance movement. From prison, he initiated negotiations between the ANC and the leader of the Nationalist Par7
ty and in 1985 Mandela and the then Minister of Justice Minister Kobie Coetsee met for the first
time (Palmberg & Strand, 1995). Then came years of negotiations that took place more or less
openly, and ultimately led to the first democratic elections in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was
released in 1990 and was chosen by Parliament as the country's first black president May 10, 1994
(ibid.).
During the apartheid era there were opportunities in South Africa for people to organize themselves
and the many grassroots organizations that emerged had a prominent role in South African society
during this time. Grassroots activism was a way for people to show their displeasure against the
regime, but many of these organizations have been criticized for poor transparency and undemocratic leadership (Palmberg & Strand, 1995). Non-governmental organizations, in English shortened to
NGOs, usually directed their efforts under apartheid at those sectors of the population that were the
most vulnerable and powerless. When apartheid fell, South Africa had a long way to go in order to
build up a welfare system that was accessible to all citizens (ibid.). NGOs played a central role in
this development (Wickstrom, 2008) and even today there are NGOs who consider themselves to
carry out important work. One such organization is Bobbi Bear, active in Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu
Natal, which is the subject of this study.
South African Society and HIV/AIDS
Even today, South African society shows traces of apartheid. The explicit regime of rules is gone,
but large areas, such as rural areas and shanty towns, are still populated today almost entirely by
black Africans, and unemployment and poverty is most widespread among this sector of the population.
As more and more parts of the public sector are privatized, more jobs are lost. In rural areas where
jobs are already naturally more scarce, millions of people are dependent on the income a relative
may have. The huge differences between classes in the country are considered a major contributor
to the social ills and to the large number of violent and sexual offenses that occur each year (Wickstrom, 2008). Besides the enormous trauma, rape victims in South Africa run the risk of being infected by human immunodeficiency virus - HIV.
According to Gilliam et al. (2012) an estimated 33 million people worldwide carried the disease in
2008. South Africa has nearly fifty million people and an estimated 5.6 million of these are infected
by HIV, of these 300 000 are under 15 (UNAIDS, 2010). HIV is a virus that attacks the immune
system. The disease leads to the immune system being weakened as the disease progresses to AIDS
when the number of T-helper cells in the body is less than 350/mL. The virus itself is not deadly,
but harvests every year millions of lives. The infected die from other disorders, which they become
more susceptible to as the immune system is weakened, such as pneumonia and other infectious
diseases (ibid.).
That such a large proportion of the population is infected affects in turn the labor market and the
national economy. Partly because sufferers in the later stages of the disease are more or less unable
to work. Also because the disease is stigmatized, and people who are open about their diagnosis
may run the risk of losing their jobs and have difficulty in finding new ones (Wickstrom, 2008).
8
Bobbi Bear
Bobbi Bear is an organization that primarily works with children who are victims of sexual abuse
and thus with questions about HIV / AIDS - which is a big risk these children face
(www.manskligarattigheter.gov.se).
Jackie Branfield, the founder of the organization Bobbi Bear, began to engage in issues relating to
HIV and AIDS in South Africa in the early 1990s. The epidemic was spreading at an accelerated
pace, and research on antiretroviral drugs was focused mainly on the West. Africa was abandoned
to its fate. In seeking to learn more about the infection and its impact on the people of South Africa,
Jackie Branfield went out and talked to victims and their families. What she heard was terrifying.
She discovered that children as young as nine years old were bearing the virus. At this time, children infected by their mother did not survive long enough to be nine years old. Jackie realized that
these children were newly infected. Child sexual abuse was becoming more common, for several
reasons. One reason was the myth that sex with a virgin might cure the infection. Another was that
the more people who became infected, the more important it was to have 'safe' sex. A virgin was
considered to be safe, because the infection spreads primarily through sexual relations (Bobbi Bear
and personal communication 2011-11-05).
Jackie began to engage more women to fight the problem and soon had the foundation for Bobbi
Bear formed. Today the organization work to ensure that affected children are protected from the
abuser, by providing accommodation for children with the organization or the employees' own
homes. They represent the child in its dealings with health care, police and courts to ensure that the
child's story is taken seriously and the perpetrator will be punished. In addition, the organization
works to help children process their traumatic experiences of having been sexually abused. Bobbi
Bear is also working actively to raise awareness and provide knowledge about HIV / AIDS and
sexual abuse in South Africa (ibid.).
Bobbi Bear consists of twenty-four employees, including a number of trained Child Safety Officers
- CSO. The training is internal and designed and executed by the employees themselves. In addition, Bobbi Bear also has volunteer workers obtained via a Dutch organization. The number of volunteers varies over time, but most stay for six weeks before being replaced. Bobbi Bear finances its
activities through donations and grants from both companies and private individuals (ibid).
9
The epistemological field
Outline of the chapter
This chapter starts by presenting the literature search that has been undertaken. After this comes a
description of the boundaries of the literature search. The contents of the relevant literature is then
presented under the heading Non-Governmental Organization. The field of knowledge is thematized
according to its relevance to the purpose of the study as follows: Description of NGOs and their
funding, and the relation between state and NGO. Finally comes a comprehensive discussion of the
epistemological field and the relevance of the study.
Literature search
I have searched for relevant literature in both national and international databases. Initially I conducted a search of the database LIBRIS. The keywords I used in various combinations have been
“voluntary social work”, “South Africa”, “organization *”, “volunteer * organization *”, “nongovernmental organizations”, “Social Work”, ”HIV”, “Operation Bobbi Bear”. The search was a
so-called Boolean search, which means that the keywords are used in various combinations with the
operators “NOT”, “OR” or “AND”. The search in LIBRIS has been made in English, but also in
Swedish using the following keywords; ”internationellt socialt arbete”, “frivillig* social arbete” och
“icke statlig* organisation*”.
The Swedish Digital Academic Archive - Diva – was used as a source for finding previous essays at
an undergraduate level. The purpose of this was to find references and inspiration for further studies
and literature.
The international database ProQuest - Sciences Subject Area has been used as a source to find previous research. The database EBSCO has also been used for this purpose. The keywords that I used
in searches in these databases were in different combinations, “NGO”, “Non-Governmental Organizations”, “Social Work”, “South African society”, ”HIV”, “Organizations”, “Bobbi Bear”. Also
when searching in these databases, I used a Boolean search.
None of these searches yielded a match for the query Bobbi Bear, as no previous research has been
published on the organization. For this reason I also used Google as a database and searched solely
the words “Bobbi Bear” and ”Operation Bobbi Bear”.
Limitations of the literature
This study is a qualitative study of the voluntary organization Bobbi Bear that works in South Africa with the victims of child sexual abuse. No previous research has been done on the organization
Bobbi Bear, for which reason the search area has been expanded and focuses primarily on earlier
10
qualitative research on voluntary organizations working in South Africa with the victims of child
sexual abuse. Even here there has been no previous research. The search area has subsequently been
extended to include voluntary organizations working with child victims of sexual abuse in Africa
and voluntary organizations in Africa working with children, without any relevant result found.
Focusing on previous research involving voluntary organizations working with children in a country
that has too great differences from South Africa has not been considered relevant, since this study
aims to describe an organization operating in a specific context. Given that previous research in the
specific field of study has not been found through the searches that have been made, the research
field has therefore been broadened to include NGOs, the funding of NGOs, and their interaction
with other players in their fields, and hereafter we shall present the earlier research considered relevant to this study.
In the presentation of the epistemological field, peer-reviewed articles, a thesis and two reports have
been reviewed. It has been difficult to find a wide variety of prior research which can be considered
relevant to the study. for this reason, research on an NGO in India is included, and, despite the different context, the thesis has been considered to be of interest to elucidate the relationship between
NGO and state. Other research is related to Africa or highlights NGOs in general.
Non-Governmental Organizations
Description of NGOs and their funding
A non-governmental organization, commonly referred to and hereinafter abbreviated to NGO, is an
organization that is independent from government control. Bendell (2006) writes that an NGO does
not necessarily have to give up funding from the state. On the contrary, many NGOs are funded
mainly by government grants, and government grants to NGOs have been increasing since the
1970s when work across borders by organizations increased. In many countries NGOs direct their
efforts at reducing poverty and increasing welfare. The work can be of different sorts, but many
well-known NGOs are involved with humanitarian aid, within the health sector or with infrastructure. Some of the criticisms Bendell makes of NGOs concern the fact that many organizations get
their income from one country and work in another country and that efforts are often wrongly directed and do not meet actual needs. Bendell argues that if funds are collected in a developed country and are intended to contribute to poverty reduction in developing countries, the collection can be
based on conditions prevailing in the country where they are collected. Because conditions are often
very different, this may mean that the work is indeed done, but it is done in such a way that it does
not meet the intended goal. Bendell presents a criticism of NGOs dealing with the worry that governments can create NGOs as an "administrative invention" (p.11) to divert economic resources to
their own country.
The number of NGOs has increased round the world in recent decades. From mostly focusing their
efforts on combating poverty, there are currently NGOs active in most areas and some have greater
financial resources than some countries spend on aid and development (Chege, 1999). One explanation for this change is that the work of some states in some areas has been flawed and misguided,
and this has given room for voluntary actors in these areas to do a job that corresponds to the needs
11
that exist. NGOs have then been perceived as more effective and innovative, which has led to more
donations (Owiti et al., 2004).
The relationship between state and NGO
Brass argues that because the number of NGOs in developing countries continues to increase, it is
important to understand why an NGO is active in a particular geographic location (2012). NGOs
can possess a great power, often linked to its financial resources, and can exert pressure on policy
makers by, for example, lobbying. NGOs can indirectly help to make laws or policies that affect
their own field of activity. Brass' study on NGOs in Kenya shows that many NGOs are active in
those parts of the country or in those sectors where the state is weakest. Brass believes that NGOs in
this way complement the state, and her study highlights the fact that the Kenyan people are content
if government or NGOs is available, but they do not expect that both parties should be involved
within the same sector.
Devajana et al. describes in a peer reviewed article published in the International NGO Journal in
September 2011 the work of NGO's in the public health sector in India towards the socioeconomically vulnerable tribal population as being to some extent favorable to its recipients. NGOs
play an important role there, though not as separate actors, but rather in conjunction with the political objectives developed in the area where they operate. What Devajana et al. are critical to is that
although NGOs have been active in the health sector in India for a long time, there has been relatively little research in this area. Only a few studies have been conducted that highlight the influence of NGOs and the authors ask for more, and more in-depth, research regarding the importance
of the work of NGOs.
Summary and relevance to the study
An NGO is free from governmental control, but can accept full or partial public funding. The organizations are often active in areas where states are also actors, such as infrastructure, health or social
services, active with humanitarian assistance and other activities aimed at reducing social inequalities such as poverty, etc. Where an NGOs resources come from will be relevant when it comes to
which tasks the organization has. A voluntary organization has great power to formulate its tasks
itself, regardless of need or previous access to similar help. Donors may have a vested interest in
financial resources reaching a particular NGO, something which also applies to states, so it is important to be aware of any underlying interests (Bendell, 2006).
An NGO's geographical position is influenced by other existing players in the surrounding world,
and in some cases the players that are absent. In the absence of interventions in a socially important
area where there is need for action, it is possible for an NGO to focus its activities that way. Brass
(2012) argues in her study that NGOs then complement the State. However, there is a risk that the
State fail to pay attention to a particular problem if there is a voluntary organization that does so.
NGOs often operate in developing countries, where state funds are meager, and hence there is an
obvious risk that the state reduces priority to areas where other players “take care of" problems.
12
As Devajana et al. have pointed out, there is no research on how NGOs affect the recipients of their
help (2011). In Bobbi Bear's case, the recipients are mostly the children the organization encounters. This study highlights how the people doing the work feel that it affects the children. The results of earlier research give insight into the importance of the surrounding context for the individual and how contextual flaws and assets affect the structure and the work done by the NGO.
13
Theoretical Perspectives
Outline of the chapter
The chapter presents the theoretical perspectives that became apparent in the study. Initially the
organizational theory is presented, where the elements of the theory which has been considered
most relevant for this study were selected. These elements treats organizational structures and organizations interaction with the environment. Thereafter a presentation of the perspectives empowerment and advocacy is given, which in the study are used as instruments in the analysis. The two
perspectives described briefly and the chapter ends with a discussion of the choice of theory and
relevance to the study.
Organization
The structure of organizations
There are numerous organizations around the world, and their composition varies. Svensson et al.
believe that knowledge of the organization is fundamental for the individual social worker to understand the context of the organization and the boundaries of their own field of activity (2008). That
the individual also has knowledge of the organization's resources is relevant to understanding how
and why its work is structured in a certain way. Organizations, however, are social systems and thus
their structure and performance is affected by the people who are part of the organization, as Jacobsen & Thorsvik say (2008). This can cause conflict when the real structure is not consistent with the
stated objectives.
Johansson (1997) describes two approaches to structuring the organization. One is detailed regulation under which the work is regulated by a regulatory framework. A strict application of the
framework makes the individual employee very restricted in her ability to influence how the work is
done. Not to possess the ability to influence ones work can be experienced as frustrating, but it can
also provide security when the individual employee can explain her behavior according to the organizational structure. A flexible application of the detailed structure can lead to an increase in the
variety of possible reactions where employees have the opportunity to determine how rules are applied. This approach provides the employee great power to control their own work, but there is no
longer a clear structure to which to refer their conduct. The second approach that Johansson describes is steering by framework, which is also applicable in a strict or a flexible manner. Applying
framework steering strictly means that the organization is controlled based on frameworks for action, which are not as detailed as a set of rules would be. Through flexible application this can be
viewed as opposed to detailed regulation with strict enforcement, and implies that the individual
employee is given great opportunities to decide the shape of the application of the prevalent framework (ibid.).
There are a lot of different models to explain what successful leadership or a successful organiza14
tion should look like. Bolman & Deal argue that the most important factor for a successful organization is making use of multiple perspectives and models and finding its own way of combining
these (2005). No single model explains a success story. Instead, the use of only a narrow model is
one possible explanation for an organization's failure.
To increase employees' motivation is considered to be progressive and positive for the organization.
The human being is the organization's most important resource, according to Jacobsen & Thorsvik
(2008), and that the organization's goals and objectives are well rooted among its employees can be
a factor that increases motivation. It is not necessary - and hardly possible - that employees constantly are maximally motivated, but this depends on what tasks are to be performed.
Interaction with the environment
An organization cannot exist completely independent of its surroundings, but is always dependent
on its environment in one way or another. An organization needs such resources in terms of capital,
commodities and information from the environment and good reciprocity is necessary for the organization's survival, according to Jacobsen & Thorsvik (2008). They mention two separate environments, which they call the technical environment and the institutional environment.
By “technical environment” Jacobsen & Thorsvik mean the other organizations and actors that directly affect the organization's work along with the clients/customers with which the organization
comes into contact. But it also refers to laws and guidelines set by the authorities to which the organization has to relate. The structure of the organization must therefore be adapted to the outside
world and there are demands on the organization to be aware of the environmental aspects and how
these influence it.
By “institutional environment” Jacobsen & Thorsvik refer to the cultural conditions in the outside
world, ie the norms and values which prevail there, and the expectations it has of the organization.
Laws and guidelines set by the outside world may also count as institutional environment, the design of these are directly influenced by the prevailing norms of society. If the organization's structure and work conflicts with the institutional world, there is uncertainty over what the organization
represents, and it may have lose credibility (ibid.).
Empowerment and advocacy
Empowerment and advocacy are two related conception or methods that concerns people or groups
of people and their ability, or lack of ability, to help themselves and encourage them to participate
in changing their own situation. The perspectives has its roots in critical, feminism and antidiscramatory theories and aims to help people getting the power of their lives (Payne, 2008).
15
Advocacy
The term advocacy is often used in conjunction with disabled persons, which need to be represented
in matters concerning legal or economical issues. Advocacy is known in two different ways, according to Payne (p.417, 2008):”cause advocacy promotes social change for groups and the concerns
they have; case advocacy seeks individuals and families welfare rights” (authors translation). To be
”represented” can have different meanings. A lawyer or an attorney is also representing somebody –
their client. While, talking about advocacy, representing an individual or a group means giving attention to and talk about their issue or their rights for those in power, when they don’t have the ability or will to do it themselves.
Mentally or physical disabled persons might not have the power or ability to talk for themselves and
is therefore in the need of somebody to talk for them. But the individuals or groups are not always
disabled. For example, advocacy can be used to help people with lack of power in legal issues such
as appealing an authority’s decision or make sure that their rights are not compromised. With people in lack of power meaning the weaker ones in the society, such as, for example, people who are
affected by poverty or people who represent the weaker sex, or children (Payne, 2008).
Empowerment
Empowerment aims to reduce the social differences that exist. By increasing the confidence and
ability of individuals as well as of collectives, advocates of empowerment believe that people can
expand their own sphere of activity and reduce the risk of the individual or group seeing themselves
as a victim of circumstances. This perspective has its origins in the black struggle for equality and
democracy in the United States, and has in recent decades emerged as an important approach when
speaking of social development in various parts of the world (Payne, 2008).
The basic idea of empowerment is that you do not see the person as the problem but that you focus
on giving them the tools to work with their situation. The focus is on the dialog between client and
the social worker. It is important that both parties are aware that it is not the interviewer's task to
accomplish a practical task on the client's behalf, but the interviewer's role is to through dialog and
interaction enhance the client's ability to find a solution to their situation themselves. The desire to
avoid a dependent relationship, and an unequal distribution of power between the parties is the key
and the client is considered to be the one who knows most about her situation. Power is, in the empowerment perspective, something which is available to all individuals and the goal is that the client
take control of their own situation (ibid.).
Reflection on the choice of theory and its relevance for the study
I have chosen to use the theory of organization as an overall tool of analysis in this study. This
means that I have in analyzing the result started from the theory of organization. Choosing a theory
which coincides with its problem area has been crucial to the development of the purpose and issues
of the study. Because the questions in the study are the interviewees' experiences of the organiza-
16
tion's structure and its interaction with the outside world, it is principally these parts of the theory of
organizations that have been deemed relevant.
In their work Bobbi Bear advocacy and empowerment in order to help their clients – the children –
in the court cases or in dealing with the health care system or social welfare system. The perspectives of empowerment and advocacy have in the study been used to thematize the empirical material. The aim is to analyze the material at a deeper level by using the concepts to make partial analyzes, which ultimately result in an overall analysis. From these perspectives the themes have emerged,
with the assistance of the categorization of meaning made by the results. The result was first analyzed by partial analyzes, focusing on advocacy and empowerment, to then provide a global analysis with focus on the theory of organizations. Empowerment and advocacy are thus used as an aid to
analysis with the goal of finding a valid and uniform meaning to the material result's parts and its
entirety find a valid uniform sense of the material by alternately shifting focus between parts of the
result and its entirety, a procedure based on the so-called hermeneutic spiral (Kvale & Brinkmann,
2009). The application of selection theory in combination with the chosen approach allows a detailed analysis of the respondents' own descriptions of the organization and its work. By using the
perspectives as instruments already when thematizing the empirical data that has been gathered
aims at a broader analysis and understanding of the interviewees’ stories.
17
Method
Outline of the chapter
This chapter is divided into ten sections, preceded by a presentation of methodological alternatives
under the heading “choice of method”. “Selection of interviewees” is the next title and the section
shows how the study's respondents were selected. How the interview guide was constructed appears
under the heading “Interview guide” and then comes the section “Conduct of the interviews”. How
the empirical material is processed is described in “Data processing and analysis”. Validity and reliability are discussed in the section of the same name, and the “generalizability” of the study is then
discussed in a separate section. “Ethical considerations” deals with the ethical guidelines of my research and the approach to them in this study. Finally I discuss my own pre-understanding in the
section “Pre-understanding”.
Choice of method
The study is based on the qualitative method, which allows for possibility of on the basis of an individual's own story being able to share their experiences of their life world in an effort to gain a
deeper understanding of the phenomenon (Larsson, 2005). The purpose of this study - to explore,
describe and analyze the non-governmental organization Bobbi Bear's role within its own context
and why their work has the structure it has – made the choice of a qualitative study natural. The
study focuses on the actor perspective in data collection and analysis. All interviews were conducted with members of the studied organization. That may seem to limit the possibilities of nuances in
the descriptions. Though, by using the chosen tools for analyzing the empirical material the study
seeks to be nuanced in accordance with the questions the study shall respond to. To complement the
study with an interview of someone who represents, for example, an observer perspective might be
assumed to give a more nuanced description and could lead to a deeper understanding of respondents' descriptions of the context. The choice of interviewing only representatives of the actor perspective, however, was a conscious one and aims to highlight the selected organization's structural
design and allow for a broader actor perspective. The selected theoretical approaches behind the
study have to some extent controlled the design of some of the interview questions, but has mainly
been used to illustrate the main patterns that emerged from the categorization in the data analysis
(ibid.).
The study was conducted through a minor field study at Bobbi Bear in South Africa during the autumn of 2011. I participated in the daily work of Bobbi Bear as a volunteer. It gave me an idea of
the organization's work from an insider's perspective, but also a greater understanding of the conditions prevailing in South African society. By this participant observation I wanted to deepen my
knowledge of South Africa, of child sexual abuse in South Africa, and of the social structures that
characterize society there. The aim was to give myself, as researcher, improved conditions for conducting interviews and quickly analyzing the responses in order to drive the interview forward
(Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009).
18
Selection of interviewees
I have used a selection based on my purpose, by interviewing staff at Bobbi Bear (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). The reason is that the purpose of the study is to get the interviewees' descriptions and
perspectives on their work and organization. The need for rich information was what was sought
with the choice of interviewees. According to the study’s perspective, I have been estimated that the
number of interviews to fulfil the aim of the study could be satisfied if four people in the staff participated. Compared with qualitative research standards, this is not sufficient since a guidline is to
conduct at least 15 interviews (ibid.). But as a minor study in order to get a good understanding
about problems that these interviewees are facing and their perspectives, the number of four interviewees is sufficient. Bobbi Bear has a total of 24 employees within the organization. There are
differences in the staff's job descriptions. Since I did not want to limit myself to just one category of
staff, I have chosen to interview people with different job descriptions. However, there are no absolute boundaries between staff based on their different tasks at Bobbi Bear, but the employees have
special responsibility for different tasks. The interviewees do represent all categories of staff, except
from the volonteers. I have chosen to limit myself to the members of staff who either work directly
with clients or work at managing and distributing direct work with clients. Based on the limitations
caused by a selection determined by my purpose I have since combined this selection with a sample
based on convenience (Esaiasson et al., 2003). In other words, I have chosen interviewees who,
upon being asked, agreed to an interview. I did not ask all who worked in the selected categories of
staff, but only those who were physically available for an interview. I have chosen to anonymize the
participants in order to protect them from being identified as a common research ethical code
(www.stingerfonden.org). I am aware of that some of the quotes obviously will be linked to the
person who said it and at one place I have chosen to actually explain who said it. My choice to do
that is based on my assumption that the specific quote not in any way harms the person who said it
in combination with the fact that the same information is expressed at Bobbi Bears website.
Interview Guide
The interview guide was designed on the basis of what I wanted to get answers about. Thereafter, I
structured the interview guide according to themes based on the questions raised by this study. The
questions in the interview guide were designed as relatively open-ended questions, with room for
the respondents' personal answers (see Appendix 1, Interview Guide). These general questions were
then followed by more specific ones, to use as a guide during the interviews in case the respondents
did not themselves reflect upon what I intended the interview should deal with. These more detailed
questions were included to give the interview a certain framework. During the interviews, I asked
additional follow-up questions to clarify the descriptions interviewees gave, in those cases where
my interpretations of the descriptions in the interview were not be consistent with the more in-depth
interpretations I would later conduct during my analysis (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009).
Conduct of the interviews
I have interviewed four people working at Bobbi Bear. As I sought a description of the respondents'
life-world the study is based on qualitative interviews. According to Kvale and Brinkmann (2009),
the qualitative research interview is an appropriate method for this.
My aim was to capture the staffs descriptions of their perspective based on the topics researched.
By obtaining the respondents' descriptions of their life world, and with the possibility that in the
interview situation further nuances could be added to the description by means of supplementary
questions, I felt able to produce a material that could form the basis for answers to the purpose and
19
questions of the study. The qualitative approach makes great demands on the interviewer, who must
possess the ability to make quick decisions about which follow-up questions are to be asked in order
to steer the interview in the desired direction, and have an ability to interact with people (ibid.). The
method thus makes demands on the researcher and the results are largely dependent on the researcher's personal capacities.
To have the ability to quickly interpret the descriptions that emerged during the interviews, and also
to obtain in-depth descriptions without getting stuck at the level of detail, I made sure to prepare
myself as much as possible before the interviews were conducted (ibid). Before leaving for South
Africa, I therefore studied the area of research and, once in place, I gave myself time to observe the
organization's efforts in order to gain a deeper understanding of their working methods and of the
conditions for their work. The first interview was therefore conducted after a month of participant
observation. I had then acquired an overview of Bobbi Bear and increased my prior understanding
of the organization's work. Prior to conducting the interviews, I informed the staff about my study
and at the actual interview I informed interviewees about the ethical guidelines that I as a researcher
had to follow.
All the interviews were conducted at the Bobbi Bear Center in Amanzimtoti. The building functioned not only as offices and as housing for volunteers, but also as a reception for clients who were
being helped by Bobbi Bear. This meant that many people were on the premises and that at the time
of conducting the interviews there were a number of disturbances. Since I had no opportunity to
choose another location for conducting the interviews, because I could not move around freely in
society, this being considered a security risk, the interviews were conducted despite the disturbances. I strove to be as undisturbed as possible, but on some occasions interrupted the interviews for
a short while. All the interviewees were used to describing their work, since part of their work involved the collection of financial and material support. They were therefore relatively autonomous
during the interviews. As a researcher, I was able to remain relatively passive, and this also gave an
opportunity for flexibility in relation to the topics I intended to address during the interview. The
interviews were conducted in English, since this was the common language for the staff of Bobbi
Bear and the only one of all all of South Africa's official languages that I spoke. During the interviews, I sometimes asked follow-up questions arising out of my need for clarification from the interviewee in order to reduce the potential for linguistic misunderstanding.
All the interviews were documented using a Dictaphone, of which the interviewees were informed,
and they approved its use in advance. The audio tracks were backed up immediately after the interview, in case something should happen to the originals. After the interviews I asked all respondents
if there was anything in the material they did not want me to use. All of them were given the opportunity to later get back to me with requests or additions to the material.
Data processing and analysis
Each interview was transcribed immediately after it was completed. The interviews were transcribed in their entirety in order that the content is completely accurate. The transcribed material has
during processing been used the original language, i.e. English, and no written translation has been
made. The empirical data have been processed and analyzed by means of categorization of meaning
and concentration of meaning (Larsson et al., 2005). To facilitate opportunities for comparison and
provide a preferable overall view of the empirical data a categorization by meaning during the collation of the interview texts has been made. Meaning concentration was also used to shorten some
of the interviewees' statements and redraft and present them in the resulting text with retained significance (cf. Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009).
20
I looked at the empirical data in a quest for similarities initially. Possible categories were then colour coded. I made two themes, based on the perspectives advocacy and empowerment. Out of the
data material I then made categories in the different themes. I identified three categories in each
theme and these categories have resulted in sub-headings which are named according to their most
prominent common denominator. Quotes and focused statements later became subsumed under the
same category. The empirical data has since been reported through quotation or through categorization of meaning.
Validity and reliability
Validity addresses the question of whether the researcher has studied what was intended, while reliability addresses the issue of how reliable the survey conducted is. But because of the hermeneutic
perspective, I assume the view that there are no absolute truths, but that everything is relative (Starrin & Svensson, 1994). My aim has been to do my utmost to get the highest possible reliability and
answer the purpose and questions of the study. This I have aimed to achieve by treating the material
in an accurate manner and by checking and questioning the material at regular intervals during the
study (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009).
During my preparatory work, I carefully made myself at home within this field of knowledge to
ensure that purpose, research questions and interview questions all deal with what the study seeks to
answer. During the interviews, the design largely determines the validity of the study (ibid.), the
sound recording was done in such a way that the contents were not drowned out by the background
noise that was audible. On those occasions during the interviews when disturbances occurred, I was
careful to repeat the question and ask the interviewee to repeat her answers more or less word for
word. Some of the predesigned interview questions were understood by the interviewees in a way
that was not intended. In order that the meaning I intended got through I rephrased the question.
Because I had personally designed the interview guide, I was quite sure what I intended to say. To
make sure that I as interviewer had understood the respondent's statements correctly I continuously
checked with the interviewees during interviews. One factor that may have reduced the validity of
the study is that the interviewees are accustomed to talk about their work with the intention of collecting financial and material resources to the organization which may have caused them to perceive
the study as an opportunity of disseminating information about Bobbi Bear in Sweden, where the
study is published. I was aware of this before the interviews were conducted, and designed the interview guide in order to make room for a nuanced description of the work, but the validity is in
spite of that affected by the respondents' ability to promote their operation.
Another factor that may have affected the validity of the study is that I spent a considerable time as
a member of the organization before conducting the study. I intended thereby to improve my prior
understanding of Bobbi Bear and sought thereby a more thorough study. However, I realize that it
also meant that I had established a personal relationship with the interviewees, which may, of
course, have influenced the results. By being clear about the purpose of the study and my role as
researcher from the beginning, and being aware of this during the conduct of the study and the analysis of its results, I think that this factor only marginally affected the results.
21
Generalizability
A qualitative study does not find any generalizable results, and nor was this the intention of this
study. The scope of the study is not sufficient, on account of the limited number of samples. However, an analytical generalization may be possible by drawing conclusions about the outcomes that
it would be possible to find in a similar study (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009 and Esaiasson et al.,
2003). This study makes no claims to describe in detail what the work at Bobbi Bear looks like or
what the motivation of its employees is. The claims being made are only that it gives a description
of the selected interviewees' experience of their work and of their own personal motivation. It does
not therefore aim to produce a complete description, but a limited one (Esaiasson et al., 2003).
Ethical considerations
Kvale & Brinkmann (2009) describe four ethical guidelines for researchers: informed consent, confidentiality, consequences, and the researcher's role in the work. I have proceeded from all of these
guidelines, partly in my preparation for the interviews, when respondents were asked about their
involvement. But even during their actual conduct I reiterated the intent behind the guidelines and
insured that the participation of the interviewees was voluntary and that their anonymity was assured to the extent that this was possible, according to the recommendations from Swedish Research Council's Ethical considerations (www.stingerfonden.org).
Pre-understanding
Before the study was conducted, I had no practical experience either in international social work or
in voluntary social work. However, I have briefly worked as a social worker at the investigative unit
for children and young people with the Swedish social services. In this work, I have met children at
risk from lack of care. In South Africa, I met children who were not only vulnerable to lack of care,
but who were also exposed to serious violence and / or aggravated sexual assault. The Swedish context I understand, since that is the context I’ve spent most of my life in. South Africa, for me, is a
new context and therefore, before going there, I did some research about the history if South Africa
and the South African society. When I came to Amanzimtoti and became a volunteer for Bobbi
Bear I got training for three days, where I was taught about the organizations work, the governments work and about HIV/Aids. While conducting the interviews I made an effort to set aside the
knowledge I had about the work and context and I also encouraged the interviewees to treat me like
a person who had no previous knowledge.
22
Results
Outline of the chapter
In this chapter who the interviewees are is initially discussed. The chapter is then divided into two
different sections. The first section describes the perspective of advocacy, which is in turn divided
into three distinct themes. Comments on each theme follow the presented results. The second section deals with the perspective of empowerment, which has also been divided into into three themes
which are reported in the same way.
The interviewees
I have chosen not to introduce the interviewees with a lot of information about them as private persons, but only briefly present what role they have in Bobbi Bear and for how long they have been
working for the organization. The reason for this is that I wish to reduce the risk for identification. I
have also chosen not to state which of the interviewees said what, also because of the risk of identification. Although I am aware of the fact that some of the quotes can be connected to a specific person and that anonymity can not be guaranteed at all times. All of the interviewees are female.
Interviewee # 1: the founder of the organization who has been involved with the issue of sexually
abused children for at least twenty years.
Interviewee # 2: the administrative director who has worked for the organization for about eleven
years.
Interviewee # 3: a child safety officer who has been working for the organization for about eight
years.
Interviewee # 4: a child safety officer who has been working with the organization for about four
years.
23
Perspective A: Advocacy
Theme 1: Representing the client
The most central part of the interviewees’ descriptions of their work was the children. One of them
talked about how to reach the children and where to meet the children. She said that all of the staff
members are well-known in their own community and a lot of children and parents contact them in
their spare time. But the organization is also active in locating children by going to schools and informing children and their teachers or visiting medical clinics or local police stations in the communities to get their help in establishing contact between the child and Bobbi Bear. She said:
We try at the moment to get to as many children as we can.
Another of the interviewees said that the staff’s background was something that meant a lot for the
organizations’ approach. She talked about how the staff used their own experience as an asset when
they structured the work:
We are a bunch of mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives that have learned from what
has happened to us. Learned the system, learned where you go, what you do. And we try
to pass that on to other people. (…) You represent that child through the whole process,
the doctor, the police station, in the court.
To represent the children at court was mentioned by all of the interviewees as an important part of
the job. The CSO’s were responsible for their own cases and follow these up through the whole
process, from the interrogation and medical examinations done to gather evidence up to the trial.
One interviewee said that because of the young age of the victims they were not able to speak for
themselves. She said that her experience was that children were strengthened when they knew that a
CSO was representing them.
One of the interviewees told me that she was dissatisfied with the limitations of the organization
when it came to how many children they could take care of. In some cases the perpetrator was the
child’s parent and the child could therefore not live in their own home, if the parent were not arrested.
We would be able to accommodate more children. At the moment we are holding back,
because we just don’t have the resources.
24
When Bobby Bear gets in contact with a child who has recently been raped they bring a rape bag
and a bear.
Our job consists of a bear and a rape bag. Very simple tools, but it works.
The rape bag contains gloves, wet wipes, a note book, underwear for the victim and sweats amongst
other things (see picture, appendix 2). They use the bear to make the child talk, explained one of the
interviewees, and the bear then becomes evidence in the court case. She said:
Anatomically correct dolls are, I believe, best left in the hands of shrinks and psychologists and that sort of thing. And in Africa we have 11 official languages. So even if the
kid could talk sitting across from a police person of another gender, another language,
another colour is now having to describe of what was done to private parts of her body.
It’s not even easy for an adult. So that's where the bear came in.
Comments
The interviewees describe Bobbi Bear's work with representation, and how they take up the case
for the child - the one with little or no power – in order to give the child recompense after having
been the victim of an assault. The child may lack the skills and knowledge to speak up for itself
against a system that is represented by doctors, police and prosecutors - not just against the offender
who exposed the child to the abuse - and Bobbi Bear takes on the representation of the child in accordance with Payne's description of advocacy (2008).
The respondents give similar descriptions of the work and the actual data, which can be interpreted
as the organization's structure is well-rooted in the staff, something Bolman & Deal describe (2009)
as a factor that may affect the its success positively. On Bobbi Bear's part this may indicate that
their work is performed in a uniform manner and that staff share the same approach. This might be
considered to mean that internal resources can focus on other parts of the organization's work,
which in itself is advantageous.
Theme 2: The surrounding environment
Referring to the segregation and poverty amongst a large part of the South African population, one
of the interviewees talked about the distinction between rich and poor in South Africa. The interviewee said that partly because of this distinctions, everybody in the countryside is still a racist. A
significant difference since before 1994 and the homelands was that no particular group in society is
isolated anymore.
25
Before -94 women had no rights in this country. (...) The white women believed That the
black women had no rights because of the patriarchal black culture. The black women
did not have a clue that the white women had no rights because of all their (...) houses
and cars, etc., etc.
One of the interviewees mentioned the work with HIV from a historical perspective. She said that
the disease was no longer as stigmatized as it used to be. Even though, she said, a lot of people infected do not want to be open about it, still risking losing their jobs or friends. People are being exposed to violence even today, simply because they are infected, she said, but it's not as common as
earlier, and the awareness about HIV/Aids has got to do with it. Some of the interviewees described
a feeling of abandonment, expressing it as that "Africa was left with their problem” referring to the
HIV situation in mainly the southwestern part of Africa.
So in 1994 nobody was working with HIV/AIDS. The people were being ... If they could
see they had AIDS, they were being beaten and women were being run out of their
communities with their children.
Some of the interviewees talked about the welfare system that does not seem to want to help the
children that Bobbi Bear meets. The social welfare system does not take its responsibility for the
children looked after by Bobbi Bear.
Bobbi Bear and the team of people that work with BB speed over the years learned how
the system should work. And half the time – three quarters of the time - we are doing the
social service's work (...).
One of the interviewees Expressed strong emotions of frustration while talking about the welfare
system:
They do not give a damn, They Do not give a damn if a kid gets lost in the system. Kids
in this country gets lost in the system!
Yet another of the interviewees said:
The people are in the job purely because of the salary, they're not there because they
want to be there.
But they also meant that what kind of help their clients got from the police, prosecutor or hospital
depended on the person the client met. At the government hospital, some of their client went to
there were one or two doctors who had a personal commitment that meant a lot for the children. A
medical examination after a rape may be a risk for a new assault, so the doctor's attitude was of
great importance.
26
The interviewees described a very good relationship with some individual police officers who had a
great deal of personal commitment and were really dedicated to the clients of Bobbi Bear. Two particular representatives of the police were mentioned by all four of the interviewees and their engagement meant a lot for the protection and the progress of court cases of the clients of Bobbi Bear.
As a way of describing South African society the interviewees talked about the welfare system and
the institutions that represent the government in any way, such as the police, the prosecutors or
judges, social services and hospitals or clinics. All of the interviewees had at least one experience of
meeting a corrupt person representing the government. Two of the interviewees were very clear
about the fact that Bobbi Bear does not accept governmental funding. They both mentioned that
South Africa has a reputation of being a corrupt country. One of them said:
If there is anybody in this country that rapes a child, you're going to go to jail. We do
not give a damn who you are. If you take government money, you become accountable
to them. And if they start threatening to take back your funding because you have locked
up one of their people ... They can do that now.
The other interviewee said that Bobbi Bear had been fighting for its independence and no matter
where their funding came from they always made sure that the donors did not expect to get something back from them.
But I know that if money is donated to us, it's donated to do what we need with it. I do
not need to keep anybody's husband out of jail, or be bribed or corrupted.
Comments
The interviewees describe an interaction with the outside world that does not always work satisfactorily - for them or their clients. All organizations depend on their environment and a good interaction with exchange between the organization and other stakeholders is vital to an organization's
survival, say Jacobsen & Thorsvik (2008).
Just as the interviewees describe what Bobbi Bear does, networking and building strong relationships is positive for interaction with the environment (ibid.). The fact that an organization like Bobbi Bear, which interacts with a multitude of other major actors, comes across conflicts in this interaction is not surprising. The explanations the respondents give as examples of various government
agencies actions, are signs of difficulties for a sound relationship. At the same time a small number
of representatives of the police who play a major role in developing a positive interaction are mentioned.
To interact with the environment is good and develops an organization, say Jacobsen & Thorsvik
(2008). This also refers to the interactions that occur, and must often occur, with the authorities di27
rectly affected by the work the organization performs. A non-governmental organization also depends on donations to fund its operations and in many cases the state is an important source of income. In a country where the state is considered to be corrupt and is no stranger to bribery in either
direction, the relationship between the organization and the state can develop in such a way that
both parties act corruptly, even if this means that the organization's goals change (Bendell, 2006).
Respondents expressed a clear stance against corruption through saying no to state financing.
Theme 3: Personal experiences that influences the organization
The importance of the staff's personal history was mentioned by one of the interviewees:
Every woman at Bobbi Bear has got a story. We are all here because something happened in our life, some sort of trauma. Some real heartache. We have been victims of
some kind, either of rape, abuse, physical abuse. And we took what happened to us, everyone took what had happened to them and turned it into a positive thing to say we are
not victims anymore, we do not want to be victims.
She said that it was not essential that the staff had experienced a trauma, but it was a benefit that the
staff could understandings the situation of the children.
One of the interviewees talked about her personal commitment to her job. She said that she saw the
same commitment in the rest of the staff and in her opinion it was indispensable to be personally
committed to the job:
And my whole argument for Bobbi Bear is the day you stop crying for the victims or the
people or the children you work with ... If you stop crying, pack your bags, take your
handbag then leave! Because then you've lost your heart.
She continued to talk about what Bobbi Bear is and said:
So that is what Bobbi Bear is about. Heart, passion and the love of doing what we do
and make a difference. That's what Bobbi Bear is.
Another of the interviewees mentioned what Bobbi Bear means for those who get in contact with
the organization, the children, but also the authorities. When they came up with the bear and it was
used all the time in their work people started to recognize it. She said:
And the bear then became a symbol against child abuse and such. We started getting into the courts and all sorts of things.
28
Comments
Respondents described how their own experiences of abuse has given them an advantage in their
work and a better understanding of the situation of children. It could be inferred that the respondents possess a knowledge of the context in which they operate, and know how the relevant environment works and how they should approach it on the basis of the children's needs, which Jacobsen & Thorsvik believe is a requirement for an organization. They argue that the organization can
then adapt to the outside world and meet the real needs there.
It is not unlikely that the interviewees experiences might have affected the structure of the organization. An organization is a social system, which means that the members of the organization influence it to be structured the way (ibid.).
Perspective B: Empowerment
Theme 1: Empower the client
At the beginning Bobbi Bear consisted of only one person. She was then struggling for children
what had become infected with HIV after being raped. She said she was successful:
It just brought home that one person can make a difference. If you really want to. Getting what you want in life is easy, but it's deciding what you want. And the tree clinic in
Illowo shows how a project cancer grow to be a powerful activism and lobbying source
with no resources whatsoever.
Very soon she was not alone with the struggle anymore, she was accompanied by the women she
met at the Tree Clinic. They were taking action against the legal system and became a part of the
opposition movement had fought for freedom for South Africa.
And it was just this little band of marry women. But we took the constitution, South Africa's constitution, and the rights of women, cause before -94 women had no rights in
this country.
The work with the women was, and still is, vital for Bobbi Bear, one of the interviewees said. To
make women come together in a common struggle for equality was inspiring:
The restoration of women across the color and cultural band. And that was the main focus and a voice for the children.
29
To work with awareness about HIV/AIDS is a big part of Bobbi Bear. Sometimes Bobbi Bear still
encounters the belief that it is safe to have sex with a virgin. To educate children, but also adults,
such as teachers and parents, about the virus, how it is spread and its consequences, without further
stigmatizing the disease is one of Bobbi Bear's missions.
At school awareness we teach the kids how to protect themselves from the virus. We
sing the song together. 'If it's wet and comes from the body, do not touch it'.
Bobbi Bear also works with awareness about the organization, said the same interviewee:
Because the more children That know about Bobbi Bear, the more awareness we can
create, the less rape we're gonna be faced with. Because if children are aware of who
they are and what's happened to them they're gonna talk.
One of the interviewees described the staff at Bobbi Bear as activists that shape their own path and
fight the system on different levels. As an example she said that Bobbi Bear was present when the
constitution was made and that the organization had a history of grass roots activism and lobbying.
She said:
So, we've changed a lot of laws. And we've followed them through. We've been to government workshops, grass roots activism, we've done it all. And now (we) thought (we)
could bit back and enjoy the fruits of (our) labor. But now it's enforcing it. (...) It's like
we're at the beginning again.
Comments
Payne (2005) refer to Rees who argue that attempts to change the existing power relations, or an
acceptance of them, are part of the political work that empowerment involves. Empowerment is not
just about dialog between the social worker and client, but concerns different levels. By actively
working to change the prevailing structures of power in South Africa and to be involved in the task
of designing and changing legislation, Bobbi Bear is considered to be part of the ongoing political
power struggle (Rees in Payne, 2005).
To disseminate knowledge and empower people to manage their situation is what empowerment is
all about (Payne, 2005). Bobbi Bear can hardly be said to claim to be able to change the situation in
the country concerning what has come to be called an epidemic. The disease is spreading and has
consequences that affect the country's labor market and thus the national economy (Wickstrom,
2008). The virus itself can be said to affect the power struggle on the international plane where
South Africa is still a developing country and the largest resources in research and development of
drugs that slow down the disease are in the Western world. That Bobbi Bear focuses on spreading
knowledge about how to protect oneself and how to deal with the disease once infected may indicate that they have realized their ability and thus limits. That the objectives of an organization are
30
plausible and achievable is essential for employees maintaining their motivation to work (Jacobsen
& Thorsvik, 2008) and therefore that they adjust their goals as they do may mean greater opportunities for staff at Bobbi Bear maintain their motivation.
Theme 2: Organizational Resources
One of the interviewees described how the South African legal system used to be structured. After
the fall of Apartheid in 1994 the South African legal system was Dutch-Roman. The law stated that
if a man gave testimony in a court of law or to an officer in authority, he was to be believed until
proven otherwise. If a woman gave her testimony, the court or officer had to apply the cautionary
rule, which meant that the woman had to present half of the evidence herself to be believed. The
law went further, and said that if a child gave testimony, the court or the officer had to use the double caution rule, the child had to prove it all.
Well, a bunch of activisms (...) and the women at the Tree Clinic, which range from
about 300, down Smack That law in 1997. So women now stand before the court with
the same right as a man, and so do our rape Victims.
One of the interviewees said that Bobbi Bear does not have any internal resources at all, but that
they were dependent on fund raising. She said:
Bobbi Bear is an organization run by a bunch of women trying to make a difference. We
are all just human beings. None of us are qualified lawyers, none of us have any fancy
degree in education, but what we got is life skills.
This is in contrast to one of the other interviewees who emphasized the significant role the staff has:
Our staff is a resource. But we are very fortunate that the staff we got have some
months worked for nothing because their hearts are in what they do. They are not here
for the money. They need to get to work and back. The taxi fee costs them over a thousand Rand a month. So they would need a bit of money to get to work and back. But,
yes, if we had no resources at all we would probably still try to function to the best of
our ability.
She continued by talking about the bear as a kind of resource, that is very useful in their work with
children with different native languages:
And we are able to assist so many children because the bear talks eleven official languages, we say. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to help a child with a bear. Definitely not.
31
All of the interviewees mentioned an organization based in Holland that has helped Bobbi Bear
raise funds in the Netherlands and other, mostly European, countries. The Dutch organization is still
a primarily provider of volunteers. These volunteers are usually responsible for the daily care of the
children in the care of Bobbi Bear, but also work with counseling the traumatized children.
Five years ago we were actually, literally, dying out. We had nowhere to go. We sat on
a pavement with our furniture, we had no home, we had nothing. And the volunteer
program gave us those resources. The volunteers came and gave us their expertise, they
helped us with the children.
One of the interviewees said that the Dutch organization was their savior, that "Holland
gave us a stepping stone".
Comments
For an organization to function and develop in a positive direction, it is important that staff have a
commitment and feel involved in the conduct of work. Some organizations try to achieve positive
results and increase employees' engagement by giving the employees good salaries and terms of
employment and skills development, write Bolman & Deal (2005). Bobbi Bear is an organization
that lacks facilities to ensure their employees good wages and job security. The organization focuses on giving staff room to influence what can be influenced, that is their own work and the development of their skills. The employees are responsible for their respective clients and plan the actual
contact with them. In this way, the organization is democratic and employee influence is great,
which Bolman & Deal (ibid.) also believe is a successful strategy for the positive development of an
organization.
Having a deep sense and a shared vision of what the organization stands for and what they care
about can be regarded as a description of the organization's "soul." It is something that is clearly
linked to the organization's ethical commitment and ethics are important not only in the individual's
daily life, but also in the group or organization (ibid.). Respondents describe their experiences being
similar to the experiences of their clients as an important factor behind the choice of the staff to
work and stay with Bobbi Bear. This may suggest that a common position on what is right and
wrong and what is worth standing up for is part of Bobbi Bear's soul and something that strengthens
cohesion and respect for each other.
Bobbi Bear is an organization that gets a large portion of its income from a developed country, but
is active in a developing country. What can then be problematic is that donors have different views
on what are the needs to be satisfied than the providers have (Bendell, 2006). A comparison can be
made here with the inherent resources of the, mostly Dutch, volunteers who work for Bobbi Bear.
The majority of employees - even if the volunteers are known as "employees" – have their roots in
South Africa and therefore have a great knowledge of prevailing conditions in the country and what
its history has been like and why today's conditions look like they do. This can lead to the organization having an effective ability to see and meet the needs of the children they work with so that the
32
work becomes in practice well targeted. Volunteers and regular staff can with their skills and experience complement each other, and by working together they can find an effective approach based
on a thorough understanding and knowledge of conditions and possible solutions (Jacobsen &
Thorsvik, 2008).
Theme 3: Purpose and mission of the organization
One of the respondents summarizes the mission like this:
Our mission is to rescue a child that has been raped or sexually abused, our mission is
to rescue that child and bring that child towards wholeness with necessary counseling.
Our mission is to rescue the child, bring the child in, get the necessary help the child
deserves and is expected of, and then help the child towards wholeness with counseling.
Help them with closure to what happened to them. And help them to know it was not
their fault. So they go through life with at least some sort of closure.
Another of the interviewees said that the mission of Bobbi Bear is to reduce the number of children
being raped. She told about how it is now accepted to talk about the victims and that this makes it
easier for Bobbi Bear to focus on the victims.
And whether we help one person a day or a thousand people a month, It doesn't really
matter. As long as we can make a difference for one person a day I am happy.
Yet another one of the interviewees described the mission like this:
I would like to say rescue and save lives. Bobbi Bear is certainly a big factor in breaking the cycle of abuse. Because we're there and we care. Over the years I have seen it
work. With a bear and a rape bag you can perform miracles.
Talking about why the staff keep up the work and how They find the motivation to carry on one of
the interviewees said:
The only reason they would stick with Bobbi Bear is purely because they know how it
works. And they know what happened to them, years and years ago, there was no Bobbi
Bear. There was no one to help them. So it's a form of loyalty to the community, to the
children in the areas, because they've all got children. And it's a form of loyalty to
themselves.
She said that her own experiences were very important for her, when she decided to start working
for Bobbi Bear. She thinks it it hard to meet a child that has been a victim of a rape, because it af33
fects her a lot. But knowing that she can make a difference for that child and make sure the perpetrator get his punishment is what keeps her going.
Comments
Respondents describe in the different words the mission they feel that Bobbi Bear has. The descriptions do not match perfectly, but the goal itself is described in almost identical fashion. This may
indicate that the organization's purposed and goals are well-rooted in the employees, or perhaps
even that the employees were involved in establishing goals. One of the interviewees was the
founder of Bobbi Bear and her testimony could be interpreted as the 'real' testimony, that she has
the true answers about the organization's purpose and goals. Organizations are described, however,
as social systems (Jacobsen & Thorsvik, 2008) and on this basis I can say that Bobbi Bear is the
staff and all who work there, making it likely that an interpretation that the staff and their personal
experiences have influenced the organization's aims and methods can not be considered entirely
unreasonable.
34
Comprehensive Analysis
Outline of the chapter
The results of the study are interpreted using the hermeneutic spiral. Analyses of the six themes into
which the study's materials have been divided have been presented in the previous chapters, and this
has led to an overall analysis, as presented in this chapter. This analysis is divided into five sections,
beginning with a section called The organization's resources where an analysis of Bobbi Bear's resources is presented. Section two is called The organization's structure and presents summary conclusions about Bobbi Bear's structure. The third section is The employees' motivation and presents
results about personal motivation and its importance to the organization. The forth section is Interaction with the technological environment in which I analyze Bobbi Bear's interaction with the surrounding players. The last and fifth section presents conclusions about cultural conditions in context, and is called Interaction with the institutional environment.
The organization's resources
To achieve understanding and knowledge of the organization's resources, both in terms of access to
and the absence of them, leads to insight about how room to act can be defined, according to Jacobsen & Thorsvik (2008). The interviewees describe the organization's resources and the importance
they have for performing its work. The interviewees describe first how the organization's financial
resources lead to limitations in what work they can perform, such as that the organization has no
room to take care of as many children as they want. The financial constraints also lead to the organization not being able to guarantee the employees pay for the work they do, which can be considered an uncertainty - not only for employees, but also for the organization as such, since the employees may be forced to seek other work to ensure their own livelihoods.
The employees' personal experience and personal commitment to the work the organization performs is described as an asset. That employees describe themselves as a resource may indicate that
there is an awareness of what resources look like, and in that case - according to Jacobsen &
Thorsvik - an understanding of the structure of the work. The social system that consists of the employees results in their taking part in design of the work, ie the sreucture of the organization (ibid.).
The results show that Bobbi Bear's employees have a direct impact on the structure, since their personal experiences are the basis for how the work is designed. Jacobsen & Thorsvik say that a conflict may arise if the real structure is not consistent with the set goals, which can be to some extent
avoided at Bobbi Bear by the chances for employees themselves setting targets and designing the
structure where internal resources in the form of employees' experience are directly crucial.
35
The organization's structure
Detailed regulation and steering through frameworks are, according to Johansson (1997), two ways
to structure an organization that can apply flexibly or rigidly. The results indicate that Bobbi Bear
can not be considered to have a structure regulated in detail. Instead the respondents describe a
business regulated by frameworks, in which the goals are to protect the child from further abuse,
represent the child in the legal process, and give the child tools to process the traumatic experience
that sexual assault involves. None of the respondents describe in detail how the work is performed
and no clear methodology exists. This means that the application of frame steering may be considered flexible, based on the needs of specific children or the specific conditions in one case. Johansson believes that such an application of a steering by frameworks provides the individual employee
significant opportunities to self-management of their work and to choose how the framework steering is applied. This may be considered compatible with respondents' descriptions of the organization's structure, where each employee is responsible for her own clients and decides themselves how
the help to the client is designed.
The employees' motivation
For an organization to develop and be successful, say Jacobsen & Thorsvik, worker motivation is
important. That the organization's goals and objectives are embedded in all employees they consider
to be a factor that increases motivation. As the result shows Bobbi Bear's employees are well anchored in its goals and they participate in and have an impact on the organization's structure and
working method. The question of whether Bobbi Bear is a successful organization is answered not
by this factor alone, but a number of factors and criteria are required to answer whether an organization is successful according to Bolman & Deal (2005). However, the results show that employees of
Bobbi Bear are motivated in their work, since the respondents stated that the work is done from the
heart. This could indicate a major emotional investment, which encourages a positive development
towards success.
Interaction with the technological environment
Jacobsen & Thorsvik describe (2008) the importance of an organization interacting with the technical world in order to survive. Respondents describe the technical world in the form of police,
prosecutors, health care and social services, as operators that directly affect Bobbi Bear's work. The
results reveal the difficulties in interaction with the technological world. The respondents' descriptions of the technological world reveal that the other organizations that operate in this context, who
represent the state in various ways, do not do their job for various reasons. Since the results only
reflect a one-sided description of the technological world we can hardly drawn any conclusions
about what the interaction actually looks like. The result also shows descriptions of how cooperation can function properly, but that it depends on the individual representative of the outside world.
An interpretation, however, that can be made based on respondents' perceived life-world is that the
employees of Bobbi Bear are aware that there are difficulties for a sound cooperation. Jacobsen &
36
Thorsvik (ibid.) argue that organizational structure must be adapted to the outside world, something
which may be facilitated by an awareness of how these aspects affect the organization.
Respondents also speaks of the Dutch organization, which provides them with resources in the form
of finances and volunteers. The interaction is described as well-functioning by the respondents, but
does not describe what the Dutch organization gained from the cooperation. Nor is it apparent from
the result what are the expectations of the Dutch donors, or whether Bobbi Bear adapts its activities
based on these expectations. That which can nevertheless be interpreted from the results is that the
volunteers provided by the Dutch organization gain experience and knowledge of Bobbi Bear and
the conditions prevailing in the South African context in which Bobbi Bear works, which may be
what the Dutch organization gets from Bobbi Bear. This may in turn lead to donors in Holland obtaining a deeper understanding of the conditions prevailing in the developing country, South Africa,
where the work is done. That both the donors and providers share the same perception of the organization's purpose increases the possibility for work being well targeted and that the NGO meets real
needs (Bendell, 2006). From this it can be assumed that Bobbi Bear's interaction with the technological world in the form of the Dutch organization is functional, which is a prerequisite for Bobbi
Bear's survival (Jacobsen & Thorsvik, 2008).
Interaction with the institutional environment
The institutional environment refers to the cultural conditions, that is the prevailing norms and values that exist in the world, according to Jacobsen & Thorsvik (ibid.). One prevailing norm in parts
of society where Bobbi Bear operates is that it is safe to have sex with a virgin, since the chances of
contracting HIV are low or nonexistent then. It is a norm that affects the work which Bobbi Bear
performs in the sense that it can lead to more rapes of children which can result in more clients, but
also because it normalizes the rape of children since the norm can be used to defend the perpetrator's behavior. However, it is not a norm that prevails throughout society and respondents' descriptions show that Bobbi Bear, by working to heighten awareness, is also actively working to thwart
the norm. The organization can thus be considered as in relationship to the norm and interacting
hereby with the part of society that has not embraced the norm. This could be what is expected of an
organization like Bobbi Bear, that works to protect children from sexual abuse, and the result thus
indicates that Bobbi Bear has a good interaction with the institutional world based on this individual
norm.
To conclude that interaction with the institutional world works based on only one norm is not possible, but the interaction must be illuminated by the normative system of the whole community.
Jacobsen & Thorsvik (ibid.) point out that prevailing norms and values influence the formulation of
laws. Respondents describe how the organization is involved in the design of certain laws. This may
indicate an awareness of the prevailing norms and values in society and a commitment to them.
Employees' personal backgrounds and experiences may have increased their knowledge and understanding of societal norms. To represent the same views as the institutional environment can increase the organization's credibility (ibid.) and the results of this study can be regarded as evidence
that Bobbi Bear might possess that credibility.
37
Concluding Discussion
Outline of the chapter
In this final chapter are initially an overall picture of the result presented, which summarizes the
conclusions from the study. Thereafter is a discussion of the study's methodology and finally, suggestions for future research.
Summary picture of the results
This study aims to explore, describe and analyze Bobbi Bear's work, the structure and context in
which it operates and why its structure looks like it does. The questions the study raises are about
how respondents describe the structure of the organization, and how they perceive its interaction
with the environment and if any conclusions can be drawn about how the environment affects the
structure of Bobbi Bear and if so what these conclusions are
The results of the study can be considered to provide an answer to what Bobbi Bear's structure
looks like, based on respondents' description of it. The answer to that question can thus be inferred
from the results, although Bobbi Bear's overall structure is not to be found there. The study was not
intended to provide an overall picture of Bobbi Bear's structure, but only to describe the respondents' perception of it. Bobbi Bear's structure can be interpreted as being based on the individual employees' personal experiences and opinions. The design of the structure can therefore be perceived
as arbitrary and possibly changing, based on the possible turnover of staff.
The second question therefore concerns how respondents perceive the organization's interaction
with the environment. Also regarding that issue the study's ambition was not to present the full interaction which presumably occurs with the outside world. The result can be considered to answer
the question in the sense that it describes the respondents' experience of interaction with the most
relevant actors in the technological world and some of the cultural preconditions prevailing in South
African society from the respondents point of view.
Can any conclusions be drawn about how the environment affects the structure of Bobbi Bear, and
if so what are these? The interpretation that can be made based on the findings of the study is that
employees' descriptions of their own commitment, that they have their heart in the work they do,
and they want to give the children the opportunity for support and treatment that they themselves
did not get can be assumed to be based in - as implied by the results – the respondents' forming the
context in which they live today, one which they have been formed by as they grew up. South Africa's history of apartheid and thus separation of the people has affected the country and the people
who live there. The disease HIV/AIDS has also affected the society historically and has impact on
society even today, because there is as yet no vaccine against or cure for the virus. Everybody is
fashioned by the context in which they live, and the respondents have in most cases lived their
whole lives in South Africa, in any case most of their adult lives in the country. Thus they are
shaped by their environment. The result shows how much influence employees have had on the
creation of Bobbi Bear's structure. That the employees – who are fashioned by the outside world 38
jointly designed the structure means that an interpretation can be made that the outside world has
shaped Bobbi Bear's structure.
The epistemological field
The previous research has shown that NGOs that accept government funding could be in a position
of dependence vis-à-vis the state, as does non-governmental donors. A voluntary organization has
great power to direct its work and mission, but the power may be in the hands of the government or
donors. Research has also shown that NGOs can complement the state, where the state fails for different reasons. The fact that NGOs geographical position is influenced by other actors in the environment is another conclusion drawn in earlier research. While other actors' absence may lead to the
NGO's work is more important for the residents. The summary picture of the results of this study
can be considered as being in harmony with the research. This study is therefore not innovative, but
a confirmation of other research in the field. However, it has enabled a better understanding of how
the specific organization studied is affected by the state and other actors in the environment.
Methodological discussion
The advantages of using the qualitative method have primarily consisted in that it enables an understanding of respondents' perceptions of the organization in which they are involved. Nonetheless an
interpretation of respondents' descriptions always contains a measure of subjectivity (Kvale &
Brinkmann, 2009). In part of the study where the results are presented are quotes from the interviewees used ', which meant that the participants' own experiences communicated largely in their
own words. The interpretation of the results was based on the reported quotes is the purpose of a
qualitative study. But it also means that the selection of the empirical data presented are characterized by the researcher's subjective interpretation, which is a consequence of conducting a qualitative
study (ibid.). The choice of another method to find out how the organization is structured would
probably have been different. However, the study's questions - to get the interviewees experience had hardly been possible to answer by example through qualitative methods.
If other theoretical perspectives had been selected had it been able to provide a different understanding of the interviewees described experiences. However, the choice of the study's theoretical
perspectives have been beneficial to illuminate the organizational structure of Bobbi Bear. Another
choice of theoretical points had probably changed the study's results and possibly even required a
change of the questions. The analysis of the results, however, had probably been deepened further if
more aspects of organization theory had been highlighted.
The four interviewees can be considered few in numbers and all were interviewed on one occasion
only. The standard for qualitative research is to conduct at least fifteen interviews (ibid.). A small
number of interviewees have nevertheless enabled long interviews, which have been an advantage
when the goal was to obtain rich information from the interviewees.
The study is a so called Minor Field Study, which means that the collection of the empirical material has taken place in a developing country. To gain access to the organization, I chose to participate as an observer to volunteer for the organization. It gave me a good insight into the organization and it gave me a knowledge of the context the organization operates in, which were otherwise
39
difficult to reach. It also gave me an opportunity to early in the study identify the areas of interest
in the environment. In some ways, it has been difficult to have a personal relationship with the
organization and its members. For researchers to stay objective and critical examination of what I
chose to review has been difficult because of my commitment to the work they do. Having an
awareness of the difficulty has enabled me to examine my own work and take a step back when I
come close to the research area. I do however feel that the positive effects have been considered,
and without my participant observation I had not got the results I have now found.
Suggestions for future research
The conduct of this minor field study have aroused my interest in further research in this area. The
fact that no previous research on the Bobbi Bear is a sign that there is a need for further research,
just as there is a need for further research on NGO impact on clients.
-
-
Something that is interesting for further research is the issue of whether Bobbi Bear's work
results in more convictions than before.
The question if the work Bobbi Bear conducts have changed the attitude to the problem of
sexual abuse of children in South Africa is yet another issue that needs to be explored in the
future.
Another interesting question is what therapeutic conversations with children look like in different contexts, a comparison with Swedish conditions.
40
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Appendix 1
Intervjuguide
How did you come in contact with Bobbi Bear?
How long have you worked for Bobbi Bear?
How would you describe your role in the organization?
How would you describe Bobbi Bear?
What are Bobbi Bear's mission?
Why does Bobbi Bear have that mission?
Has the mission changed over time and if so why?
How would you describe Bobbi Bear's resources?
What should be the Bobbi Bear's mission in the future?
How would you describe South Africa?
How would you describe the interaction with other organizations/actors in Bobbi Bears’ environment?
43
Appendix 2
Pictures
Contents of a rapebag.
A bear where the victim have written the story.
44
A bear where the victim have written and drawn. Used as evidence in a court case.
Poster found at the local government hospital.
45