FBSA currently supplies food to 1,278 non-profit organisations countrywide. Also known as "agencies", they are typically crèches, children's homes, old age homes, shelters, feeding schemes, clinics and hospices.Impressive as it may be to be serving 1,278 agencies, this number represents a fraction of the number of organisations working with people who are food insecure in South Africa. FBSA has a waiting list of more than 2,000 agencies that have applied to it for food. But before taking on more agencies, FBSA wants to get a better understanding of the nature and needs of those it is serving.
When taking on agencies, FBSA has always endeavored to select those that are transparent, non-discriminatory, efficient and developmentally minded. Organisations do, however, change. They change their strategies, governance structures, people, and the number of beneficiaries they serve.
In order to gather and update relevant information such as this, FBSA is in the process of assessing all of its agencies. The agency assessment is part of a bigger audit of existing business processes and technology within the organisation.
David Jacobs, FBSA's manager of information and communication technologies, is leading the agency assessment project and setting up the Agency Information Management System (AIMS). David is also FBSA's national agency coordinator.
"To be most effective, FBSA needs to ensure that it's supplying food to agencies that are sustainable and having a meaningful impact in the communities in which they serve," says David. "AIMS will help us pinpoint those organisations and provide us with a wealth of credible information about agencies and their food needs. This will enable us to better assess, monitor and serve agencies, and formulate policies that are fair and applicable."
The assessment, which is being done by FBSA field workers in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth, is due to be complete by 1 October.
