Ilse Eigelaar-Meets
Director
Ilse Eigelaar-Meets is a Sociologist. She holds higher qualifications Sociology including a PhD in Sociology of Development (Stellenbosch, 2018), MPhil in Social Research Methods (Stellenbosch, 2001) a Hons BA in Sociology (Stellenbosch, 1999) and a BA degree with majors in Sociology and Psychology (Stellenbosch, 1998). Ilse has worked as a researcher and project manager in a number of institutions including National and Provincial government (National Advisory Council for Innovation [2001], Department of Social Development Western Cape Provincial Government [2002-2003], University of Stellenbosch [2004-2006] and as Deputy Director for research at the Department of Local Government and Housing Western Cape Provincial Government [2007-2009]).
In addition to her research career she has also been involved in lecturing at both post- and pre-graduate levels in Sociology and Research Methodology at different universities in South Africa (RAU, Stellenbosch University and Cornerstone Christian College, Hugenote Kollege).
In her work as researcher she has acquired wide-ranging teaching and research experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She has participated in a number of research and development projects serving clients such as government, the corporate sector and universities.
Jan Davids
Director: Soreaso International office in The Hague, the Netherlands
Jan Davids started working in the field of mobile data collection as a private researcher in 1998. In 2007 Easy capture was formed as a service provider to the research industry and in 2015 Jan Davids sold this to his former partner.
During this period all projects and implementation were overseen by him from early palm pilots to the era of android.
These projects ranged in complexity from small opinion surveys to complex household surveys.
In most cases this involved training of fieldworkers, selection of appropriate software and devices, digitising paper based forms, liaising with software providers and research organisations and overseeing reporting tools both for the purpose of fieldwork management and data delivery to the client.
Caroline Poole
Director
Caroline Poole is a social consultant. She holds higher qualifications including BA with majors in Sociology, Philosophy and Psychology (Stellenbosch, 1998) and a Post-graduate Honours Diploma in Community Development and Population studies (Stellenbosch, 1999).
Since completing her studies she has worked as a researcher and project manager in a number of institutions including The University of Stellenbosch and the Medical Research Council. In her work as researcher she has acquired wide-ranging teaching and research experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. She has participated in a number of research and development projects serving clients such as government, the corporate sector and universities.
Cornie Groenewald
Associate
Cornie Groenewald is Professor Emeritus, University of Stellenbosch and practicing as a Social Consultant (Sociologist). He holds various higher qualifications including BA, Hons BA (c l), Diploma Labour Relations (UPE) (c l), MA (c l), and DPhil (Stellenbosch). Since 1990 to 2005 he was Chair, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University. He also taught at the Universities of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), Western Cape, Walter Sisulu University (Mthatha), and Cornerstone Institute (Claremont).
His research areas include Community development, HIV/AIDS (Demographic and social impacts), Population, Career and life orientation, and Leadership.
He is consulting as a specialist in areas such as Social research and community studies, Social impact assessment, Monitoring and evaluation, Group facilitation, Community development, Adult education. Among his recent clients were UNFPA (South Africa), Government of South Africa (Department of Social Development; Agriculture), Provincial Government of Western Cape (Social Development), Arup SA, Child Welfare and Mfesane. He co-edited the book The State of the Population in the Western Cape Province (HSRC Press, 2008) in which he reviewed the demographic situation of the Western Cape. He also co-authored a chapter on Churches as Providers of HIV and Aids Care in the new authoritative book on Religion and Social Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa (SUN Press, 2010).
Wynand Louw
Associate
Wynand is a sociologist and an independent researcher that specializes in socio economic developmental issues. He obtained a BA Honours (Sociology) at Stellenbosch. Since 1977 he was an academic attached to the Institute for Social Development (ISD), based in the School of Government, UWC. In this capacity he undertook numerous research projects in a variety of fields, notably local economic development, (LED), micro financial institution (MFI) as well in the fields of education, poverty reduction and substance abuse. From 2010 till 2011 he was project leader of a major study undertaken by ISD in collaboration with the Department of Economics at UWC, into the Causes of Underperformance at Senior Secondary Schools in the Western Cape. This project was commissioned the Presidency of South Africa and funded by the European Union. Five different project reports were published dealing with different themes that were identified as critical in understanding the phenomenon of underperformance of schools and how to improve their scholastic performance.
At the beginning of 2012 Wynand was a co researcher with Soreaso in a policy analysis and evaluation research project commissioned by the Department of Social Development of the Western Cape Government. This study entailed an analysis of social trends in this province within the context of current policies to accommodate and deal with these trends.
In the first decade of the new Millennium Wynand was principal or co – researcher in a number of studies in different locations of Western Cape dealing with the social economic development of previously marginalized communities; these studies concentrated inter alia on the transformation and empowerment of the so called second economy or informal sector of both urban and rural human settlements.
At ISD Wynand taught Honours and Masters students in Research Methodology, Education and Development and Poverty Reduction of rural and urban settings. He also supervised more than 20 Masters Students registered in Development Studies at ISD.
Wynand’s skills set also include institutional and program evaluation and monitoring as well as policy development and analysis as well as development of social and economic indicators for government departments. He is well grounded in project design, leadership and management
Dr Sandra Marais
Associate
Sandra Marais worked as a Senior Specialist Scientist in the Crime, Violence and Injury Programme at the Medical Research Council between the years 1998 to 2013 before she retired. Her research topics included violence in the home environment, violence against older people, the role of alcohol abuse on the incidence of violence, and alcohol abuse and traumatic injuries in hospitals in the Western Cape.
She has a D.Litt et Phil in Sociology (Sociology of Health) and has worked extensively in rural areas in South Africa. Her focus for her doctoral thesis was on aspects of primary health care, i.e. community participation, and intersectoral cooperation. She was involved in teaching, supervision of M and D students and developed study material at the University of South Africa in the Dept. of Sociology pre 1998.
At the Medical Research Council her areas of interest were: Causes and prevention of injuries and violence, and alcohol relatedness of injuries and violence. She has been principal investigator on a number of research projects such as rural injury surveillance projects on farms and in small towns in the Western Cape; international collaborative studies on alcohol and injuries with the World Health Organisation; the impact of violence and crime on the health services in Cape Town; and putting together a handbook and instrument for documenting programmes on interpersonal violence.
Sandra is currently consulting as a specialist in social and community research and community development projects.
Pieter Cloete
Associate
Pieter Cloete is a sociologist (retired). He holds higher qualifications including BA with majors in sociology and anthropology (Free State), Hons BA (c l) and MA (c l) (Stellenbosch). He is experienced in development work (served for 8 years as manager of schools and hospital manager based in the rural areas in Zimbabwe and Transkei), teaching and research (16 years at the University of the Western Cape and served the University of Stellenbosch as executive director of a community development agency, Matie Community Service, for the last 14 years of his professional career). During the period he has been instrumental in the founding of social service organizations and facilitated numerous public participation processes.
He is also a trained facilitator in Action Learning (Community Development Resource Association, Cape Town), an accredited Participlan facilitator (Business Presentation Group), monitoring and evaluation facilitator (Networking AIDS Community of South Africa – NACOSA), and in church mobilization (CABSA – Christian Aids Bureau of Southern Africa).
Some of his clients since 2001 were the Bristol Meyers Squib Foundation, the Department of Planning and Local Government of the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape, ARUP (SA), the Order of St John, Paradyskloof Resort Development, Mfesane and the Population Unit of the National Department of Social Development.
Since 2002 he teaches sociology, community development and research methodology at Cornerstone Institute – a college with local and international accreditation, working in partnership with Christian universities in the USA.
He is currently consulting as a specialist in areas such as social and community research, social impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, group facilitation, community development and organization development, and from 2002 till recently served on the Board of Mfesane as board member responsible for the research and development portfolio.