About the Foundation

The Rural Capacity Building Foundation is an independent non-governmental humanitarian organisation established in December 2002, as a response to the severity of Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDS pandemic which Zimbabwe ranks one of the worst countries affected in Sub-Saharah Africa. The head office is in Harare whilst the ground office is in Mutoko at the Mutoko centre. The organisation is run by a board supported by administration and field staff which includes research consultants. The Mutoko centre office is manned and run by members of the community who have been empowered with skills to implement the organization's vision. This serves the organisation better as these locals have a strong appreciation of the community and its needs.

Overview

Meaningful growth and poverty reduction in rural communities will not be achieved until governments and all stake holders invest in building, retaining and nurturing the required rural and institutional capacity vital for the growth and development process. Rural Capacity Building
Foundation is positioning itself to partner with rural communities and other capacity building organizations to emerge as a strong pioneer of sustainable development in the most disadvantaged communities.

RCBF's approach to capacity building is demand driven with emphasis on needs assessment, participation and ownership by communities. We build close cooperation networks and partnerships with other capacity building organizations at domestic, regional and international levels to establish a resource base for intervention, implementation and monitoring of programs in our areas of operation. RCBF operates as an experienced network, sharing information, organising and carrying out research, workshops, poverty reduction programs, and providing professional advice to development stakeholders on issues of economic policy and development.

History

The Rural Capacity Building Foundation was founded by a group of women who were concerned with the magnitude of poverty amongst rural people as well as the severity of Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDS pandemic. Having grown up in rural settings themselves, they found that very few rural people's lifestyles had changed over the last twenty years.

The challenge was to return to the rural areas and find out how and why the rural people have remained poor. Our discovery was that there is massive exploitation of these people by the more enlightened in the cities, rural cultural beliefs and post colonialism.

Government policies and decision making processes have neither seriously nor practically met the rural population's needs and yet the majority of our people live in rural communities. Donor agencies have concentrated on the cities and have done relatively little for the rural communities. The tendency being imposition of policies without cognisance of the communities' real needs.

Zimbabwe's economy is agro-based and the rural people contribute significantly to the country's GDP. The majority of the workforces on the fields are women, as men are often in the cities working, and yet these people are not involved in decision making processes. Little has been done to develop their skills, nor improve output, which would benefit them as individuals and the country at large.

Our decision was to form an organisation that would build capacity for sustainable development in rural areas. To empower the poor and marginilised we need to develop their core skills in order to maximise their productivity and self-reliance.

Mission

Our mission is to increase and support rural communities' capacity for sustainable development, enhance self sufficiency, and increase food security by raising awareness and mobilising resources.

RCBF aspires to be the leading NGO in Zimbabwe to build sustainable human capacity and to eradicate poverty in rural communities through participatory engagement of the community it operates in.
Revive and resuscitate good cultural and/ or traditional moral values to cultivate a sense of self-respect, self-worth and dignity amongst the youths through arts and spiritual guidance.

RCBF's Human Resources and Management

RCBF is managed by a board of trustees with diverse experience and training in banking, finance, farming, medical, legal practitioners, educationists, christian and traditional leaders.

To successfully implement the organisation's set goals will engage the services of skilled and professional personnel at both field and head offices. The organisation will recruit and train local personnel as these understand their environment and it also gives the community a sense of ownership of the project. Regular training of personnel is key and use of consultants will be undertaken to carry out special tasks and surveys.