Promoting Peace for Sustainable Development in Rural Districts Councils of Zimbabwe

The Civic Forum on Human Development (CFHD) former Civic Forum on Housing (CFH) has been implementing a three year project entitled “Promoting Peace for Sustainable Development in Rural Districts Councils of Zimbabwe” (PPSD 2013-2016) funded by the USAID. The project was implemented in the four districts of Mutoko (Mashonaland East), Nyaminyami (Mashonaland West), Tsholotsho (Matabeleland North) and Chipinge (Manicaland). The targeted districts were selected with the participation of the ARDC with a view to demonstrate the applicability of the community based capacity building approach and training model in different social, economic, environmental and cultural settings. The four districts reflect diversities in the main native languages, Ndebele, Tonga, Shona and Ndau) and they all seek to promote peace for sustainable development in their respective areas. The CFHD sought the services of an external consultant to conduct an end of project evaluation. The project was aimed at increasing the knowledge of local leaders, district and sub-district structures peace building, conflict mitigation and reconciliation as the basis for promoting and internalization of democratic values and principles.

The PPSD project created synergies with the European Union (EU) funded project tilted Strengthening Local Governance and Citizen Participation in Rural Areas of Zimbabwe project (LGCPP) that was being implemented in the same districts. The approach of the project was appropriate at bridging different political positions within citizens,’ differences between civil society and local government. The consensus building approach was instrumental in restoring trust among divergent political groups, promoting dialogue around issues of common concerns and building the spirit of political tolerance and co-existence. The overall objective was to increase local leaders, district and sub-district structures knowledge on peace building, conflict mitigation and reconciliation as the basis for promoting and internalization of democratic values and principles. The specific objective of the project was to create a conducive environment for peace building and reconciliation initiatives to promote sustainable development in rural areas of Zimbabwe.

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