NHF-Zimbabwe's Community development strategy promotes the knowledge of people, their values, and culture. People should be empowered to generate their own knowledge and use it to improve the quality of life. Therefore, participation is necessary for community empowerment. Community development walks hand in hand with management. Community Service Management is a relatively new approach, and it aims at empowering community workers and stakeholders to better assess and implement community-based projects efficiently and cost-effectively.

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Community development is a process where community members are supported by our organisation to identify and take collective action on issues which are important to them. Community development empowers community members and creates stronger and more connected communities.

 

NHF-Zimbabwe's Community Development also provides General Organisational Skills to its communities – including financial skills. The emergence of professional management in such organisations denotes power. Community practitioners should be aware of the structure of the organisation to develop the required skills to effectively achieve their objectives.

 

Finally, we cannot ignore the concept of Sustainable Development when speaking about development in Zimbabwe. Governments, NGOs, and the private sector recognize that the environment, the economy, and equity are irrevocably linked

NHF-Zimbabwe uses Community engagement as a process for involving people in decisions that affect them. It involves communities in the planning, development, and management of services. Moreover, it's a means of empowering the community to make decisions and to implement and manage change.

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NHF-Zimbabwe Community Development Activities:

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• Planning Services

• servicing self-help groups

• Running support and social action groups

• building community networks

• participating in inter-agency meetings

• Undertaking needs assessment

• Increasing people's skills

• resourcing the community to meet needs

• Improving the quality of life

• Defining priorities

• Working towards social justice

• Empowering individuals and communities.

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Outcomes of community development

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There are potential outcomes at both individual and community levels. Children and families directly involved in community development initiatives may benefit from increases in skills, knowledge, empowerment, and self-efficacy, and experience enhanced social inclusion and community connectedness (Kenny, 2007). Through community development initiatives, community members can become more empowered, such that they can increasingly recognize and challenge conditions and structures which are leading to their disempowerment or negatively impacting their wellbeing (Ife, 2016). At a community level, community development and empowerment initiatives can achieve long-term outcomes such as stronger and more cohesive communities, evidenced by changes in social capital, civic engagement, social cohesion, and improved health (Campbell, Pyett, & McCarthy, 2007; Ife, 2016; Kenny, 2007; Wallerstein, 2006).