Local community participation and sustainability of foreign funded poverty reduction programmes in rural areas: the case of Murewa district, Ward 10, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The prominence of foreign funded poverty reduction programmes in developing countries has grown immensely as witnessed by their increase in number and target areas. Considering the increasing demand for aid, local community participation is seen as a vehicle towards ensuring the sustainability of such programmes. This study sought to establish the level of local community participation and sustainability of these programmes in Murewa district, ward 10, Zimbabwe while identifying areas that can be improved by the diverse stakeholders. The study employed qualitative research by utilising the case study design. Participants were purposefully selected, and the data was generated through in-depth interviews guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Thematic analysis was used where themes were deductively identified as they emerged from the data. The study reveals varied but largely diminished end user participation especially during the formative stages of programmes, poor communication between various stakeholders and the presence of both short-term and long-term interventions. The sustainability of the programmes is affected by the supply of food handouts, diminished local community participation, absence of post project monitoring, poor targeting and technology gaps. The study concluded that the local community participation deficiencies and sustainability challenges faced in Murewa district ward 10 are not unique to this district but is characteristic of African rural communities. It is recommended that foreign funded poverty reduction stakeholders must redefine participation, promote real inside-out development agenda to address both tangible and nontangible human needs. Creation of log frames must be an ongoing process to reflect the priorities of the targeted beneficiaries and funders must avail budgets for local delivery agencies to embrace the culture of authentic grassroots approaches including working with and through local partners.

How to cite this article using ASWNet style

Dzapasi L. and Tarusikirwa, C. M (2023). Local community participation and sustainability of foreign funded poverty reduction programmes in rural areas: the case of Murewa district, Ward 10, Zimbabwe. People centred – The Journal of Development Administration (JDA), 8(1), 14-22. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jda.v8i1.3

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