adminTakudzwa Chiwereweshe Mutare Correspondent
Development partners must research on communities they intend to assist and identify areas of need to prevent generalising and imposing their perceptions and ideas on communities, a social officer has said. Speaking at the launch of the Simukai Strategic Plan, the civic group’s advocacy officer, Ms Tafadzwa Kaja, said there was need to adopt an evidence-based approach in development, where development partners embark on extensive research on communities before implementing their projects.
“It is crucial to have adequate knowledge about a community’s needs before undertaking to help it. Generalising needs also comes with imposing perceptions, which does not address the problems afflicting the communities,” she said.
Ms Kaja said applying interventions that were not tailor-made for the communities almost always result in a waste of time and resources.
She also encouraged stakeholders to embrace social media as an influential platform for disseminating information.
“Social media is a very influential platform that we can use to promote development work, solicit funding for development projects and deliberate on or discuss developmental issues, as well as reach a bigger audience,” she said.
Ms Kaja expressed concern over the lack of robust data systems, which resulted in a lot of information being lost.
“Weak data management systems have made development work challenging, as most information remains undocumented, making it harder to effectively track, monitor, evaluate or manage development project,” she said.
She added that there was need to strengthen data systems, as well as putting in place structures to ensure all information is gathered and documented.
It is therefore necessary to increase efforts on advocacy and communication to enhance development as well as facilitate its processes, she added.
“Advocacy and development is the cornerstone of development as it is the avenue through which people are sensitised and conscientised; it is an avenue where stakeholders deliberate and a platform where partnerships are formed.”
She singled out Simukai’s child protection programme, which she said required an intensification of advocacy and communication efforts when dealing with development issues to change policies and systems that oppressed and violated the rights of children.
Ms Kaja said Simukai was moving towards a more targeted and specific approach that allowed services to be given to specific groups.
“Delimiting of services is important as it makes sure that services are channelled towards the appropriate group,” she said.
Online Reporter