Zithande Rural Development 2.02

Organisation Overview
Zithande Rural Development is a development organisation located in the rural Kwazulu Natal province, working with local rural communities to uplift the lives of these communities. The organisation has been created by young women to respond to the challenges facing rural communities in the Ndwedwe rural and other part of the province. The organisation’s programmes and activities are apolitical and non-discriminatory in nature and dealings.
Vision: become leaders in rural community development
Mission: ZiRD strives for the reduction of poverty and its related diseases by implementing
development initiatives in rural communities.

Objectives and Goals
The general objective in this area is the sustained improvement of the quality of life of the rural population while at the same time seeking to assure an effective and efficient contribution by the rural economy to the local and national development process.
For that purpose, supports are sought for the development of income generating activities in rural areas through various combinations of efforts geared to circumstances of each local community.

3Focus Areas
Through its technical assistance operations, ZiRD will assist in local efforts to identify appropriate rural development solutions compatible with specific circumstances of rural communities.
Our emphasis is placed on three complementary fields of activity:
Strengthening local capacity to identify and prepare better programmes and projects, including support for the formulation of policies for improving the general framework of rural development.
Mobilising the efforts of rural populations, which entails encouraging their participation in decision-making, organisational activities, training and rural education, and social communications.
Promoting programmes and projects that will contribute to capitalising and galvanising the rural economy, and that will act on the mechanisms for the retention and reinvestment of surpluses generated in rural areas.
Gender equality and women empowerment in relation to realization of sexual reproductive health rights and mitigating the impact of HIV in rural settings.