The role of civil society organisations/non-governmental organisations (CSOs/NGOs) in building human capability : the case of Africa CommunityPublishing Development Trust (Zimbabwe)

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study represents an analysis of the role of civil society organisations/non‐governmentalorganisations (CSOs/NGOs) in building human capabilities through knowledge construction. It assessesthe effectiveness of community publishing in building human capabilities under challenges they face inthe environment they are operating in. The complex environment CSOs/NGOs are operating in is dealtwith. It will be demonstrated that CSOs/NGOs give marginalised communities, especially women,children and the disabled, a platform where they can organise themselves and give them anopportunity to influence policy and development of their community.Community development has many interpretations. This study focuses on communities as centralagents responsible for their own development. When communities participate in their owndevelopment, they are engaging in an educational process which is both formal and informal in nature.The education process helps them to understand their situations better. This type of education called'popular education', is based on the belief that people involved in the process have importantknowledge that they have acquired from their experiences in life and the education they receivemainly consists of dialogue between different knowledge sets that they possess. In the process, whenpeople participate actively in the development of their communities, a sense of ownership isdeveloped.For the purpose of designing the study, observation of the direct involvement of staff from localgovernment, Africa Community Publishing Development Trust and partner organisations as well asworking with communities from Shamva, Umzingwane and Buhera provided the basis. It is noted thatparty politics affects the development of a CSO/NGO sector that is capable of building humancapabilities. It is, therefore, clear that government should create an enabling environment that is freefrom violence and rule of law should be respected as this helps CSOs/ NGOs to implement capabilitybuilding programmes conducive for all communities to participate in the development of their areas.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University