Major Business Development Hub for Local and National NGOs Launched

Harare, Zimbabwe – 12 March 2024 – More than fifty local organisations working to improve the lives of children in Zimbabwe will benefit from capacity strengthening and knowledge sharing under a Business Development Hub launched by Save the Children.  

The child rights organisation is seeking to strengthen the capacity of local and national actors to better support children. The “Akwande-Tuvule Business Hub” a name derived from the indigenous languages meaning “let there be growth”, is a platform for knowledge exchange and synergy. Local organisations will receive training and support in areas such as fundraising, proposal development, and donor contract management.

Save the Children said these tools will help local and national organisations to compete for grants and develop innovative solutions to address the most pressing issues facing children, including climate-induced emergencies such as droughts and diseases, affecting children's rights to education, survival, and protection.

The looming drought places the lives  of children in Zimbabwe at risk, with thousands facing severe food shortage and in need of urgent humanitarian support.

The launch of the new business development hub is also in line with Save the Children's journey towards localisation, aiming to shift power to local and national actors, communities, and children to realise more impact for children.

Save the Children has already kick-started the localisation drive in Zimbabwe by collaborating directly with local partners to address the urgent humanitarian needs of children and communities. Through its Humanitarian Fund, the organisation has allocated resources to Zimbabwe Council of Churches to respond to the urgent Cholera outbreak by conducting awareness sessions on sanitation and hygiene practices in schools and communities, training health workers and supporting community-led clean-up campaigns. The local organisation is also providing water treatment tablets to households, and supplying cholera treatment centres with necessary equipment and fluids.

More resources have been allocated to Kulima Mbobumi Training Centre (KMTC), local partner in Binga district, to implement El Niño anticipatory actions with a specific focus on fortifying community and school disaster risk reduction strategies, supporting school feeding initiatives, and rehabilitating water sources to ensure the provision of clean and safe water.Save the Children values the indispensable role played by grassroots organisations in their communities. They are often the first responders during crises and have a deep understanding of the unique challenges children face, Save the Children said, adding that by shifting power to local and national actors, it aims to amplify their impact and create a lasting change for children.

Bhekimpilo Khanye, Save the Children Country Director in Zimbabwe said:

“We recognise the incredible potential of local organizations and individuals to drive positive change for children and that is why we seek to be an organisation that is fit for the future by being “Locally led and Globally Connected”.If local, national actors and communities are better engaged in the planning and delivery of development and humanitarian programmes it will result in better results for all children in Zimbabwe.”

“We have thus re-invented our approach to collaborating with local partners, fostering co-creation of solutions, and increasing their access to transformative funding. We know that communities and local actors are and always have been at the forefront of sustainable development and humanitarian programming.”

While the strides are commendable, they are but a fragment of the overarching vision– Save the Children commits and calls upon the donor community to increase both the quality and quantity of funds committed to local and national actors in Zimbabwe, enabling them to reach more vulnerable children in Zimbabwe with life-saving interventions.

                                                                     -ENDS-

For more information: please contact:

Cynthia Chimbunde, Communications & Media, Cynthia.chimbunde@savethechildren.org