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WDB TRUST
Zenzele Development Programme

In 2013 The WDB Trust incorporated two sites of the
Development Caravan, a program initiated by its sister
organization, the South African Women in Dialogue
(SAWID), to enhance our non-financial service
offerings. WDB Trust adopted the methodology of the SAWID
Development Caravan and advanced it to become the
Zenzele Development Programme

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Zenzele
Zenzele (do it by yourself) creates a bridge between women living in poverty to the services that they are entitled to receive from the public sector and the services they qualify to obtain from the public sector, which they have not reached yet due to lack of knowledge, psychosocial support, and bureaucratic barriers. The work of Zenzele facilitators is to bring the existing services and their rights to their attention and show them the path to obtain them for themselves, thus reinforcing their agency and fostering their self–empowerment. Our process entails an active accompaniment from the point of goal setting to the achievement of the landmarks established in a set period of three years, after which the Zenzele team exits the area.
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(ABCD) approach
Social work is a central component of the service delivery model of the Zenzele Program. Its approach to practice has over the years been the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach, which recognizes the ability and potential of individuals and communities to deal with life challenges, including the illusive challenge of addressing poverty.
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Strategy

Zenzele has a solid orientation for locating ourselves in the communities where we serve instead of having our clients visit our offices. Zenzele’s approach to poverty eradication encourages better connections between people and builds a stronger sense of self and community with a four-step strategy:

  1. Interventions at household level
  2. Facilitation of a basket of services to families through stakeholders
  3. Provide psychosocial support to build productive and self reliant families and communities
  4. Acknowledge and harness indigenous skills and community knowledge

 

Tools to evaluate our families
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ZDP FREQUANTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A preparatory phase is conducted which includes research on suitable municipalities and wards. The data sources are used include Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

A job description is created, followed by screening and shortlisting of candidates, interviews, hiring of successful employees and job onboarding.

A deprived ward is identified using data from various sources, including Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), ward-based plans, and indigent lists. These sources provide key insights into the socio-economic conditions of the area.

The ZDP operates at a site for 3 years, followed by aftercare support in years 4 and 5.

Stakeholders are engaged primarily through ZDP Stakeholder Forums, where all relevant parties come together to discuss the necessary interventions. Engagement also takes place at different levels: primary and secondary stakeholders are involved through local task teams, the District Development Model, and initiatives such as Operation Sukuma Sakhe, ensuring a collaborative and comprehensive approach

The programme is assessed through the greenlight tool which is used to profile family’s level of deprivation.

The second tool is the beneficiary site dashboard which is aligned with the greenlight tool. This tool consists of beneficiary information, plans with the households, interventions and achievements. It is updated monthly for proper monitoring.

The ZDP client system consists of three categories:

  1. Core clients: These are the most deprived individuals who receive direct support.
  2. Group clients: These clients are served collectively at a group level.
  3. Communal clients: These individuals are either referred by stakeholders or self-refer to the programme.

A Family Development Plan is a working document that outlines the necessary interventions to empower a family to take control of its own development and improve its socio-economic conditions, particularly in alleviating poverty.

The Dashboard is a reporting tool in a quantitative/statistical form which reflects the work done by the facilitators in the field with all the beneficiaries. The dashboard includes the beneficiaries’ personal information, interventions conducted, and it also tracks the progress made.

The ZDP uses the Greenlight tool, a self-evaluation visual survey, that enables families to assess their quality of life. This tool allows families to self-diagnose their living conditions as a first step in creating a personalised strategy to lift them out of poverty.

The ZDP exit strategy involves a series of stages, approaches, and principles designed to ensure sustainability and continuity of the interventions after the programme's departure. We ensure that we provide after-care as well.