Sr. Evelyn Kadzere from the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (a local congregation in Zimbabwe linked with the Order of the Carmelites), and Sr. Concilia Chemhere from the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood attended the workshop to learn more about improving development effectiveness. Photo: Andrea Cortemiglia.
Earlier this month, Misean Cara hosted a two-day workshop on ‘Improving Development Effectiveness’ in Zimbabwe. Twenty-six people from 12 of our member organisations attended the workshop in the Golden Peacock Villa Hotel in Mutare on the 13-14 October.
The workshop was facilitated by Andrea Cortemiglia, Misean Cara Southern Africa Development Mentor, and Henry Nyapokoto, Programme Manager at Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP). DOMCCP has cultivated a reputation for being an outstanding programme-oriented diocesan NGO. It is linked with the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
The workshop revolved around project cycle management, and organisational development with an emphasis on peer learning, and the sharing of results-based management approaches. We drew on the experiences of members with the sharing of knowledge and insights from actual development projects. The workshop was participatory in nature, and guided by the priorities of the participants. Time was allotted to member presentations, group discussions, questions, feedback and advice.
Aside from the workshop, our members had the time to meet with partner organisations, and one-to-one with our development mentor. Meetings encouraged the sharing of thoughts about their specific development projects, and ideas in the pipeline.
The two-day workshop and one-to-one-meetings improved familiarity with opportunities and requirements offered by Misean Cara funding schemes, and capacity development programmes. It was also an opportunity to enhance knowledge about how to better serve vulnerable beneficiaries (with a focus on achieving results); how to address sustainability challenges (sustaining results); and how to go about accountability (demonstrating results). Moreover, the workshop helped Misean Cara gain greater insight into which kind of support would be most beneficial to our members in Zimbabwe taking into account the resource-constrained context within which they operate.
We are grateful to the participants for their insightful presentations and lively discussions. And we are thankful to Rt Rev Bishop of the Diocese of Mutare, Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, who attended the entire workshop, providing inspiring welcome remarks, and words of wisdom and encouragement to the participants. Misean Cara would also like to thank DOMCCP for their assistance with the organisation and delivery of the workshop.
Special report by Andrea Cortemiglia, Misean Cara Southern Africa Development Mentor.