Our Approach

Poverty in the developing world is neither inevitable nor irreversible. Through a combination of radical listening, trust, humility and compassion we can help the community reach its full potential and rise out of poverty.  

Our work is grounded in three core principles:  

Community, Collaboration and Commitment.  

A man standing and speaking to an audience in a room with beige walls and multiple windows, while holding papers. The audience, some taking notes, is seated on wooden benches.

Community

The Rafiki Village Project utilizes a grassroots, community-driven approach to development.  Decision-making authority and control of projects rest primarily with the community. We operate on the belief that the residents of Dumbeta Ward are the best judges of their own needs and that, if provided with resources and information, they can organize themselves to meet those needs.  

Prior to allocating our funds, all nine sub-villages that make up Dumbeta Ward meet to discuss their needs and priorities.  From these community meetings a consensus emerges about which projects the Rafiki Village Project will be asked to fund.  In order to maintain harmony, we require that chosen projects benefit the community as a whole and not just individuals.  Otherwise, the community is free to choose whatever projects they think will benefit them the most.

Once the community has chosen the projects, they rank-order them. The Rafiki Village Project then funds them one at a time, proceeding down the list as far as our budget permits. 

A group of people working together to plow a field in an open outdoor area, with trees and cloudy sky in the background.

Community Members Digging Trench to Bury Waterline 

Collaboration

The Rafiki Village Project has entered into a collaborative partnership with the community of Dumbeta Ward. Every project is a collaboration between the local community and us. 

We believe that charity and goodwill alone are not enough to have a sustainable impact on the challenges facing Dumbeta Ward.   Therefore, we ask the community to make a substantial and tangible contribution to all projects.  Contributions may take the form of labor, materials or money.  

We believe that when communities contribute their time, energy or resources to a project they are making an investment that they will work to protect. This helps ensure the sustainability and longevity of projects, while also promoting the community’s sense of agency and eventual self-sufficiency.

A group of six people, five women and one man, outdoors in front of a building, with two women kneeling and shaking hands, the others standing around them, all dressed in colorful clothing and traditional fabrics.

Committment

The Rafiki Village Project has made a long-term commitment to the community of Dumbeta Ward.  While cognizant that the goal is for the community to no longer need our assistance, we also understand that developing vibrant, self-sustaining institutions takes time. 

Our work is not finished when the walls go up and the roof goes on. The community understands that we will remain in Dumbeta Ward as long as we are needed and wanted. 

We have a commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of the projects we fund.  This requires ongoing maintenance, and repairs as necessary.  Rafiki has a robust maintenance program that includes regular inspections of all projects.  

The responsibility for maintenance and repairs rests primarily with the community.  The community’s commitment to maintaining projects is a key element of our approach.   Before a project is started, the community signs a Memorandum of Understanding that delineates in detail the commitments made by each stakeholder.  We prioritize the maintenance of existing projects over undertaking new projects.