​Our Approach

Too often anti-poverty programs in the developing world have taken a top down, paternalistic approach to eradicating poverty that fails to listen to what the recipients of aid have to say about their needs. Local communities have often been left out of the planning, implementation and administration of projects that affect the lives of aid recipients. This type of approach leads to dependence and program failure. It also contributes to the erroneous perception that poverty in the developing world is inevitable and irreversible. We believe that charity and goodwill are not enough to achieve a sustainable impact on the challenges facing the developing world. Therefore we embrace an approach to development that rejects paternalism and focuses on community, collaboration and commitment.

​COMMUNITY

We believe that local communities have a better understanding of their needs than outsiders. The Rafiki Village Project utilizes a community-driven approach to development. This means that decision-making authority and control of projects rests primarily with the beneficiary community. Our underlying assumption is that the citizens of Dumbeta Ward are the best judges of their needs and that, if provided with resources and information, they can organize themselves to meet those needs. All of our projects start with a conversation with the community about their needs and priorities. The community understands that the Rafiki Village Project has limited resources. Each year we ask the community to rank their priorities. Decisions about which projects to fund are based on this ranking.
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The Rafiki Village Project strives to promote community cohesiveness and harmony. When outside assistance favors individuals or isolated segments of the community there is a danger that resentments and acrimony will undermine goodwill between neighbors. Therefore our projects must benefit the community as a whole, such as building a new classroom building at a public school. This policy strengthens the community and makes it more resilient to challenges.

COLLABORATION

The Rafiki Village Project has entered into a collaborative partnership with the community of Dumbeta Ward. All funded projects are a collaboration between the local community and the Rafiki Village Project. Local contributions include locally made bricks used in the construction of buildings, labor, and between 5-10% of the funds needed for each project. Our guidelines direct that the community must make a substantial and tangible contribution to all projects. 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.

​COMMITMENT

The Rafiki Village Project has made a long term commitment to the community of Dumbeta Ward. All too often organizations working in the developing world have a “Get in, Get out” approach that sets unrealistic expectations on communities. 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 until we are no longer needed. Our focus is as much on relationship building as it is on building physical structures. The relationships we are building — with community members, teachers, health care providers and local government officials — are ultimately more important than the physical structures we help build. We believe that it is the strength of these relationships that will ensure the long term viability of the projects. We have a commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of the projects we fund. Therefore, our priority is towards continued funding of existing projects rather than undertaking new projects.