Ndlovu: Against the Odds

A History of Zimbabwe Project

Mary Ndlovu

• Publisher: Weaver Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9781779221681
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781779221766
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

1978: In Rhodesia, the Internal Settlement led to the creation of a coalition government. Smith had, however, neither capitulated nor abandoned his belief in white superiority, and thousands of people fled across the countrys borders.In England, a group of missionaries, supported by the Catholic Institute for International Relations, formed a steering group that was to become the Zimbabwe Project. Originally an educational fund to support exiled young Zimbabweans, it shifted focus toward humanitarian assistance to refugees in the region.1981: The Zimbabwe Project Trust, a child of the war, came home, and its director, Judith Todd, started mapping the route that it would follow for the next thirty years.ZimPro as it came to be known began its work with ex-combatants, assisting with their education, skills training and co-operative development, and producing a news bulletin. In terms of funding, courage, and creative programming, it became a giant in the countrys development landscape, but it has had to negotiate many political, financial and philosophical minefields on the way. Against The Odds offers a rare insight into workings of an NGO on the frontline. With a cast of larger-than-life characters, it also offers a drama of Zimbabwes first thirty years and provides insights and lessons which will benefit everyone concerned with development, and provide historians with another important lens through which to view the past.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• About the Author
• Contents
• List of Acronyms
• A Note on Sources
• Foreword
• 1. Genesis 1978
• 2. Sojourn in London 1978–1981
• 3. Mobilising the Demobilised – 1981 Defining a role in Zimbabwe
• 4. Co-operatives Venture 1981–82 Embracing the co-operative ideal
• 5. Retaining Independence from Government 1983
• 6. Fallout – 1983 Governance
• 7. Searching for a Way Forward 1983–1984
• 8. Becoming a Bureaucracy 1984–1985
• 9. Education and Training 1983–1990
• 10. The Second Pillar – Providing Finance 1981–1990
• 11. Political Unity Brings Changes 1988–1991
• 12. Funding and Funders 1986–1990
• 13. The ‘October Revolution’ 1989–1991
• 14. Implementing Change 1991–1993
• 15. Riding Many Tigers 1993–1996 The new three-year plan
• 16. Advocating for Change 1983–1996
• 17. Exploring New Territory – Can an NGO Generate its own Income? 1990–1995
• 18. The Sky is Falling 1993–1996
• 19. Can ZimPro Hold Up the Sky? 1997
• 20. Finding a New Direction 1998–1999
• 21. Crisis – the Trustees Awaken 1999–2000 Mavimbela’s report
• 22. Difficult Transition Years 2001–2003
• 23. Income-Generation 1996–2007
• 24. New Realities 2003–2004
• 25. Hanging On 2005–2007
• 26. Surviving the Present, Looking to the Future
• Bibliography
• Index
• Back cover