Zimbabwe: Leveraging a Community Fund and Private Sector Partnerships

Strengthening the financial management capacity of community action groups and other community groups is an essential part of preparing for sustained mobilization after programs end. It can also be one of the hardest parts of the mobilization process. An orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) program in Zimbabwe found a successful model involving training, mentoring and setting up a special Community Fund through a local micro-finance institution (MFI). The process not only served the needs of the program, but also helped communities establish relationships with the MFI needed to facilitate community-initiated and led projects.