Background and Introduction

The Masifunde Education and Development Project Trust is a Non Governmental Organisation. The organization started in 1983 as an educational project providing tutorials, bursaries and adult literacy. Towards the end of the 1980’s it extended its work to focus on Para-legal advice, child health care and self-help economic enterprises. These efforts contributed towards the establishment of five (5)-community advice offices in the rural towns of the Albany district; self-help projects and micro enterprises as well as 50 adult literacy-learning centres. The organisation established 15 children’s groups consisting of more than 500 children collectively making their voices heard around human rights issues. It was also instrumental in the formation of the South African National Children’s Rights Committee (CRC) and the emergence of a Children’s Charter.

In 1993/4 Masifunde revisited its approach to development and the impact of its programmes in the communities. Masifunde shifted its approach from a welfarist, project delivery approach in favour of an empowering, people centred, participatory development approach and drew on a philosophy called the Peoples Participatory Planning and Action (PPPA).  The shift to PPPA was a great challenge and Masifunde had to focus more on building community structures and community leadership while advocating socio-economic justice. The PPPA was founded on a belief that the poor and the disadvantaged must be the primary actors and subjects of their own development so that they can determine and shape their own destiny.

It is through the application and piloting of PPPA that Masifunde was able to facilitate the establishment of Community Development Committees (CDC) in eight communities by the end of 2000. The primary task of these committees encompass the co-ordination of community projects; programmes; initiatives and campaigns that engages government; the business sector and other stakeholders for the acquisition and management of land; water and other natural resources; and access to basic services; recreational and educational facilities. The role of the CDC’s is also building a new layer of women and youth leadership to drive community development work.

Since 2000 to 2007, our main emphasis has been to work with small-scale farmers, commodity groups, women, youth and the unemployed in the peri-urban and rural communities of the Eastern Cape. Our focus has been around land access, land use and management, local government and service delivery, HIV/AIDS, institution building and leadership development.  Our community organising strategy has contributed towards the building of Village Farmers Associations and the mass based organisation of the poor called the Rural People’s Movement (RPM) as vehicles for social mobilisation and change

Vision Statement

Our Vision is of a society where rural and peri-urban communities have access and rights to land, health, resources, education, basic services, employment and where they are directly involved in decision making and policy formulation that determine their lives. We envision a situation where rural livelihood strategies and living standards will be enhanced.

Mission Statement

Our Mission is the building of an independent, accountable, transparent, democratic and sustainable Rural People’s Movement with strong community leadership especially of women. In so doing we strive for natural resource utilisation and management towards improved livelihoods and food security through land use and management. . We empower small-scale farmers and rural communities with information and through capacity building and participatory action research to organize themselves and claim their rights to land and resources.

We are a non-racist, non sexist, non partisan, gender sensitive and non-profit making organisation based in Grahamstown but operating in the Eastern Cape Province within Makana, Ndlambe and Ngqushwa municipalities.

Development Approach

· Our approach is based on the People’s Participatory Planning and Action philosophy and methodology. It is based on adult learning methodologies, respects people’s history, acknowledges indigenous knowledge and promotes action research.

· Our concentration on small-scale farmers and poor communities is to organize around issues of land access as well as poor service delivery

· We also subscribe to the Rights Based Approach, where communities are made aware of their fundamental and constitutional rights

Our Organizing Principles

· People’s Participatory, Planning and Action (PPPA) and Rights Based Approach

· Self-organization by community

· Collective Action – Acting together

· Unity in Action

· Membership control

· Taking action that is in the interest of the greater number of people

· Independence from government

· Gender equality and women’s empowerment

· Non-alignment to political parties

· Membership accountability and responsibility to build the organization

· Accept diversity of religions beliefs and culture

· Unite people irrespective of language, religion, political party affiliation, gender, sexuality

· Tolerance of different views, political perspectives and political affiliation

· Non Sexist, Non- Racist, Anti-ethnicity, Anti-tribalism and anti economic exploitation

Broad Organisational Objectives

· Build Strategic Partnerships between Masifunde and the emerging Rural People’s Movement as well as rural communities for the implementation of a 3 year plan to build a democratic and sustainable rural movement in the three municipalities of Makana, Ndlambe and Ngqushwa as the voice for land access and basic services

· Implement a communication strategy that aims to popularise the organization and expand the organization into a mass based, campaigning organization controlled by its membership.

· Develop strategic partnerships with research institutes to embark on a thoroughgoing Participatory Research program that will inform campaigns and programs

· Embark on a program of action that will include local level and mass campaigns as well as support services to local communities in respect of land access and use as well as local government service delivery.

· Embark on a well-designed popular education program that seeks to build the capacity of the leadership of RPM and local communities to engage the government on the issues of land access and use as well as service delivery:

· Embark on an intensive program of institutional building that will enable the RPM to implement programs and build and sustain the organization.

Programmatic Themes and Services

The work of the organization is done in 3 programmatic areas namely:

· Land Access & Use

· Local government Service Delivery

· Institutional Development

Cross cutting themes are gender equality and women’s empowerment & environmental sustainability.

Services Provided / Offered

Training communities on leadership and management skills

· Raising people’s consciousness on Gender, Land, Agriculture, Local Government, HIV/AIDS and economic literacy

· Build and strengthen independent and developmental community structures fro farmers, youth, women and unemployed.

· Profile and document community experiences and struggles

· Advocate and lobby municipalities and government departments for access to Rights, Resources and infrastructure

· Embark on campaigns around land, food, public services and education for democracy.

Areas of Operation

Glenmore, Ndwayana, Ndlambe, Pikoli, Nobumba, Mgababa, Prudhoe, Bathurst, Rockville, Marselle, Alicedale, Riebeeck East, Upper Qetho, Lower Mgwalana, Perkshoek, Salem

Contact Details

Physical Address: 8 Bathurst Street, Grahamstown, 6139

Postal Address: private Bag X1024, Grahamstown, 6140

Tel. No: 046 – 622 6527

Fax No.: 046 –622 5587