Development projects
Within the Community
1. CultureACTIONs Project (2017 to 2022)
RACAH worked with Chenhaka Trust under the CultureACTIONs project which was funded by SIDA through the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust. This Project seeked to harness the transformative power of creative Arts to Challenge retrogressive societal norms in to reduce Gender Based Violence, Child Marriage at the same time raising awareness on Environmental Sustainability in Makoni District, Chipinge District and Mazowe District. Our role was programing in school and community activities, collecting, analysing and reporting data, key performance indicator tracking, facilitating and leading community dialogues
2. RACAH also worked with Chenhaka Trust under the DREAMS INNOVATION CHALLENGE funded by PEPFAR through the Culture Fund which was implemented from 2017 until 2018 in Makoni, Chipinge, Mutare, Mazowe, Gweru and Bulawayo. The project aimed at debunking inaccurate values and attitudes on culture and women’s bodily integrity and the reproductive health rights of adolescent girls and young women.
Arts Development Project
RACAH was again engaged by Chenhaka Trust to be their Monitoring and Evaluation partner for their project called Creating and Increasing Showcase Platforms for Young People in Urban and Rural Areas of Manicaland Province which seeked to gap bridge arts activities between Primary and Secondary Schools in the province.
We participated in the development of the PABDD project and served as the M&E Consultant for the initiative, which was implemented by Chenhaka Trust and supported by the Sound Connects Fund and Music in Africa Foundation. The project aimed to accelerate development, enhance digital and management skills, and standardize salaries and performance fees in the dance sector in Zimbabwe.
We participated in the development of the AMAB proposal and served as the M&E Consultant for a 15-day capacity-building project implemented by Chenhaka Trust, supported by Music In Africa Live. This project aimed to develop critical skills for arts practitioners to navigate industry challenges, particularly those introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. We trained Dapurahunanzva Dance ensemble and it scooped the first price at the Chibuku Neshamwari traditional Dance festival. It also came out third in 2024.
On-Going Projects
Name of project: The Mbira form and sound Experiment Project
Role in the project: Experimental Mbira Maker
Concept Created by: Masimba Hwati
Period: 2013-2024
Our Organization the main producer of the experimental Mbira designs that are being created under the Mbira Form and Sound Project. This is an ongoing experimental and research project that started in 2013 to date with the intention of imagining and speculating other directions that the Mbira instrument can develop towards. The objectives of this project were to:
- Develop and make new forms of the Mbira Instrument from the ancient forms
- To document, preserve the different intangible and tangible heritage components surround the Mbira
- Research on the challenges that are faced by Mbira Makers, Players and consumers of Mbira instruments and music.
- Documenting the contextual meaning of traditional Mbira Songs
The Mbira instrument comes in various designs across Zimbabwe depending with the tribe that plays the instrument and most of these instruments have been neglected so they are at the verge of extinction. The project have resulted in the creation of a variety of samples of new forms of mbira instruments and various mbira tunes have been stored in these new creations for future use and reference. The mbira tunings that were preserved through this project are
- Matepe
- Mavembe
- Nhare
- Nyunga-nyunga
- Njari
RuramaiAFRICA Trust is committed caring and improving the lives of orphaned children as well as vulnerable community members in areas that we live in and conduct our work. We are making continuous efforts to provide support and platforms that ensure that orphans get access to basic necessities such as first-hand information, quality education, food, Clothing and Shelter.
Through our Rural Child Educational Support Program, we reached out to 19 Orphaned and Vulnerable children who we supported with school uniforms in ward 11 of Goromonzi District. We believe that will this project will improve their self-confident and esteem which will lead to better results in their education. It is evident that there is continuous need for programs, interventions, policies and frameworks to assist the needy in our communities
Our organization have taken centre stage in educating communities on issues around environmental sustainability in order to reduce the impact of Climate Change. It is through this program that we are empowering the communities on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation, including smart farming methods.
There is positive response from villages in ward 11 of Goromonzi as reflected by each family having a tsotso stove, creation of tree planting activities. This program is improving the protection of natural and traditional species of vegetation and promoting biodiversity in the Goromonzi District.
The Sustainable Skills Development Program is a project that is designed to create employment, fight poverty and gender inequality in communities. This project mainly target to equip women, girls and youths from disadvantaged families and backgrounds with tools and skills to increase their chances of getting jobs and improve their earning capacity. This project is directly feeding to the National Development strategy 1 which focus on human Capital Development and Innovation towards achieving vision 30.