As we march on, totally dependent on our God, we are truly overjoyed to see more community people putting up their hands to be part of the Self Help Group programme facilitated by Zimele Wethu Foundation. We thank you all our partners for your ongoing work that enables Zimele Wethu Foundation to march on towards its December 2020 goal of mobilising 8000 women, youth and men on to the SHG programme.

I am amazed that as the work grows, the resolve, among Zimele Wethu staff team to work extra hard is also growing. As presented in the table below, the work has expanded to other communities. We are currently working with 3 109 women, youth and men in 12 rural communities of 7 Municipal boundaries in KwaZulu Natal province. The table below reflects the names of the 12 rural communities in 7 Municipalities we currently serve.

The current buzz phrase in most community development, seminars or academic papers or grant part of most application requirements is the word ‘project sustainability. In trying to promote project sustainability, most community development professionals are working at empowering project beneficiaries to become self-reliant and less dependent on charitable services that perpetuate ongoing dependency on governments, faith based organizations or non- profit organizations. It is exciting that the phrase ‘project sustainability’ has not only become our everyday lexis at Zimele Wethu Foundation, but our everyday practice.

This report shows that we, at Zimele Wethu Foundation, are everyday working to ensure that programme beneficiaries at both the Self Help Group level and the Cluster Level Association fully participate in community based project planning and implementation processes that lead to ownership, thereby resulting into project sustainability.

The Zimele Wethu staff team continues to be excited about the vision the Lord has given us, ‘Creating Self-Sustaining communities.’ We are also excited to share, with our partners, the progress we are making with our 5 years strategic plan of mobilizing and training 8000 rural women, youth and men for social and economic transformation. By God’s grace we are hoping that the mobilised Zimele Wethu Self Help Group (SHG) participants in the five rural communities we are serving become agents of social and economic change in their communities through their Cluster Level Associations (CLA) and Federations. Currently, Zimele Wethu has mobilised a total of 2377 people into 166 Self Help Groups of which 66 Self Help Groups are under 9 vibrant Cluster Level Associations. In the month of March, Zimele Wethu achieved the following based on its strategic goals:

Zimele Wethu Foundation has continued to trust God for the fulfilment of its 5 years strategic plan (2015 – 2020). On Wednesdays, we dedicate more time to prayer and bible reading as we reflect on the work God has entrusted us with. We continue to be optimistic that the Zimele Wethu Self Help Group programme will mobilise 8000 women, youth and men by December 2020. Since January, we have also been spending much time realigning the staff team so as to effectively work towards meeting our strategic goals. We remain grateful to our partners for all the support we have received and achievements made since the launch of Zimele Wethu in September 2015.

This year, other than continuing to form more Self Help Groups, we are also focusing on strengthening Cluster Level Associations’ social and economic projects in all the 5 communities we are serving.

The work of Zimele Wethu has continued to grow. God has indeed continued to honour the prayers of His people over this great work. We thank God for all the partnerships He has brought together for His work of transforming the lives of women, youth and men in poor communities of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Zimele USA, Covenant World Relief, Kusasa Le Africa, Sinamandla and E3 Initiative your generosity in this work of our God is amazing and highly appreciated ... THANK YOU!