The essence of a strategic plan (SP) is to provide some compass that directs organizational  programming through setting goals and communicating how these will be achieved during a defined period. The alliance of Dialogue on Shelter Trust, Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation and the Zimbabwe Young People’s Federation recently finalized the process of developing its strategic plan which will guide its actions in the next 5 years. 

The concluded strategic plan supersedes the previous one which covered the period 2018 to 2022. The process of framing the new SP commenced late last year with an internal review of the expired plan. The alliance partners convened in Harare and achievements under each thematic pillar were outlined. Learnings from the previous SP were also harvested with a view to inform the next phase. 

A follow-up session was then held supported by a consultant which specifically focused on producing the new SP. The exercise culminated in a document consisting with 7 thematic pillars which was presented to the Dialogue on Shelter Trust Board for strategic inputs and subsequent adoption. Moving forward, the plan is periodically review progress on the targets set and also continuously align the SP with the wider macro-socio-economic environment.

Below are the SP’s 7 themes that will guide the alliance’s programming agenda; 

1. Organized and resilient communities
2. Research, documentation and advocacy
3. Infrastructural development
4. Land and tenure security 
5. Climate change actions and disaster responses
6. Youth inclusion and development
7. Institutional development

 The African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) will be soon transitioning into the implementation phase after one of the city’s proposal made it into the practical phase. Harare is among 4 other cities that succeeded to proceed into the next stage. ACRC is an action research initiative whose foundation phase comprised of 13 African Cities including Harare. The research aims to evidence and insights that will help improve conditions in cities. During the foundation phase, evidence gathering was conducted in the different cities focusing on a range of domains while deploying 2 conceptual frameworks namely political settlement analysis and city of systems. In Harare, four domains were investigated namely; Neighborhood and District Economic Development, Land and Connectivity, Structural Transformation and Informal Settlement. Besides data collection, the foundation phase also entailed engagements with different stakeholders under the “uptake pillar”. The latter sought, among other objectives, to position and connect the research with appropriate individuals and institutional entities for influencing both urban policies and practice. Multiple uptake sessions were conducted bringing together different actors especially the City of Harare authorities.

The pilot phase in Harare will see the implementation of an intervention proposed by the Neighborhood and District Economic Development (NDED) domain. Under the pilot, whose site is the Glen View 8 Furniture Complex (GV8FC), the main objectives are, among others, to identify; priorities for the GV8FC operators and the ideal conditions that would catalyse enhanced growth. In terms of the specific interventions, the pilot will undertake software investments that are set to prepare the ground for wider roll-out phase. Under the latter, the aim would be to scale the pilot.  Examples of the software interventions will include preparation and securing approval for requisite spatial designs and plans detailing the required hardware investments. Lastly, Lastly, engagements for getting political buy-in will also be an integral part of work set for the pilot phase.

WASH upgrading helps unlock tenure

Globally, a mere 30% of the world’s population have legally registered rights to their land and homes. Unfortunately, these circumstances of land and housing tenure precarity account for growing incidences of arbitrary evictions in cities and Zimbabwe is no exception. Yet, under a very innovative partnership arrangement led City of Masvingo, Dialogue on Shelter Trust and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation land tenure security is being addressed through co-production of water and sanitation facilities in Mucheke suburb.

The WASH upgrading which started in 2020 has seen the refurbishment of old communal ablution blocks and construction of new individualized sanitation units. To date, a total of 48 sanitation units have been delivered in Mucheke - the oldest high-density suburb in Masvingo. In addition to the WASH interventions, the collaboration has also resulted in housing upgrading in the old hostels leading to increased living space in the previously crowded housing facilities. A memorandum of understanding signed by the three parties in 2020 has also catalyzed these upgrading actions. Upgrading experiences from other councils such as Bulawayo have also helped to inform the interventions in Masvingo through exchange visits. An important outcome from all these co-produced upgrades has been how they have incentivized a resolution by City of Masvingo to convert the rented housing to free-hold title cementing land and housing tenure security for groups whose urban histories have been burdened by forced evictions.