Community Based Organizations: The heart of community development

CBO Program: Strengthening of committed and innovative local communities

Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) are created by local communities. The initiators may be neighbors, parents or friends, which join forces in order to reach a common goal. The organizational structure is usually not formalized, the level of teducation low and the access to information hampered. The local knoweldge of the members, their social networks and their voluntary commitment on the other hand are indispensable for achieving community development, a main aim of development aid. Many World Bank projects and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) rely on the cooperation of CBOs but the chances for CBOs to directly generate funds are small. The administrative requirements of the donors are too demanding for the loosely structured CBOs and the donors spare the higher costs for directly assisting CBOs.
Sahee decided in 2013 to give CBOs a chance to directly apply for funds: The newly created CBO-Program allowes communities, self-help groups and individuals, which are commited to bring forward their communities to apply for a small grant of around CHF 5'000.-.
Sahee takes the time to assist the CBOs in all stages of the project: from the planning phase until the writing of a final report. Capacity building becomes part of the projects objective. In case fruitful cooperations are achieved, follow-up projects are possible.

Projects 2013/2014:
1) Esibukweni-Preschool: Thanks to a grant from Sahee, a rural nursary school could hold parenting workshop to equip parents, caregivers and the community at large with parenting and childcare skills.
2) The women from the "Throne of Grace Women's Wing" received a grant to collectively cultivate maiz and vegetables. The harvest was partially sold on the market to generate means to reinvest and partially to directly support the most vulnerable members of the communities (mostly elderly people and orphans).
3) Sahee enabled the women group "Ngeyetfu Sonkhe Bomake" to construct a communty center, in which they plan to organize events, meetings, workshops, and other reunions.
4) The Cornerstone Help Center is a school for intelectual disabled children created by the initiative of one woman, which is commited to support those children to recieve education and therapy. Therapies are provided in nearby cheshirehomes. However, transportation was missing so far. Sahee financed a suitable car and thereby enabled the children to receive the therapy they need and deserve.

Project costs and assistance by sahee

The entire project costs are CHF 30’000.–. The project is fully financed by sahee.

Sahee stays in regular contact with the CBOs and personally visits the projects once a year.

Duration of assistance

1st of July 2013 to 30th of June 2014

Local counterpart

Various CBOs



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Project overview
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The community center is built and the women's group "Ngeyetfu Sonkhe Bomake" can soon move in.