Empowering businesses and communities to overcome the obstacles facing rural communities

At Umsizi our vision is to see the poor empowered to take control of their own destiny. We aim to accomplish this through sustainable rural development programmes and projects. Umsizi has a proven track record of seeing this vision implemented. Our Rural Development Consultants are intrinsic to the process. Their involvement is three-fold. First, they seek to identify what the community’s greatest needs are, and prioritise which needs to address. Second, they identify the challenges particular to each project and community. Third, they find the best solutions to ensure sustainable and long-term benefits for the community.

The scope of the problem

70% of the world’s very poor live in rural areas. There are many challenges to rural development worldwide. Lack of investment into rural infrastructure is one of the main factors hindering development in these communities. Because of the burden for many families to survive many children simply cannot receive an education. This means that illiteracy continues to be a negative factor hindering rural development. Insufficient access to clean water, issues of bad health, and lack of health care all contribute to a cycle of poverty. This can seem impossible to break free from. Many of these challenges are very acute in South Africa in particular.

Ineffective rural development programmes

When faced with these factors, bad administration and deficient programs will fail to address the problems. These elements can also add to the negativity surrounding the situation rural communities must face. Unproductive projects waste valuable resources and time. This can undermine the sustainability of even workable and efficient projects. This happens if the projects fail to be linked to a broader vision for rural development. For example, some projects move ahead without taking the area’s municipal planning into consideration. These projects are unlikely to become long-term solutions or factors in developing the community. Sustainability also fails because of lack of community participation. Effective programmes request input from the rural communities they seek to develop.

Our Rural Development Consultants are ready to assist

The factors mentioned above are by no means an exhaustive list. Our Rural Development Consultants are up to the task of addressing and overcoming these and many other very real challenges. They are passionate to see real change effected in rural communities across South Africa. They are professionals that will do their best ensure that the most helpful project for a community will be the one implemented. Our consultants also aim to ensure that the projects lead to sustainable benefits for the rural communities over the long term.

Many organisations and stakeholders have achieved their compliance reporting, project implementation and socio-economic development requirements thanks to the efforts of Umsizi’s Rural Development Consultants. Our consultants’ qualities include professionalism and innovation. Every company would want their corporate social investment (CSI) to mean sustainable rural development for the communities in which they are implementing. This is the goal of our Rural Development Consultants. Their expert advice has assisted mining firms to rest assured that their social and labour plans (SLP) will mean the best for the communities affected by their operations. Whatever our clients’ requirements, our consultants will ensure they are met professionally.

Every client of ours has requirements and resources to bring to rural communities. What our Rural Development Consultants are best at is utilising these resources in the most effective manner. This passion results in sustainable and effective rural development projects. In the long term, we expect to see alleviation of poverty and a better life for the impoverished.