Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau

Reminded of her thoughts at the Emerge 2.0 kick-off meeting in Kampala nine months later, Melody Gwangwara said, “I think we have outdone ourselves. We never anticipated that it was gonna be a smooth process like that, but we just invested ourselves in doing what we have learned to make sure that we get the results.”

The Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau embarked on a transformative journey in 2024 as part of a cohort of 20 organisations across Africa that came together for Emerge 2.0 capacity-building programme. The kick-off meeting, which Melody attended with her colleague Ronika Mumbire, was a cocreation session in which each organisation worked to agree key objectives for their participation. Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau’s first steps were to address a critical issue: defining their organisational purpose. After a period of internal reflection and engagement with their board, they successfully redefined their mission, paving the way for a brighter future.

Their old purpose statement, to eliminate poverty in marginalised communities, was refined, becoming:

“Until every woman is free from indignity of poverty and inequalities.”

This newfound clarity fueled a renewed focus on resource mobilisation. The team, including staff and board members, actively participated in developing a comprehensive financing strategy. They explored diverse income streams, from offering vocational training and establishing women’s centers, to pursuing impact investments and leveraging their existing assets.

A key turning point came with the generous support of the Oak Foundation, enabling ZWB develop a robust resource mobilisation strategy. This strategic approach, coupled with valuable insights gained from attending the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands in October 2024, is empowering the the organisation to explore innovative fundraising avenues.

Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau is also fostering a culture of internal resource generation. The organisation is actively engaging its diaspora community, encouraging them to support women’s enterprises through the purchase of locally produced goods. Moreover, they are leveraging the skills and expertise of their staff, offering consultancy services and workshops to generate income.

This journey of transformation has not only strengthened the Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau’s financial position, but has also fostered a deeper sense of ownership and engagement among staff and board members, who are now more confident in their ability to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and create a sustainable future for women in Zimbabwe. 

On next steps and the focus for Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau after Emerge 2.0, Ronika says, “For me, it’s about popularising our purpose. When I tabled it to the board, they were listening to me presenting and they were saying, ‘We never thought you would come up with something like that.’ They were like, ‘Wow, this is well thought and we have no additions, we have no subtractions except to go ahead and approve it,’ and it didn’t take me a minute after presentation to have it approved. So, for me, I think what we need is to go out there and popularise it so that we are known for who we are. We don’t have to be known for being all over the show. People should know we are tackling poverty, we are tackling inequalities, and this is who we are.”

Ronika and Melody both agree that participating in Emerge 2.0 has been pivotal for their progress with their endeavours. Asked about impact of the programme, personally and for their organisations, they told us, “It helped us to think outside the box and connect opportunities as they come… And not holding opportunities as individual opportunities. So, what we then did, is after learning from Emerge, we then would grab this opportunity and link it to what we had learned.

“But also key to all these things is the involvement of our board members. It has taught us to involve them as much as possible. And, as we talk, they really appreciate every step that we engage them, and it’s not now difficult to say we want to invite a board member to go out with us to do this. They are always available because they now appreciate their role as resource mobilisers.”

If you’re curious about the programme or need support with resource mobilisation, you can access practical strategies from Emerge 2.0 on fundraising, donor engagement, and sustainable financing free on the Resource Alliance Global Community platform.