Submitted by crinadmin on
Practice and Reflections Series No 7
The Foundation's summary of the publication
The Kushanda Project took its name from the expression in the
Shona language Kushandisa zviripo, which means 'what is there*
or 'to make what is there work* - a phrase that captures the
project*s spirit of self-reliance. Starting work in a small early
childhood development centre in one rural area, the project
began to expand, and within eight years had reached 150
centres in two rural areas. These two areas are distinct
geographically, socially and economically and Kushanda has
therefore been called upon to develop two distinct approaches in
working with the families. Kushandisa zviripo also underlines the
fact that, for the children of Zimbabwe*s rural majority, early
childhood services were only likely to become accessible if their
parents learned how to use the material and human resources
available in the immediate environment to make community-
based pre-schools a reality. Using these valuable resources has
been the hallmark of Kushanda*s work, and has led to the
creation of the Federation of Kushanda Pre-schools, a community-
based body that oversees the activities of all associated centres.
This book explains the development of the Kushanda Project, and
the thinking behind its approaches
Owner: Salih Booker