Welcome to MS Zimbabwe

MS – Danish Association for Intercultural Cooperation
MS (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke) stands for Danish Association for International Cooperation. Established in Denmark in 1944 MS has since grown into a worldwide organisation with development programmes in Central America, Nepal, East and Southern Africa, Afghanistan and the Balkans. MS strives to promote understanding and solidarity between people across the world and believes in the equality of all human beings, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or nationality.

Vision
MS envisages “A world in peace where co-operation between people promotes global equity and ensures improved conditions for poor and marginalized.”

Mandate and Value Basis
MS’ mandate is to promote understanding and solidarity between people and, by cooperating across national and cultural boundaries, to contribute to sustainable global development and a just distribution of the earth’s resources.

Together with partners MS provides active opportunities for people, who accept a shared responsibility for global development, and promotes popular participation and empowerment in the North and the South. MS endeavours to enable poor and marginalized people realise their vision of dignified life.

MS in the South
MS has one main goal for its programme in South: “Poverty Eradication.“ MS aims to challenge the causes of poverty and increase people’s opportunities to influence their own lives and make use of available resources. Intercultural Cooperation is an important element in the fight against poverty as it facilitates joint action across social, cultural and national boundaries.

MS-Zimbabwe
The MS programme in Zimbabwe was established soon after Independence in 1980 under a government-to-government agreement. Since1983 MS has supported numerous partner organisations and activities in Zimbabwe, and more than 230 Danish Development Workers have worked together with local partners as part of the Danish Volunteer Service Programme.

Partnerships have been established with district councils, government departments, independent institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as community based organisation (CBOs) all over Zimbabwe. The overall objective for MS-Zimbabwe is to contribute to the development of a strong and vibrant society that can effectively address the problems of poverty.

The cooperation with local organisations is mainly based on long-term partnerships though MS-Zimbabwe does also provide assistance on ad hoc basis. MS’ support to partners is primarily provided through Development Workers, financial assistance and training. Based on the overall goal of poverty eradication the MS-Zimbabwe programme focuses on the development of civil society, the fight against HIV/Aids, and sustainable livelihoods and the environment. 

In cooperation with its partners MS-Zimbabwe strives to improve the living conditions of poor and marginalized, including orphans and other vulnerable children, people living with disabilities, families and individuals affected by HIV/Aids, small scale farmers, the youth, and poor men and women.

The Partnership Approach
MS believes that poverty eradication is best achieved through partnerships. A partnership between MS and a local organisation is based on a long-term commitment, a common vision and joint responsibility. The partnership builds on a number of development activities and emphasizes on capacity building, which enables partners to effectively implement their own programmes and activities to benefit the poor.

MS further believes that sharing of knowledge, skills and experiences creates new opportunities for poor people and furthers development at local, national and international level. The posting of Development Workers is therefore a prominent element in MS’ programme featuring a diversified group of Development Workers recruited both from the North and the South. The role of the Development Worker mainly focuses on capacity building in order to strengthen the organisational and human resource development of the partner.

MS may contribute with human and financial resources but sustainable development is only achieved if based on local participation and involvement of the affected communities themselves. Like this the partnership approach aims to integrate local partners and enable them to influence MS policies through local bodies such as the Policy Advisory Board (PAB). The role of PAB is to guide the programme and take part in decision-making processes on common MS policies and strategies. Besides the PAB local partners, Development Workers and individual resource persons are joining other boards and committees to represent a local voice from Zimbabwe.

“MS-Zimbabwe is a non-governmental, non-profit and membership based organisation promoting understanding and solidarity between people, irrespective of borders, colour and believes.”