The nexus between campaigning NGOs and sustainable livelihoods in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In Zimbabwe’s contested socio-political space, campaigning NGOs play a crucial role in promoting sustainable livelihoods but often face challenges in translating advocacy into tangible, lasting community benefits. This issue affects vulnerable communities, making it essential to find more effective and sustainable approaches. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between campaigning NGOs and sustainable livelihoods in Zimbabwe, exploring the factors that contribute to the “advocacyimpact gap”. To achieve this, the study used a qualitative approach, utilising a multiple-case study design, gathering data from three NGOs (AAZ, ZELA and ZIMCODD). Information was collected through document analysis, key informant interviews with NGO staff and campaigners, and focus group discussions with community members across six diverse districts, chosen purposively to ensure a representative sample of experiences. The results revealed a disconnect between NGO advocacy efforts and sustained livelihood improvements at the community level. While NGOs were effective in raising awareness and building capacity, communities expressed concerns about the short-term nature of interventions, the difficulty in attributing improvements to advocacy, and the gap between policy “wins” and on-the-ground realities. This study contributes a new, context-specific Campaigning NGOs Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (CNGO-SLF), which incorporates “Relational Power” as a key asset and centres the “politics of power, influence, and access” to provide a more robust analytical tool for strengthening the work of campaigning NGOs in contested spaces. In summary, this research tackles the challenge of bridging the advocacy-impact gap by offering a new framework for understanding and strengthening the role of campaigning NGOs.