Abstract
Participatory development has been characterised by various criticisms, especially from the post-development scholars who argued that it has failed to transform the poor to the epicentre of development. They have attributed this to the de-politicisation of participation which participatory development has failed to address. Various studies have been conducted, largely focusing on development agencies and the participatory structures they establish. However, literature shows that there has been minimal focus on the work of development agencies in Africa as the majority of the studies have been dominantly focusing on the work of development agencies in Asia and Latin America. Furthermore, these studies have tended to investigate international development institutions, communities and participatory spaces in isolated ways, while ignoring the territories where these agencies implement their work. Little attention has also been paid to faith-based organisations, despite the rise of religion in the development sector and the controversies surrounding the interaction of religions in a globalised world.
Recognising these limitations and gaps, this study explored the work of donor funded activities in Zimbabwe, using World Vision Zimbabwe (WVZ), a Christian international development agency as a case study with interests in its projects in the Matabeleland provinces. Unlike other studies, this work investigated the impact of social power relations on community participation in WVZ projects through assessing how the local systems of power (local government), characterised by various institutions and structures, shaped participatory development and the effect thereof on community participation. The uniqueness of WVZ as a Christian entity was of importance to this study, especially in terms of how such an identity influenced the relationship that WVZ established with the communities it worked with.
A qualitative approach, through in-depth interviews and observation, were used as data collection strategies, and thematic analysis was applied to understand the data. The study established that a ‘master-servant’ relation existed between WVZ and the communities it worked with and that these relations were shaped by WVZ’s Christian identity. It also established that WVZ’s work takes place in complex territories characterised by localised hegemonic blocs that influence participatory spaces in various ways. These factors shape the instrumental nature of community participation characterising WVZ’s projects in the studied areas.