About Us
Who We Are
Lima Rural Development, established in 1989, is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation. Lima provides a sustainable and integrated rural development service to rural communities through the establishment of appropriate institutions, local economic development and training to empower rural people, particularly women, in their own development efforts, in order to overcome poverty.
Our Vision & Mission
Lima promotes dignified, sustainable and transformative community growth across South Africa and into the African continent. As an organisation, we support the simultaneous development of people and livelihoods in resource-scarce contexts, particularly in rural areas. Through well-integrated, field-based interventions, Lima leverages local economic development activities and the establishment of appropriate institutions to help alleviate poverty and build human capacity.
Lima believes that an inclusive development process is critical for impactful and sustainable social transformation in rural and farming communities. Emphasis is placed on incorporating marginalised people, not only into development interventions but also into the mainstream economy. We foster a collaborative platform for building strategic, multi-sectoral stakeholder partnerships with disadvantaged communities, and in doing so; we aim to advance the long-term empowerment of rural
people.
Part of our Mission is to ascertain the determinants of South Africa’s chronic malnutrition crisis – through Household Vulnerability surveys and support to mothers, working in consultation with rural clinics and the Department of Health.
Our Approach
Any sustainable development intervention requires a firm community consultation and planning process. A strong consultative and community engagement approach will result in a programme which is owned, supported and driven by the community itself.
Central to Lima’s history of successful programme implementation, is the highly specialised consultative process and community engagement techniques which Lima has designed and adapted over the years. This includes Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) – a planning methodology developed by sociologists in India in the 1970s. It is a bottom up, community led, interaction process that is highly empowering and results in communities taking full ownership of initiatives that result from this process. The aim of PRA workshops is to mobilise the community, engage with stakeholders, introduce the programme; and highlight, identify and prioritize developmental priorities in the area which can be supported.
Lima’s model includes embedding Community Development Facilitators into the targeted site, in order to bring about positive institutional change. The process is hands on, and led by the communities whom we aim to serve. Personal relationships are built, voices and aspirations are heard, and trust is gained. Over the last 25 years an average of 100 community development facilitators have been working as institutional change agents in poor communities making a tangible difference in people’s lives. Through our tried and tested implementation methodology, our adaptive approach and willingness to learn and be led by programme beneficiaries themselves – Lima has developed a strong reputation across a wide range of sectors and is a highly sought after partner, by both investors and communities.
Through continuous innovation, Lima has developed appropriate systems, methodologies, opportunities, skills development and training techniques that give the marginalised rural poor new livelihood opportunities. These innovations include but are not limited to, rural water supply and housing, labour-based roads, smallholder irrigation, land reform processes, community volunteers, rangeland, management, school and sanitation design, digital surveys and monitoring systems, and community led development.
- Community consultation and participatory planning
- Local capacity building
- Programme implementation
- Market linkages and enterprise development
- Long-term sustainability
Our Leadership
