Who We Are
Development Focus (Dev-Focus) is an African based consulting organisation, stationed in Harare-Zimbabwe. It works with a network of professionals and experts in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries. DF was formed to support efforts, aspirations and goals of locals, United Nations (UN) and Development Frontiers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Quasi-Government Institutions and related players. Our work underpins the professionalisation of development sectors that changes lives and those expanding opportunities for non-privileged groups, persons and sectors. We centre our work in providing support in the areas of Research, Project Cycle Management (PCM), Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and Digital Media. The team has expertise in the fields of Cultural & Creative Industries (CCIs); Gender and Women Empowerment; Children's Rights & Youth; Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR); Education; Livelihoods & Food Security; HIV and AIDS; Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH); Peace and Local Governance and Humanitarian work, only naming a few. Our efforts promote good governance and accountability while driving afrocentric approaches to sustainable development.
Monitoring & Evaluation & Learning
M&E and Learning is not a fault finding mission but a management and accountability tool. We use monitoring to track project/programs’ planned activities against set objectives. Internal evaluations guide implementation and facilitates detail for decision making that informs organisational strategies while learning from it. In external evaluations, we measure changes and assess emerging results and or intervention impacts before puttingtogether lessons learnt and recommendations. Dev-Focus understands the internationally recognised evaluation approach - OECD-DAC Criteria.
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Research
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Dev-Focus, make use of mixed methodologies - qualitative and quantitative in conducting research. Our understanding is that Research is best conceived as a process of arriving at dependable solutions to problems through the planned systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of data. We conduct research mainly to investigate in-order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. We make use of real-time data collection applications such as KoBo Toolbox, Open Data Kit (ODK), Tangerine and analyse metadata through Microsoft Excel and Statistical Packages for Social Scientist (SPSS).
Capacity Building
We focus on capacity building as a way of strengthening skills within themes of the development discourse. Dev-Focus is a quick to adapt institution that captures and shares on emerging trends affecting professionals, citizenry and the societies. We build the capacities by linking trainees with relevant and skilled personnel to interface. Our focus is to ensure performance improvement and transformation within individuals and or organisations. Our work is to connect theoretical knowledge to enhanced competitive performances.
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Digital Media Support
With a growing space for digital usage, Dev-Focus supports related components that place projects and programmes into contexts and make them more relevant. We help and facilitate new content production through conceptualisation, processing, generation and broader dissemination to building new audiences. We understand digital disruption in the fast changing terrain of the digital game. The expansion drive, related devices and structures continue to outplay systems and performances of both big and small institutions that are stuck in traditional approaches to development. Our careful and fast moving pace are adaptive, adoptive, responsive and representative of the digital content generated.
Project Cycle Management
We have adequate exposure and understanding of Project Cycle Management (PCM), its stages and principles. We approach projects after understanding its phase. Dev-Focus supports processes of planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling projects effectively and efficiently throughout its phases. We take projects through definite and describable phases and guide transitions. Our role is to fulfil the lifecycle with a deep understanding from the problem and objective analysis employed prior to the development of logical frameworks and theories of change within the development projects.
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Initiatives Implementation Support
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Dev-Focus supports projects as they are planned and rolled out. Our function complements the work of organisations by anchoring their core team’s efforts. We do this aiming to enhance performance and assure achievement of results. We work to satisfy recognisable standards which are emulated and used as best practices. DF is agile with highly competitive professional from within Zimbabwe and SADC region - Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia and Mozambique. Our support therefore, allow for effective and efficient ideas and suggestions to bounce thereby challenging complexities and challenges relating to the economically rising Southern Africa sectors.
Governance & Policy Support
We support processes that enhance accountability, transparency, responsiveness in projects and programmes. The experiences of the team has realised that equality, equity and inclusiveness are key towards ensuring empowerment and fairness for those at grassroots levels upwards. Our role is to strengthen broad-based participation of relevant stakeholders including duty bearers. We engage to assess function of policy, effectiveness with a thrive of ensuring openness, transparency, accountability and sustainability.
Creative Campaigns
Dev-Focus support to drive organised calls of actions to achieve targeted goals using the creative tools; these include:
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Theatre & Live shows
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Radio programmes
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Street performances
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Social media and full scope digital campaigns
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TV Programes/Music videos
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Drama skirts
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Out of Home campaigns i.e. static/digital posters & billboards
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National wide full campaigns
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Comic books/SMS
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Newsletters
Reporting
We provide timely reporting along the full life cycle of the programmes & projects. Our reporting is done as part of evidence generation and documentation. Dev-Focus develop reports in order to facilitate assessments, effectiveness and implementation adjustments informed by documented knowledge and knowledge.
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