RETZ Background
Rural Enterprise Trust of Zimbabwe (RETZ) is a private non-political, non-profitable organization created in 2014 to respond to the needs of the Zimbabwean people. Its focus is to sustain, strengthen, and promote socio-economic freedoms as the yardstick for sustainable development. RETZ was founded on the belief that communities have the knowledge, resources, and potential to grow ideas that determine their own sustainable development initiatives and therefore should be given the choice and freedom to pursue them.
RETZ contributes to this belief by strengthening the capacity of local marginalized communities to explore and grow their ideas and venture into inclusive business through entrepreneurship development. Entrepreneurship development is the foundation of pursuing socio-economic freedoms as well as finding durable solutions to challenges that communities face. We facilitate entrepreneurship development by strengthening the capacities of local communities through provision of advisory and training services, facilitating knowledge development, networking, and advocating for policies and reforms that create an enabling environment for supporting the growth of ideas, fair business trading, and setting up of local entrepreneurship development facilities.
RETZ Purpose
Over the years, Zimbabwe has witnessed numerous economic and governance challenges that have led to the erosion of most of the community socio-economic safety nets thereby compounding the myriad of vulnerability among most citizens. This point to the need for preventative long lasting solutions that will ensure the socio-economic development of the marginalised grass roots in Zimbabwe. This was the philosophy behind the establishment of RETZ; to uphold marginalised communities by supporting freedoms through economic and enterprise development initiatives that have a bearing on their well being whilst investing and advocating for an enabling environment.
Organizational type:
- Non-governmental
- Non partisan
- Non-religious
- Non racial
- Non-profit making
- Social and civil society organization
Our Vision
To see commercialized rural communities who fairly take part in trading and inclusive business with increased production and incomes for enhanced household food security and sustainable livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
Our Goal
To facilitate sustainable socio-economic development amongst marginalised communities through promotion of entrepreneurship.
Our Mission
To develop and build economic agency amongst rural communities through the implementation of gender and climate friendly inclusive business systems and pathways that initiate innovative smallholder commodity commercialization for rural transformation and economic development in Zimbabwe.
Our Objectives
(a) To encourage, facilitate, promote, and advocate for an enabling environment for the development of entrepreneurship among marginalised communities.
(b) To encourage ,facilitate, promote and advocate for sound socio-economic, rural agricultural, and food and nutrition security policies
(c) To create platforms for information sharing and public discourse on agro-business, rural entrepreneurship, and sustainable development issues,
(d) To spearhead research and development on rural micro-finance and entrepreneurship.
(e) To spearhead the development and compilation of community livelihood profiles through participatory rural appraisals and enhance community based planning.
(f) To promote, develop, and implement systems and technologies for sustainable agriculture and rural business development to enhance community income generating activities whilst ensuring household and national food security.
Primary Focus
a) Training and Capacity building
b) Research and policy advocacy
c) Information dissemination and awareness raising
d) Promotion of innovative systems and technologies for inclusive business and sustainable development
e) Research and policy advocacy
Core Values
a) Accountability and Transparency
b) Confidentiality
c) Peace culture and pluralism
d) Serving the people in equal approach across gender lines.
e) Team work, mutual respect, and partnership with other stakeholders
f) Strong and effective communication