Rural Development Support Program Information

Rural Development Support Program (RDSP is a registered Non-Profit Organisation and Public Benefit Organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa, with a satellite office in Bhisho in the Eastern Cape. Established in 1992 by social activists Jane De Sousa and Rosanne Shields, RDSP today still has a highly qualified and experienced, resilient and committed all-female staff compliment and an operational model that is lean and efficient. Our work supports the protection of human rights, with an emphasis on the rights of women, poverty alleviation equality and the prevention of Gender Based Violence. As one of the few experienced NGOs solely working directly with and in rural communities, RDSP has pioneered, tested and refined a range of support services designed with empathy and promoting community participation, to contribute to the strengthening of rural infrastructure and so address human rights and gender issues. Beneficiaries of our services are small groups of change agents who manage and lead Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in response to their communities' social needs. Our main goal is to strengthen civil society within rural areas and to assist in fostering and sustaining community leadership for the collective benefit of these communities. RDSP's implementation methodology aligns with global best practice in community mobilisation and social action, and has been streamlined to maximise output of training workshops and mentoring visits. As such our support is focused on strengthening this core group of community change agents (and their vehicles of change namely CBOs, Parishes and Community Support Groups), through ongoing skills training and mentorship, organisational development, exposure and networking. We work primarily with rural Community Based Organisations (CBOs), Parishes and community groups, focusing on three main areas where needs are highest: Organisational Capacity Building and Development Prevention of Gender Based Violence, Family Violence & Substance Abuse Youth Worker & Youth ...