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Abstract
The paper examines the subject of a seemingly endless debate on complex relationship between NGO interventions and sustainable growth in rural Zimbabwe. It examines how despite numerous strides by NGOs in their frantic effort to avert poverty in its various forms, the marginalised groups of the poor, women and children continue to wallow in deprivation. This has drawn rotational criticism from a section of development practitioners’, who dismiss NGO work and aid in general as both “dead” and unsustainable as it creates more of dependence than safety nets and creativeness on localised solutions. On the contrary, the proponents of developmental aid perceive NGOs as an alternative to the rolling back state which is apparently bankrupt on sustainable development models of promoting grassroots economic growth and provision of basic services. Thus, this research stands at the cutting edge of development aid paradox vis a vis sustainable rural development. The research sought to review the sustainability of projects implemented by various NGOs after the end of funding phase against a common tendency by NGOs to emphasise on people’s centred approaches of participation, capacity building and empowerment. In this enquiry, both the quality and quantity of aid will be examined through a scrutiny of project viability and long term impact on the targeted communities.