Chitungwiza Community Development Network (CCDN) is a youth servicing community based organization that was formed in August 2010. The organization is registered with the Zimbabwe Youth Council. Its mission is to promote active participation of young citizens of Chitungwiza in solving the prevailing developmental challenges affecting them, and to promote active citizen participation in governance and developmental processes taking place in their local communities. Our vision is the enjoyment of rights and fundamental freedoms by all. We also strive to promote and enhance the understanding, appreciation and applications of gender equality principles at household, community and national level.  In addition, CCDN seeks to provide sexual and reproductive health education among young people in the face of prevailing sexual health challenges in Chitungwiza.

At the apex of the organization is the board of trustees which sets the strategic direction of the organization. After the board of trustees there is the secretariat which is headed by the Director. which is the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. S/he is in charge of the day to day administration of the organization. At the bottom is the membership who is the final beneficiaries of all organizational programmes. They participate in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programmers.

The target beneficiaries of the organization are young women and men between the ages of 16 and 35 years residing in Chitungwiza and surrounding rural communities of Mashonaland province. At the formation of CCDN, Chitungwiza was faced with a number of socio-economic and political challenges which could only be solved if citizens were engaged in setting local development agendas. The “Active Citizenship” portfolio seeks to create a mutual relationship between the residents and the service providers in Chitungwiza particularly the local municipality. Modern development theories are in favour of the bottom up approach to local governance issues thereby giving citizens the opportunity to determine their destiny and CCDN with this in mind mobilized citizens in Chitungwiza to actively participate in local governance processes.

The “Active Citizenship” portfolio has two primary objectives: to promote citizen participation in setting and achieving community development priorities for local municipal authorities, and to encourage citizens and policy makers to engage and deliberate on pertinent issues prevailing in the local municipality, including especially vulnerable groups like the youth, women and the disabled to voice their concerns in development matters. CCDN mobilizes communities to take action to promote gender equality and deepen democracy. Our work aims to inspire community activism, social entrepreneurship and encourages community members to form Community Action Teams (CATs) in the 25 wards in Chitungwiza, and then supports CAT members to use a range of tools and strategies, including participatory workshops, digital stories, photo voice, ambush theatre, street soccer, murals and other strategies.