Student Community Service Guide

1. Preamble

The University of Zimbabwe’s Community Service programme is designed foster students’

personal and professional growth while contributing positively to their communities.
Through Community Service, students are expected to develop skills, knowledge and
attitudes that grow them into responsible citizens. Community Service helps to engender
in students a sense of community consciousness, respect, tolerance and altruistic attributes
such as compassion, empathy, sympathy, charity, voluntarism, benevolence and
generosity. Such attributes transcend and straddle all other technical skills through which
individuals contribute to national development.

This document serves as a guide to both the University and organisations which host our
students, so that Community Service is approached in a systematic and programmatic way.
The objective is to make Community Service processes professional, objective, purposeful
and mutually beneficial to all stakeholders, i.e., host organisations, the University, students
and communities.

2. Why Community Service?

This Community Service programme is more for student development than it is for
communities where students serve. While the impact of one’s service to their community

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is critical, the service’s impact on the student is even more important. Community Service
must have lasting effects on the student’s worldview, attitudes, personality, character,
perception and perspective towards life. Imbedded in this approach to Community Service
is the notion that, community service’s high impact on one’s personality will ultimately
cause high impact on community; i.e., to transform society, we need to transform individual
components of society first.

For Community Service to have high impact on students and their communities,
participating students must have positive mindsets and attitudes towards tasks and
processes. Students’ motives at Community Service entry point must be to freely give of
their time, energy, talents and resources. In rolling out and assessing Community Service,
facilitators and assessors must therefore look out for the following levels of student
motivation:

2.1 Egocentric Motivation: At this level, the participant is motivated by sordid

egocentrism. They do tasks to boost their egos, to serve self, to feel good, to be noticed
or to look good in front of people. They do tasks ‘for show’ or ‘for the gallery’. They
crave recognition, to be accepted or recognized ‘as important’ in society. Before they
consider taking up tasks, the most immediate question they ask is, ‘How does this
serve my personal interests, and resultantly build my image?’ Anything that does not
serve self is not worth doing, according to this kind of motivation.
2.2 Extrinsic Motivation: Participants operating at this level seek rewards. They
participate in activities if they bring monetary and material benefits. When presented
with a task, their first question is, ‘What is there in it for me?’ Anything that does not
benefit them personally is not worth doing.
2.3 Intrinsic Motivation: Participants at this level have a passion for people and
community building. They serve out of a sense of responsibility. They hold the
philosophy that, it is every responsible citizen’s moral duty to give to their community
before they think of drawing from the community. The key questions they ask before
any task include, ‘What can I give to my community? What difference can I make?’
They are more inclined to giving to society more than they are to getting or drawing
from society.

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Driven by the philosophy of Ubuntu/Hunhu, the University expects its students to be
intrinsically motivated to serve. We envisage graduates that are sensitive to the needs of fellow
human beings.

3. Possible Areas of Service

While it’s not possible to exhaust the forms in which service can be offered because of the
diverse needs and requirements of different communities, service can be in the following
areas: provision of labour in any area assigned by the host organisation, imparting of
knowledge and skills, mentorship and coaching, events planning, team building and boot
camps, repairs and maintenance, and any other duties as shall be determined by the host
organization from time to time. Students shall not be required to do anything illegal or
strenuous work that is beyond their physical capacity. However, students shall be required
to take up any reasonable tasks, including manual work, such as they would ordinarily do
during work related learning (i.e., industrial attachment).

4. Organisations Eligible to take students for Community Services

Only registered organisations are eligible to take students for Community Service. Priority
is also given to public institutions such as clinics and hospitals, municipalities, public
schools, government ministries, etc. We also highly recommend students to serve at social
welfare organisations such as old people’s homes, children’s homes, psychiatric centres,
hospices, rehabilitation centres and related institutions. Highly reputable private
institutions are also highly recommended. Students shall be required to seek clearance from
the University to serve at little known small private institutions.

5. Stakeholder Roles in Community Service

4.1 The Role of Students: As alluded to earlier, the main target in Community Service is
the student. In order to facilitate optimum growth, the student must approach Community
Service with a sense of tolerance of the differing organisational and individual cultures
they will encounter in different settings of service. Ability to be malleable enough to
operate in different organisational cultures prepares one for his role as both a national and
international citizen. It is with the mindset of tolerance to human diversity that one is
advised to:

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 Select organization(s) that best facilitate growth of their targeted life skills, and
fulfil their vision and purpose in life,
 Confirm registration status of the preferred organization, and do background
check to ensure that the organization is a safe place to work for,
 Apply for placement for Community Service at their place of choice,
 Negotiate and sign a service contract,
 Show up in time to all commitments,
 Be ready to learn skills and acquire knowledge beyond one’s academic studies,
 Follow directions, instructions and guidelines set by the organization,
 Take every opportunity to continuously improve one’s skills and further the
organization’s interests,
 Approach feedback from supervisors and peers in a positive and constructive
manner,
 Take every experience as an opportunity to learn and grow,
 Have an open and positive attitude when working in unfamiliar and multicultural
settings,
 Be quick to learn ‘people skills’, and be able to master team dynamics,
 Learn problem solving skills and be able to confront challenging situations,
 Be ready to work outside normal hours without negatively affecting one’s
studies,
 Must have no expectation to receive payment for services provided during
Community Service,
 Promote safety and security of self, property and fellow workers,
 Discharge duties with standards of excellence,
 Facilitate Community Service reports and presented them to the University
timeously,
 Respect the privacy of the organisation and those one is working with,
 Should comply with the regulations and guidelines set by the host organisation
as they offer their services,

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  Should follow any lawful instruction(s) given by authorities in the host
organization, 1
 Should be ready to undertake any duties assigned to them by the host
organization,
 Should respect the official hours of work as prescribed by the organisation on
engagement but be ready to adjust when required to do so,
 Should cooperate with supervisors during the process of their assessment, and
 Should communicate with relevant authorities in time if the encounter problems
in executing their duties as assigned.

4.1.1 Student Conduct while on Community Service

Community Service is an extension of the University’s ‘classroom’. It is an integral
component of the Student Development and Life Skills programme. On-campus
rules and regulations, therefore, apply to students doing community service off-
campus. Students engaged in Community Service have to ensure that their
behaviour and general conduct portray a good image of the University. In that view
students on community service:
 Remain bound by the Rules of Student Conduct and Discipline University
Ordinance 59. All forms of misconduct will be dealt with in the context of
University rules and regulations, apart from the host organisation’s disciplinary
systems and mechanisms,
 Fraud, dishonesty and misrepresentation of facts in reporting and/or discharging
one’s duties will lead to disciplinary measures, which will likely disqualify the
results of the Community Service, and
 Should not enlist or participate in community service at unregistered
organisations or organizations whose businesses are regarded as illegal by the
laws of Zimbabwe.
NB: Violence, drunken behavior, stealing, rudeness and substance abuse are intolerable
behaviors which must be avoided by all means necessary on-campus and during
Community Service.

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4.2 Role of the Host Organisation in Community Service

All host organisations are expected to ensure that assignments and activities they expose
students to are educational in nature. Organisations’ role is to contribute towards the
growth of the volunteers they host. Community service should not be punitive, but
developmental in nature. To this end, the organisation should:

 Offer adequate orientation and guidance to ensure that students provide services
effectively and efficiently,
 Avail to students the rules and regulations that guide operations in the organization
to serve the mutual purpose of the engagement.
 Provide a contract with clear scope of work and expected deliverables and
standards,
 Ensure that at any given time, student services are offered within the context of the
law,
 Assign student volunteers to any tasks within the organisation irrespective of the
field of study,
 Give work schedules which do not conflict with students’ academic business,
 Protect students against any forms of abuse and/or exploitation,
 Assign tasks and duties which give students a wide appreciation of the operations
of the organisation and allow development of both hard and soft skills provided by
the work experience,
 Provide a safe and conducive work environment,
 Assess students’ services objectively on aspects directed by the University,
 Provide periodic reports to the University on student services in the organization,
 Remain in constant touch with the University on issues to do with the student’s
general conduct during Community Service.

NB: The University has a policy of zero tolerance to sexual harassment, gender based
violence, drug abuse, theft, discrimination and any forms of violence. We promote
religious and political tolerance, cultural diversity and globalism, but do not condone any
practices outside the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe.

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4.3 Student Indemnity on Community Service
4.3.1 By accepting a student on Community Services, the host organisation
assumes the responsibility to ensure that the student is adequately capable
of undertaking the tasks it assigns him/her to perform. It is therefore
incumbent upon the organisation to conduct due diligence as to the mental
and physical capacity of the volunteer to perform assigned tasks.
4.3.2 The service being offered by the student is on a pro-bono basis, so neither
the University nor the host organisation can accept any financial liability
for the services offered by the student.
4.3.3 Where the student is found guilty of fraud, willful misconduct or bad faith,
the organisation reserves the right to take legal action, placing personal
liability on the student, not the University.
4.3.4 The host organisation should take full responsibility of the necessary
security clearance checks where such are prerequisites of national laws.
4.3.5 While the University will play its part in ensuring that students on
Community Service behave ethically, it remains the responsibility of the
organisation to ensure that confidentiality clauses of the operations of the
organisation are adhered to by the individual students. The University will
not be held liable to any prejudice suffered by the organisation as a result of
unethical behavior by the service provider.
4.3.6 While the University may assist in placement of students on Community
Service assignments, the host organisation makes its own judgment as to
the suitability of the student so recommended for placement.
4.3.7 In the event of injury and/or death of the student in the course of providing
Community Service, the organisation shall not be held responsible for
damages, unless law enforcement agents confirm negligence on the part of
the host organisation.
4.3.8 The University shall provide medical and life insurance for students on
Community Service.

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 4.4 The Role of the University
The University will:
 Assist in the placement of students for Community Service when and where such
opportunities arise,
 Advise students on organisations with which the University has formal or informal
agreements for Community Service placements,
 Advise organisations on students who are eligible for involvement in Community
Service,
 Provide documents which authenticate the students’ involvement in Community
Service to various host organisations,
 Give guidance to the organisation on the general conditions under which Students
should be engaged in Community Service,
 Provide Community Service assessment guide to all host organisations,
 Periodically visit a sample of host organisations to assess the effectiveness of the
program,
 Provide adequate advice to students engaged in Community Service,
 Intervene when necessary, where organisations and students need clarification on
conditions of service provision,
 Enforce the University’s Ordinance on Student Conduct on errant students where
and when necessary, and
 Protect students’ rights in case of any violations by host organisations.

6. Assessment of students on Community Service.

The Community Services component of the Student Development and Life Skills
program constitutes 40% of the student’s assessment score. In view of that, the
University expects objectivity and fairness in the process of student assessment on
various aspects of Community Service. To this end the University will:
 Provide a guide to host organisations specifying areas of assessment and their
possible weighting.
 Where possible and necessary, conduct spot visits to organizations as part of
familiarization with and assessment of impact the service offered by the students.

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  Expect assessment feedback from the host organisation at the end of the service
period.
 Retain the final say in the assessment of the student guided by the general academic
regulations of the University.

7. Conclusion
This document is a guide on the general conditions under which the University avails its
students for Community Service to different organisation. Should any organisation require
more formal written Memoranda of Understanding and/or Agreements, the University is
ready to enter such formal agreements wherein more comprehensive and binding
understanding/agreements can be reached.

Contact Details:
Dean of Students
Student Affairs Division
University of Zimbabwe
P.O. Box MP167
Mt Pleasant, Harare

Email Address: [email protected]

Phone: +263 242 303 211/4 Ext.21000