The Ruoko Project is a community-based incentive set up by Elephants' Walk management. Ruoko means hand in the local Shona language, with the name chosen by the group as all of the items created are by the skilled hands of the artists.

The project's core concept is to identify talented local artists and crafters and allow them to work with studio-grade materials in the Ndau Collection studio and have shop space within Elephants' Walk's surrounds to enhance their natural skills and provide business opportunities. With this input, the dream is to elevate their work to international standards and promote them as artisans internationally. This project has proven very successful, with two of the identified artisans achieving recognition from the Homo Faber guide as Master Artisans. They, in turn, have "paid it forward" by becoming skills trainers on community empowerment projects under the Jafuta Foundation. Collaboration has become a large part of the group's dynamic, as seen in their community focused art projects and on large scale art pieces for exhibition internationally.