ZAMBIA COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ANNUAL REPORT 2008
Acknowledgements
We are greatly indebted to the Danish Association for International Cooperation (MS Zambia) for its continued support and funding. With MS support, Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) has been made significant progress in implementing its current strategic plan (2008-2011). ZCSD is also grateful to many other donors and cooperating partners including GTZ and UNDP for their financial support, CSPR, NGOCC and Insaka Members for their support solidarity.
ZCSD further expresses its sincere gratitude to all it’s District partners (PLO’s), and indeed all other individuals and organisations that have participated and contributed to the success of our CSO Advocacy work on Decentralization. Specifically, the Council expresses its gratitude to AVAP Samfya, the Luangwa Farmers District Farmers’ Association (LDFA) and CARITAS Kafue.
Lastly but not least, ZCSD takes this opportunity to thank all its members for their continued support over the years. ZCSD pledges to do its best to fulfill its mandate as a credible national umbrella non governmental organisation.
MRS. THERESA NYIRENDA
BOARD CHAIRPERSON.
ZCSD’s Executive Secretary’s Statement.
The 2008 represented a milestone for ZCSD activities. The Secretariat had to be restructured in order to respond to the approved ZCSD strategic plan and challenges facing the membership. We also had a General Assembly to elect our new Executive Board.
While we spent this period consolidating our operational capacity, we were also redefining and clarifying our mandate and activities. We emerge from this period with more clarity and programmatic orientation towards strengthening ZCSD member linkages through the establishment of the Provincial Liaison Organizations.
We are also aware that the NGO sector is faced with challenges of sustainability and survival. This is mainly because of the uncertainty in the funding and the threats emanating from the unfinished business of the NGO Bill process. The Government has so far remained largely mute on the Decentralization Policy and the draft implementation plan, this is ZCSD’s source of concern on its commitment in the democratization process. It is our hope that as we embrace the 2009. We shall together explore the means of mitigating these challenges.
Colleagues, 2008 has been our first year in implementing our approved strategic plan and during this period of testing the strategy, we have been able to mobilize the NGOs across the nation, consolidating our presence at provincial level and to engage with the Government in the promotion of vibrant, independent, empowered and well-coordinated civil society organizations in Zambia. We have also managed to make solid relations with the Government and the Cooperating Partners. This is demonstrated through the support we have received from MS Zambia, Southern Africa Trust, United Nation Development Program and many others.
With these achievements come more challenges that Zambia and the SADC region is faced, these include issues related to democratic consolidation and constitution reforms, HIV/AIDS pandemic, land and food insecurity, poverty and many other challenges.
Economic development remains a major challenge for the nation, with the poverty gap between the rich and the poor widening. Wide-spread corruption also remains one of the major challenges faced by Zambia.
It is in the strength of collectiveness and in the spirit of unity that we shall embrace 2009 with courage, enthusiasm and more commitment that a more transformed and developed Zambia is possible.
Rev. Malawo Matyola
Executive Secretary.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Executive Secretary’s Statement
Acronyms
Introduction
Support to Civil Society Organisations
Networking and Strengthening Member Linkages
Advocacy and Policy Work
Internal Capacity Building of ZCSD
Recommendations
Conclusion
2008 Summary of the Audited Financial Statement
Acronyms
AVAP Anti Voter Apathy Project
ASF Africa Social Forum
CBOs Community Based Organisations
CHIN Children in Need
CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation
CSI Civil Society Index
CSO Civil Society Organisation
CSPR Civil Society for Poverty Reduction
EU European Union
FODEP Foundation for Democratic Process
FOSUP Farmers Organisation Support Program
GTZ German Technical Cooperation
JCTR Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection
KEPA Finish Center for Development
MS Zambia Danish Association for International Cooperation
NEPAD The New Partnership for Africa’s Development
NGO Non Governmental Organisation
NGOCC Non Governmental Coordinating Council
PEMFA Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accounting
PLOs Provincial liaison organizations
PSM Public Service Management
PSRP Public Sector Reform Program
SACCORD Southern Africa Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes
SADC Southern Africa for Development
SADC-CNGO Southern Africa Development Council for Non Governmental Org.
SASF Southern Africa Social Forum
SF Social Forum
WSF World Social Forum
UNDP United Nations for National Development
ZCSD Zambia Council for Social Development
ZLA Zambia Land Alliance
ZSF Zambia Social Forum
ZNAN Zambia National AIDS Network
ZNBC Zambia National Broadcasting Cooperation
1.0 Introduction
The Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) is an Umbrella of Civil Society Organisations whose main goal is to promote vibrant, independent and well-coordinated civil society organisations in the country. ZCSD was formed in 1974 and got registered under the Registrar of Societies CAP 119 of the Laws of Zambia in 1975, number ORS/102/35/225.
The main motivation for ZCSD’s existence is on recognition that the Council has a distinct role that is currently not being played by any other Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) in Zambia. In more practical terms during the past four years, attempts have been made to create an enabling environment that could interest the NGOs in taking up active membership and becoming involved in reviving the Council’s functions.
The 2008-2011 Strategic Plan for the Zambia Council for Social Development defines the general direction for the organisation and the specific areas of focus needed in order to achieve the organization’s over-all goal.
The four key result areas that ZCSD will pursue during the current strategic period are:
Support to civil society organizations
Networking and strengthening of member linkages
Advocacy and policy work
Build internal capacity of ZCSD
In trying to fulfill its obligations, ZCSD has for some time now been working with several strategic partners. One of the main ones is Danish Association for International Cooperation (MS-Zambia). The two organisations are currently in long partnership, with MS Zambia being the main technical and financial supporter of most of the Council’s programme activities.
ZCSD at the beginning of the 2008 started implementing some of its strategic activities for the period 2008 – 2011. This report highlights the progress made in this regard during 2008. The report also highlights the main challenges faced during the same period and some of the necessary recommendations.
2.0 Activities Implemented
The year 2008 was a very busy year for ZCSD in regard to both traditional and non traditional ZCSD/MS Zambia partnership activities. Below is a detailed report on all the programme and administrative activities undertaken by ZCSD during the period under review;
2.1 Support to civil society 0rganizations
Key Result Area One of the ZCSD’s strategic plan focuses on provision relevant information resources and support to CSOs, with a special emphasis placed on youth and women organisations, concerning their rights and their ability to effectively and freely operate. The principle expected outputs under this Result area (as set in the Strategic plan) are:
Resource centres with necessary and accessible information pertaining to civil society’s ability to effectively participate in decision-making be set up in the 9 provinces. ZCSD will develop outreach programmes aimed at supporting members especially at district level. In addition to this, ZCSD proposes to define partnership programmes with its members, aimed at strengthening CSOs capacity to effectively operate.
The ZCSD Secretariat also hopes to have the necessary competence and resources to effectively offer CSOs support, advice, and backing on matters concerning legality, organizational set-up, accountability and advocacy work.
ZCSD wishes to play a mediating role in internal and external conflicts within the CSO community in Zambia.
CSO members have the required capacity in terms of knowledge of rights and obligations to effectively operate
The following activities were implemented under Result Area One:
2.1.1 CSO Registration Procedures Awareness Exercise
During the period under review, ZCSD (working closely with the Registrar of Societies under the Ministry of Home Affairs) produced more than 300 copies of the simplified version of Registration Procedures for the CSOs and CBOs. This information was for the purpose of addressing the existing lack of information on registration procedures required for registration of NGOs and CBOs. This information is especially difficult to find at district level in rural areas. It’s generally accepted that this lack of knowledge on procedures has, for a long time, hindered NGOs and CBOs from being legally registered and thus could not be formally recognized.
ZCSD begun the dissemination of this information in the first half of this year and continued to do so during the third and fourth quarters. The CSO Registration procedures booklet has been distributed in some selected districts in all the nine provinces of Zambia. With this information readily available now in some areas, we hope that more legally recognized district NGOs will be formed. There have been concerns in the past that most NGOs and CBOs operating at district level especially in rural areas are not officially registered. It is hoped that with this information readily available now, most district CSOs will exist legally. It is also hoped that these will be organisations that are capable of effectively engaging decision-makers on policy issues at local level.
Feedback from our Provincial Liaison Organisations (PLOs) indicates that this initiative has been received with a lot of interest by many. Most of the organisations that were not legally registered have begun their registration process, and in fact some have already completed the process.
ZCSD has been requested by members organisations (especially the our PLOs) to scale up this activity for next year in order for many more CSOs and other interest groups to be reached by this exercise by end of 2009.
2.1.2 PLOs NGO Bill Capacity Building Programme
ZCSD continued sharing all relevant information on the proposed “NGO Bill” during the period under review. This information includes the Bill itself in both the original and simplified state. The overall idea is to build capacity in ZCSD’s PLOs and other member organisations to continue raising awareness on the proposed Bill.
With support from ZCSD, PLOs continued activities aimed at raising awareness of the NGO Bill among provincial member organisations. These included CSO meetings organised by ZCSD PLOs (targeting various influential district CSOs) and as well as through Radio programs using community radios stations in all the nine provinces.
Through these activities, a lot more people have become aware of the proposed NGO Bill and its implications if it ever became law in Zambia. There is an out cry from most of our members that this activity be scaled up next year, targeting especially those districts that were not reached this year. Plans are also under way to scale up the NGO Bill advocacy activities at national level through the NGO Insaka.
2.1.3 Other Support to CSOs
ZCSD has also offered other forms of support to certain CSOs going through difficult management problems. For example, ZCSD offered some mediatory support to Prison Aid to help them resolve of the internal conflicts they were faced with. ZCSD also began mobilizing resources for among, other things, the purpose of setting up Resource Centres in some selected provinces. Some of these resource mobilization ventures have borne fruits and hopefully with assistance from the EU through MS Zambia some Resource Centres will be set up in at least four provinces across the country.
2Besides being the ZCSD’s focal point NGOs at provincial level, it is hoped that the PLOs will spearhead the mobilization of other members to join the Social Forum movement. PLOs are expected to facilitate the formation of Social Forum structures at the provincial level. These structures include the media, logistics, gender, and Provincial Resource Mobilization Committees.
In its Action Plan for 2009, ZCSD proposes to continue with this exercise next year. It is in fact hoped that all the remaining PLOs could be launched in 2009.
2.2.2 ZCSD/ PLO’s Joint Planning Meeting
ZCSD and its PLO’s held two planning meetings in 2008. The first was held in Lusaka at the beginning of the year while the second one was held in Siavonga at Kariba Inns towards the end of the year. The first meeting was attended by eight PLO’s (Lusaka not included) and was for the purpose of planning joint activities for 2008, and also to orient the newly selected PLOs to the functions of the Council as well as the functions of the PLO’s at provincial level. The second meeting was for the purpose of updating one another on the progress made during the implementation of activities for 2009, and also to plan for key joint activities for 2009. This one was also attended by the full ZCSD Executive Board.
Several issues were discussed during this meeting including the following;
Review of PLO’s activities for 2008
The EU Project (2009-2012)
Action Plans for 2009
The Civil Society Index (CSI) Project
The main reason for these joint planning sessions was to strengthen ZCSD’s linkages with its PLO’s. The feeling is that for ZCSD to grow at district level, the PLO’s should be actively involved in the overall planning of the organization’s activities and joint planning is one way of ensuring PLO’s active involvement in ZCSD’s activities.
2.2.3 ZCSD Information Services
During the period under review, ZCSD continued to produce and disseminate quarterly newsletters. The aim of the newsletter is to keep members and other stakeholders informed about ZCSD activities. Further, the newsletter is meant to publicize ZCSD’s partners’ activities. The newsletter helped to market not only ZCSD but its members’ activities in all the provinces.
ZCSD believes that Communication and information sharing with its partners and donors is very important and crucial to the development of mutually beneficial relationships. The Council further believes that efficient information sharing promotes transparency and enhances accountability. ZCSD therefore proposes to scale up its information sharing systems by setting up its own website in 2009.
2.2.4 National NGO Insaka.
During the period under review, ZCSD launched the NGO Insaka. The NGO Insaka is a platform for network and umbrella NGOs to share and debate common concerns in regard to national and international policy issues. The NGO Insaka is also being used as a way of updating members on relevant and important emerging issues in Zambia. Using the NGO Insaka, possible joint strategies to address common concerns have been discussed and undertaken. It has also been used to promote and develop a culture of mutual support and cooperation among CSO’s.
The NGO Insaka is comprised of only the major national umbrella, network and sector NGOs, who have a presence in the provinces and have, participated in policy debate at a national level. The most active members of the Insaka include CARITAS, Children in Need (CHIN), Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR), Farmers’ Organization Support Programme (FOSUP), Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), Non-Governmental Coordinating Council (NGOCC), Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD), Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD), Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA), Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN), and the Zambia Social Forum (ZSF). Others key NGOs like AVAP, Youth and Disabled representatives, and FODEP have shown interest in joining the NGO Insaka.
The NGO Insaka was launched through a Press Conference held at Chrismar Hotel on the 15th July 2008. In attendance were members of the NGO Insaka and media representatives. On behalf of the Insaka, ZCSD and CSPR addressed the press and jointly signed a press statement. The launch was covered by ZNBC and MUVI Television stations main news and on QFM, Christian Voice, and many other radio stations.
ZCSD has from the date of the launch received a lot of enquiries on the NGO Insaka from both local and international NGOs who have expressed appreciation for this initiative. A number of International NGOs (INGOs) including GTZ and DanChurch Aid has pledged to support the Insaka in future.
There has been, also, an appeal from some donors and partners for the Insaka to become more innovative in it’s activities during the coming year (2009). For example there have been requests to undertake more result oriented activities such as round table TV debates on emerging policy issues and other issues of common concern, and also to conduct public forums targeted at policy makers as well as other senior government officers. The Insaka has also been urged to take a lead role in the NGO Bill advocacy work. The Insaka hope to work along these lines during the coming year. Plans are to scale up the activities of the Insaka for next year. It will be used as a common NGO mouth piece that will from time to time issues statements on current policy issues.
It has been agreed as way forward to hold an NGO Insaka planning session for members to come up with joint strategies/ activities and an implementation plan concerning major policy issues. It is hoped that the joint strategies may .2 Networking and Strengthening of Member Linkages
The second Key Result Area of the ZCSD focuses on four objectives which includes promoting linkages and collaboration with CSOs and CBOs, with a special emphasis placed on youth and women organisations, in all of the nine provinces of Zambia; collaborating with other umbrella/network organisations in Zambia and in the region; institutional and technical support of the Zambia Social Forum and other social movements; and support Zambian Social Forum on youth and gender activism programmes.
ZCSD’s expected outputs under this Result Area are as follows:
Provincial Liaison Organisations in each of the 9 provinces working closely with ZCSD on information sharing, capacity-building and advocacy issues
Mechanisms for rapid information-sharing and CSO mobilization at national and regional level in place
Regional ties to like-minded CSO networks through increased information exchange strengthened
A Zambian NGO Troika established
ZCSD seen as a competent and responsive secretariat for the Zambian Social Forum
Zambia Social Forum regularly organizing and participating in events at a national, regional and world level
Zambia Social Forum regularly organizing events addressing youth and gender issues
The ZSF Youth Activism School and other initiatives aimed at promoting youth awareness and activism on policy issues implemented
During the year 2008, ZCSD worked tirelessly to respond to this Result Area. Below are activities implemented and some of the respective achievements made:
2.2.1 ZCSD Coordination with PLOs
At the beginning of this year ZCSD began the process of cementing its provincial presence by officially launching four PLOs. The PLOs launched are Eastern, Luapula, Southern and Western. The official launching was spearheaded by members of the ZCSD Board in collaboration with some senior provincial government officers. Ms Zambia also closely worked with ZCSD in launching the PLOs.
During the third and fourth quarters, ZCSD began signing the actual MoUs with some of these PLOs (including those that have not been officially launched). Specifically, the Council has signed MoUs with the following PLOs; Eastern, Northern, Southern and Luapula.include, among others, follow up on the NGO funding; Land Policy, NGO regulation and emerging policy issues requiring NGO joint intervention.
2.2.5 ZCSD Regional and International Linkages and Networks
On a regional level, ZCSD, as a national umbrella body, represents Zambian civil society in a number of international and regional bodies, most notably the SADC Council of Non-governmental Organisations (SADC CNGO), lobbying for greater influence for civil society, and tackling important issues such as Human Rights and Good Governance on a national and regional level. During the period under review, ZCSD participated in a SADC CSO forum meetings that was held in Johannesburg, South Africa some time in August 2008. The SADC CSO forum discussed among other things how to;
Enhance National and Regional cooperation on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Provide a platform for CSOs to agree on a united and well coordinated response to the crisis Zimbabwe in view of the on going negotiation between the MDC and ZANU PF.
Agree on CSO’s role and response to the on going negotiation.
Other issues discussed during the forum are poverty in the region and how to fight it, governance issues and regional food security.
ZCSD also represented Zambian civil society on one government led mission to South Africa on the NEPAD Stakeholders Engagement Workshop between 4th and 5th December.
Key issues discussed during this meeting include the following;
Country experiences on the NEPAD activities (challenges and prospects)
Consolidation of regional lessons learnt on the NEPAD project implementation.
ZCSD has also continued to strengthen its international linkages. It represented Zambian Civil Society at a meeting organised by Coordination Sud in Paris. More than 100 national NGO platforms representatives of 82 countries met and decided to adopt an action plan to facilitate cooperation and solidarity between national associations of NGOs from the five continents. They created a Forum of national NGO platforms.
This Forum aims at facilitating cooperation between national platforms and regional coalitions of NGOs at the regional, inter-regional, and international levels through common advocacy and capacity building actions.
Acknowledging their diversity, they decided to capitalize on the action led by the five platforms, which launched the process, and to move into a transitory phase aiming at deepening the structuring of the Forum and the definition of its goals and the organization of its governance.
Mandated representatives agreed:
On a common grid of criteria to define what is a national NGO platform (that still needs to be amended and endorsed)
To study ways to strengthen the weakest national NGO platforms, protect the right of association and facilitate exchanges to promote best practices (notably through capacity building actions to promote best governance practices within national NGO platforms)
To continue to develop and to use the International Resource Centre as a working and participative tool, facilitating communication between national NGO platforms
To work on six issues (or any other issues suggested by any national NGO platform) with our members through ad hoc coalitions on the following:
ODA Development and Financing
Climate Change
Regulation of agricultural markets
Access to water and sanitation
Conflict prevention and resolution
Fight against social exclusion and inequalities.
NGO platforms who decided to work on one of the following issues will be contacted and included in a thematic mailing list to facilitate circulation of information and preparation of advocacy positions. An agenda will be suggested to each involved NGO national platform to prepare international governmental and non-governmental events, notably tacking into account 2015 as a main target.
The conference provided a space for;
Enhanced interaction among platform organizations
Provides opportunities for joint resource mobilization
Capacity building
Enhanced NGO voice at global level
Globe coordination and enhanced solidarity among the NGO sector.
2.2.6 Social Forum
The Social Forum (SF) was initiated in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001, under the banner “another world is possible.” The overall objective of the SF is to provide an open meeting space where groups and movements of civil society, opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism, and engaged in building a planetary society centred on the human person, come together to pursue reflective thinking, debate ideas democratically, formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. The SF proposes to debate alternative means of building globalisation in solidarity, which respects universal human rights and those of men and women of all nations and our natural environment, and is grounded in democratic international systems and institutions at the service of social justice, equality and the sovereignty of all peoples.
The regional Africa Social Forum (ASF), sub-regional Southern Africa Social Forum (SASF) and national social fora, such as the Zambia Social Forum, were born out of a recognition of the importance of mobilizing diverse views on Africa’s socio-economic and political issues from a wider, more representative constituency prior to editions and engagement at the WSF. Since the first ASF in Bamako in 2002, regional fora have also taken place every two years, with the second and third held in Addis Ababa and Lusaka respectively
ZCSD attach a lot of importance to the Social Forum activities and as such in the second quarter of 2008 it successfully managed to launch the first ever provincial social forums in three provinces of Zambia, namely in Luapula, Southern and Eastern provinces. These forums were undertaken as a build up to the national forum which was held in Lusaka later on in October. ZCSD also facilitated the participation of a number of CSOs in the recently held Southern Africa Social Forum in Swaziland. In addition, ZCSD sent a representative to the Africa Social Forum in Niger.
The social forums have provided an open meeting space where groups and movements of civil society to come together to pursue reflective thinking, debate ideas democratically, formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. Several issues of common concern have been discussed in these social forums including;
CSOs self-regulation
The need for government/citizen consultations before social development deals/loans are sign between government and donors
Need to discourage early marriages in Zambia
How “free” is free education and health care in Zambia
Land issues/ownership, foreign investment and casual labour in the southern Africa region
The Zimbabwe Crisis and what should be done by regional and international governments
Swazi monarchy and the related governance and economic problems and the way forward
In 2009, ZCSD hope to popularize and scale up the provincial social forums, facilitate the organisation of the national social forum, and facilitate participation of its member organizations in both the SASF and the WSF.
2.2.7 The CIVICUS Civil Society Index Project
For sometime now, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) have been implementing (in several countries world wide) the Civil Society Index (CSI), a participatory needs assessment and action planning tool for civil society around the world, with the aim of creating a knowledge base and momentum for civil society strengthening initiatives. The CSI is initiated and implemented by, and for, civil society organizations (CSOs) at the country level, and actively involves, and disseminates its findings, to a broad range of stakeholders, including government, donors, academics and the public at large.
In Zambia, the CSI will be implemented by ZCSD in partnership with and financial support of UNDP. The project has since began and will run for a period of twelve months starting November 2008.
The two primary goals of the CSI are:
To enhance the strength and sustainability of civil society in Zambia, and
To strengthen civil society’s contribution to positive social change.
It is expected that through the CSI process;
Knowledge on the state of civil society state is generated and shared among civil society stakeholders, and
Civil society’s capacity and commitment towards its work is increased
As a way to kick off the CSI in Zambia, one stakeholders’ planning meeting was conducted during the month of December at Protea Hotel in Chisamba. It was attended by a total of nineteen people representing civil society organisations, government, donor community, and individual activist. For details see attached report.
2.3 ZCSD Advocacy and Policy work
The third Key Result Area is focused on building capacity of key CSOs (including youth and women organisations) in the 9 provinces to understand and advocate on key policy issues affecting them; and strengthen ZCSD research, popularization, dissemination and advocacy on relevant policies. The principal expected outputs are:
Key CSOs in the 9 provinces are capacity-built on relevant policy issues
Key CSOs in the 9 provinces are trained in policy advocacy work
Policy advocacy campaigns are jointly implemented with ZCSD and provincial CSOs.
Accessible and relevant information materials on key policy issues researched produced and disseminated.
The following activities were implemented.
2.3.1 PLO Advocacy Programme on NGO BILL
The ZCSD is very committed to providing the PLOs with the necessary capacity and sometimes financial support to enable them effectively participate in various national policy dialogues. During the period under review, the Council gave financial support to PLOs (as earlier pointed out) for advocacy work on the proposed “NGO Bill”. Most of the PLOs successfully held public forums on the NGO Bill through out the country. These Forum gave an opportunity to CSOs in the provinces to participate in the debate on the NGO Bill.
In addition, ZCSD continued the broadcast of a Fifteen minutes (15min) “NGO Bill” sensitization info- documentary that was produced during the second quarter of the year. This was done on Community radio stations operated by the Catholic Church. This documentary is aimed at raising awareness on the NGO Bill at community level. As a result of this programme, a lot more people have acquired knowledge they never had on the Bill. This knowledge is vital for mobilization of mass action in protest against any further action by government towards enacting the proposed bill.
2.3.2 Decentralization Project
The National Decentralization Policy is one of the pillars of the Public Sector Reform Programme (PSRP) which was introduced in 1993. The aim of the PSRP was to improve the quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness of the public services delivery to the people of Zambia. The PSRP has three main components namely Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accounting (PEMFA), Public Service Management (PSM) and Decentralization. Key to the realization of the decentralization policy is the empowerment of all the key stakeholders especially the community through the provision of relevant information on decentralization. However this seems to be one of the challenges facing the implementation of the decentralization process in Zambia.
ZCSD working with MS Zambia, with the support from the Danish Embassy has been conducting a number of activities on the decentralization process. Most of these are targeted at raising awareness among community members in the districts of Kafue, Luangwa and Samfya. The overall goal is to enable all stakeholders to advocate for the speedy implementation of the decentralization programme in all the districts.
The approach to this exercise has been to create an atmosphere where citizens themselves are given the necessary information required to advocate for the implementation of the Decentralization Policy as opposed to CSOs led advocacy efforts. It is generally agreed that government is more likely to take action when the demands are coming from citizens than from CSOs.
People have started engaging government on the Decentralization in some parts of the country where ZCSD’s partners are carrying out awareness raising campaigns. In Luapula for example some traditional leaders have started demanding of government to start implementing the programme.
ZCSD hopes to scale up these advocacy efforts next year and hope to work with at least eight different CSOs in at least four provinces.
Publications of posters, simplified DP and training manuels have been made under this project.
2.4 Internal Capacity Building of ZCSD
The fourth and last Key Result Area of the ZCSD focuses on making ZCSD recognized and known as a credible and independent advocacy Civil Society Organisation amongst the national CSOs, INGOs and Donors as well as ensuring a professional and competent ZCSD Secretariat in terms of staffing, offices and management systems.
The expected principal outputs under this Result Area are:
ZCSD mandate and sphere of work clear amongst national partners, INGOs, Donors and Government
Job descriptions and staff aligned to actual requirements of the Secretariat. ZCSD will recruit and retain qualified personnel and provide conducive operational mechanism necessary for the retention of its board and general membership.
Secretariat installed in new more appropriate and cost effective offices
Efficient management systems in terms of financial procedures, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and member data, in place
As earlier mentioned, ZCSD is in the process of re vitalizing itself. Beginning this year ZCSD has been taking several actions aimed at strengthening its internal capacity. During the period under review the following activities have been conducted in this regard;
2.4.1 ZCSD Human Resources Capacity Building
In order to strengthen its human resources base, ZCSD employed four more members of staff as follows;
(a) New Programmes Coordinator
Mid this year, Mr. Humphrey Sikapizye left ZCSD in order to go and pursue further studies in Europe. ZCSD engaged a new Coordinator, Mr Hanamota Evans. Formerly Mr Hanampota has worked with World Vision Zambia in various positions and with the Finnish Centre for Development (KEPA) as Programmes Officer.
(b) CSI Coordinator.
The Civil Society Index (CSI) is a new project ZCSD will undertake under the supervision of CIVICUS. In November this year, Ms Roselyne Mpundu Mwila was employed as Co-ordinator for the CSI Project. She comes with a lot management experience from one of WWF Conservation project on the Copperbelt where she worked as Project Coordinator. She is on a twelve months contract starting Novemebr.
(c) CSI Project Assistant/Researcher
We have also signed a memorandum of understanding with an American Volunteer Eric Donohue who will work with Roselyne on the CSI Project as Assistant/Researcher.
(d) Administrative Assistant
As the ZCSD secretariat continues to grow, we thought it necessary to employ another person to help with the day to day administrative office activities. Kabaso Bwalya is the new Administrative Assistant at ZCSD. She has worked as a Marketing Executive for some general supplier company within Lusaka. By professional qualification she is a journalist.
All the four new employees are very vibrant and quite focused in their duties. We hope they will continue being so and bring some much needed positive change to the organisation.
(e) There is also need to increase the number of strategic partners. Currently ZCSD has only one strategic partner. This means that there is a narrow resource base and the organization will have difficulties sustaining its programmes once the partnership with MS Zambia comes to an end.
3.0 Conclusion
Overall ZCSD has achieved a lot this year. Clearly a lot has been achieved in response to the new strategic plan. The organisation has the resolve and the determination to fulfill its national mandate (as an umbrella NGO) on behalf of its members. As much as possible, ZCSD has tried to remain responsive to the needs of its members and, also, to the needs of other CSOs in the country. However it’s only fair to admit that the Council’s engagement with government has not been as strong as it was in 2007 especially with regards to the NGO Bill advocacy work. There is genuine need for improvement in this area.
© 2010 Zambia Council for Social Development
All Rights Reserved.
Developed by E Zambia.com