Photo:PACT/Rene Hansen
Elizabeth Matare, Director of Zimbabwe National Association for the Mentally Handicapped, speaks at the launch of the Mental Health Advocacy program.
“The USAID program is enabling networking and a high level of understanding of advocacy in Zimbabwe.”
- Member of the Advocacy Panel
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Initiative
During the past five years, USAID has helped to spearhead an effort to strengthen the capacity of fifteen local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to articulate the aspirations of citizens and advocate for favorable policy change through the legislative process – an activity that local organizations had not previously undertaken with the Parliament.
USAID also supported the establishment of a peer panel to assess the performance of CSOs. Comprised of leaders in Zimbabwean civil society, the panel reviews the work of the participating organizations on a yearly basis and makes recommendations on how they can improve their advocacy efforts.
As part of a comprehensive assessment process, the peer panel evaluates the effectiveness of CSO advocacy efforts based on eleven factors, such as the level of resources set aside for advocacy on a particular issue. USAID provides CSOs with training and assistance in response to the peer panel’s recommendations.
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