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Context
The organisation has been working for over 15 years primarily in Eastern and Southern Africa on various dimensions of research and training in human development, and with state and civil society. The conditions that demand various forms of community monitoring relate to the role of community knowledge and collective power in building public interest inputs to policy; particularly in contexts of economic and social disparities, exclusion, poor control over productive capacities and resources; disparities in power; limited public resources, liberalised and unaccountable private for profit sector activity and the need to build constructive interaction between civil society and state motivate and create pressures for this kind of work. Yet these are also challenging contexts and conditions!
The pivotal factors in whether these potentially disabling factors become facilitators depends on the communities and their civil society organisations: the leadership, democracy, capacity to support social dialogue and action, their consciousness and perspective and ability to forge trust based and constructive connections with like groups and communities. Linking internationally and regionally, though EQUINET (www.equinetafrica.org), on participatory action research and on community based and equity analysis has strengthened and created networks of solidarity for those involved. |
Area of Work
Zimbabwe, East and Southern Africa Contact Person
Rene Loewenson Barbara Kaim |