Testimony

Sakhile Siwela

Economic and Social Justice

I am a better advocate , I have always been passionate about influencing positive change for women. I have been an activist for most of my life working with several organisations and women’s rights movements and I have been part of our ward executive as a gender secretary. I have also worked as an election observer where I have been particularly monitoring the participation of women in leadership and governance. Working with this project gave me a perspective I did not have before. I now understand key processes that help in my work as an advocate. I am now a ‘mutual advocate’ who has gained a deeper understanding of gender-responsive budgeting, including practical advocacy ideas to promote women’s participation and representation.

Councilor Mzamo Dube

Economic and Social Justice

The project transformed the community by capacitating community members and building their understanding of the importance of citizen participation to ensure the protection of rights, transparency, accountability, equity, self-determination influencing decision-making, effective democratic citizenship, and meaningful dialogue. Before this project started community members would shun community development meetings thinking that they were spaces where politicians would push their individual and partisan agenda. The project raised awareness in Rugare regarding engagement in constructive processes of holding duty-bearers to account for their commitments and helping them to become more effective.

Audrey Manyemwe

Economic and Social Justice

Gender-responsive budgets ensure that the allocation of public resources benefits women and men equally. Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) determines how public funds are spent and who benefits from them. It considers the different needs and contributions of women and men within existing revenues and allocations and calls for adjusting budget policies in a way that contributes to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. The BCC now conducts budget planning for its programmes based on its “targets” which are women. This approach has allowed BCC to better adapt to the needs of its beneficiaries. The BCC Gender Policy explicitly enshrines gender equality and equal representation of women and men in all areas.