A new study by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) reveals a lack of citizen participation in the budgeting process by the Bulawayo City Council. The study, “A Social Surgery of the Budget Making Process at Local Government Level: Bulawayo City Council in Perspective,” shows that citizens are not involved in the stages of budget […]
Hivos Southern Africa has partnered with the Embassy of Norway to launch the Cultural Fund of Malawi aimed at stimulating the arts and culture sector in Malawi. The launch of the Euro 481,313 cultural fund, which has already attracted many actors in Malawi’s cultural sector, marks the beginning of a new era in the funding […]
Hivos Southern Africa recently conducted a one day workshop to reflect and learn from five years of implementing the second phase of the Dutch government funded co-financing system known as “Medefinancieringsstelsel”, or ‘MFS’, between 2011-2015. Twenty Alliances of Dutch co-funding agencies (CFAs) were awarded €1.9 billion by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NL MoFA) […]
A Hivos Southern Africa-supported citizen media project run by Plumtree Development Trust (PDT) is empowering communities in rural Plumtree to set their own development agendas and influence positive change concerning issues of community interest. Anchored on citizen journalism, citizen media clubs, off-air radio and Bulk SmS platforms, the innovative project has empowered 20 wards from […]
From 2010 to 2015, Hivos was involved in CoCooN (Conflict and Cooperation over Natural Resources in Developing Countries), a WOTRO-financed programme dedicated to finding new ways to end the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. CoCoon brought together scientists, indigenous leaders and environmental activists from several Amazonian countries to conduct research. Participants investigated the legal possibilities […]
On June 16, International Domestic Worker’s Day, Hivos is focussing attention on the range of abuses domestic workers from Southeast Asia face in the Gulf Region every day: non-payment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workloads, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse. Especially now in the month of Ramadan, their working […]
Walking into a room in Uyuni Bolivia and not feeling cold is an unusual experience. With an average June temperature below zero degrees Celsius, the air feels chilly even at massive events. Nevertheless, this 2nd of June, during the forum “Royal Quinoa: Towards a Participative Agenda in Bolivia”, a wave of warmth spread throughout the […]
Waking up to the news of a friend’s death is sadly quite common in Honduras. The chances increase exponentially, however, if this friend dedicated his or her life to the defense of natural resources, human rights or belonged to the LGBTI community. On June 3rd, we faced this reality once more when we learned about […]
Traditional authority is predominant in rural Zimbabwe. It plays a key role in defining rules and regulations that shape citizenship among an estimated 70 per cent of Zimbabwe’s population. However, many of the traditional leaders, like many people in Zimbabwe, have little to no knowledge of the supreme law of the land that was adopted almost three […]
Where would you go if you wanted to link up with people working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Southern Africa? For many years, Hivos has been working on SRHR issues, with a strong focus on people’s rights to (bodily) self-determination, freedom of choice and health. Now there is a space for […]
A renewable energy collaboration with EKOenergy Initiated in 2010, Hivos’ Sumba Iconic Island (SII) project aims not only to provide access to electricity to the 650,000 inhabitants of Sumba Island in Indonesia, but also to reduce reliance on expensive and environmentally harmful fuels such as diesel and kerosene. Although regulations, distribution of authority and geological conditions are […]
Right before dawn on April 26th, Hivos General Director Edwin Huizing put on a pair of colorful glasses and gazed at dozens of people who waited silently in their seats. His intention was to lead them in symbolic time travel to the year 2020. “I have the privilege to take you to the year 2020,” […]