The high age of consent on average 16-18 years for adolescents and youth to access sexual reproductive health services (SRHS) has proven a barrier to timely interventions in countries across Sub- Saharan Africa. Although a high age of consent is meant to protect adolescents, the data and evidence shows that vulnerability of adolescents and youth to […]
The Zambia Elections Information Centre (ZEIC), a project co-funded by Hivos Southern Africa and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), has been monitoring the electoral process in Zambia. The overall goal of the project is to facilitate effective information management for a credible, peaceful, free and fair 2016 general election in Zambia, taking place […]
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 […]
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 […]