ECID in Zimbabwe

Where we work

Zimbabwe has endemic problems of marginalisation leading to violations of human rights, exclusion, and limited participation in social, economic and political activities. The most common factors of marginalisation include sex, sex orientation, economic status, occupation, disability, age, health status, geographical location, religious and political affiliation.

Voices of women, girls and people with disabilities are seldom heard due to lack of participation in key decision making spaces, data analysis and presentation, deep rooted prejudice and discrimination.

ECID in Zimbabwe

Women, girls and people with a disability are disproportionately affected in Zimbabwe due to their low social and economic status. We are working to support better collaboration among civil society to effect inclusion and empowerment of these groups in Manicaland and Matebeleland North Provinces of Zimbabwe.

The services which the groups have identified for the programme to prioritise are health, education, social welfare, social protection, economic policies and public finance accountability.

Our approach

We are supporting civil society organisations and marginalised groups to collect and use data about their experiences of accessing services. This can be used as evidence for engaging with government and decision makers about service provision.

The marginalised groups are also being empowered with the skills and knowledge to participate in policy and decision-making processes in order to effectively address their critical needs.

Case study

"Clean water will liberate women and reduce social inequalities"

Faris Davison from Dangamvura is a community reporter for ECID who has reported on water access for women and the dangers they face.

She reported “there is virtually no water provided by the local authority”,  going on to explain that  “residents depend on unprotected shallow wells for water.”  Describing the dangers of this, Faris explained “At the water points, women and girls are abused and some are even molested. Some unscrupulous men claim that the shallow wells belong to them, so women are forced to pay in cash or in kind. Physical fights are the order of the day where women suffer various forms of indignity.”

Following commitments from Mutare City to improve water infrastructure, Faris said. “We really appreciate this initiative by the local authority and the partners for their effort to bringing clean and potable water to residents which will liberate women and reduce social inequalities”

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