1. Liu Lathu Program Report Presented at Mwananchi Partners Meeting; Lusaka Zambia. 9th May, 2012 Lucy Nyirenda Malawi Economic Justice Network

2. Introduction • Program : Liu Lathu (Our Voice) • Goal:Citizens effectively express their views and interests and hold their elected representatives and governments to account for their actions • Purpose: Civil society, media, and elected representatives are better able to understand and support the use of evidence-based approaches to shape policies and practices that meet the interests of citizens

3. Introduction • Strategies: • Strengthening the capacity of citizens to demand performance, accountability and transparency from their elected representatives; • Building/strengthening platforms and capacity for citizens’ participation in decision making, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation; • Strengthening citizens’ capacity to access justice; • Expanding the extent, and improve the quality, of dialogue and interaction among/between civil society, media, and the elected representatives.

4. Contextual Dynamics • Decentralization policy; • Implementation • Challenges in LG offices • Local government elections: no councilors • Political environment • Donors shunning away from working with CSO’s • Nobody wanted to be associated with opposing force • Shrinking civil space for CSO’s • Deteriorating governance situation • Economic challenges • Fuel scarcity • Change of staff at NCO • Change of government

5. Projects Implemented

6. Program status • Grantees implementing second phase of the grants • Started with ten, 2 dropped out • IPRSE • Women’s Rights Lobby Group • Six have received final round • 2 received 1st tranche second phase • Also started implementation of the project 11 Citizen Charter • National Level activities

7. Implementation Status • Output 1:Enhanced dialogue among CSOs, media and elected leaders • National Dialogue meetings • Youth Participation in YEDEF; Secretariat reacted to issues raised • Public debates • Radio Listening Club programs • Village voice recordings • Output 2:Capacity development support aimed at enabling partner organisations to effectively implement interventions under the Programme. • Trainings; Outcome Mapping, Gender mainstreaming, Social accountability tools • Output 3:Transparent and accountable elected representatives • Interface Meetings • Indabas ( stakeholder meetings) • Public debates

8. Implementation Cnt’d • Output 4: Improved citizens’ participation in policy making, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation • Capacity Building for Local Governance Structures (ADC& VDC) • Output 5: Improved citizens’ access to justice • Sensitization and awareness on GBV/ couples counselling (working with victim support unit of police) • Training CBE on various aspects of the law ( CBE used as contacts in the villages) • Reviewed aspects impeding access and enforcement ( GBV & Chabwalo) • In collaboration with magistrates and law commission • Came up with short term solutions while advocating for changes

9. Emerging Impacts • Enhanced capacity of citizens to demand accountability from government as well as elected representatives ( people are now able to voice their concerns to duty bearers) • Voice recording • Interface meetings

10. Emerging Impacts • Improved citizen involvement in decision making processes • Some MPs consulting ADC on development in the area Kasonga area • In Thambani Electricity and Network connection was a result of citizens demands • Media report on Thambani.doc • Improved collaboration between the interlocutors ( grantees) and the duty bearers i.e council officials • Grantees are More inclined towards getting evidence before engaging officials

11. Emerging Impacts • Improved awareness of local leaders and communities on their role in policy processes( campaign on changing some aspects of the law on domestic violence • local leaders ;T/A Mkanda taking a leading role in the movement and providing a lot o support to the process

12. Emerging Impacts • Active involvement of local structures in development processes • ( Photo: VDC and Radio Listening club members monitored construction of these teachers houses from LDF

13. Emerging impacts Cont’d • Improvement in access to justice; • People are now opening up more and seeking justice for issues happening in communities as well as households; • Traditional leaders agreed on solution to one of issues which was impeding access to justice ( Chabwalo ) • Magistrates and police always available to provide guidance • Positive attitude towards women occupying positions in local structures by chiefs: ADC positions being filled by women • T/A Govati encouraged ADC to replace vacant positions with capable women

14. Behaviour Changes on Key Actors • Projects boundary partners: MPs, District Council officials, Media, • Elected Representatives • Started responding positively to interventions in their constituencies; acting on querries • Some have started visiting their constituencies • Stopped working with parallel (political) structures and working with the legitimately set local structures ( ADCs) Zomba;T/A Malemia, Phalombe T/A Kaduya; • Mwanza an MP from neighboring constituency demanded the project from the DC during the DEC meeting • In Phalombe the MP called the grantee to arrange a meeting with them

15. Behavior changes • District council official • They are now more open with information • They are now able to attend to representatives of citizens from local structure with issues;

16. Observed Behavior Changes • DPD in one district used to be very aggressive at first claiming he is not answerable to civil society, shunned out the community members when they came to his office , currently he called the grantee to liaise on the district development plan which the district was developing; one of the community members also highlighted an experience with the DPD initially and current after the intervention

17. Observed Behaviour Changes • Media are making the slowest progress • Some grantees have made good relationship with media • i.e UYO have good relationship with media at all their function and their programs get published and aired. • This contributed to getting the attention of the MPs and government officials to their intervention and brought positive changes • Calling grantees for stories. • Very little pro-activeness in reporting on issues

18. Behavior Changes Observed • Traditional leaders • Very supportive of the interventions • Showing to be more enlightened and taking more centre stage in issues

19. Lessons Learnt • Organisation challenges affected progress and implementation of intervention by grantees ; • 2 dropped grantees and one facing challenges • Use of local structures in interventions bringing more ownership and empowerment • Elected representative in ministerial positions tend to feel more superior to their constituents and are the ones hardest to engage

20. Lessons Learnt Cont’d • Most of the grantees are using volunteers based in the communities as their contact persons which seems to be working well • Issues of low capacity are very visible; information documentation challenges • Community Leadership plays an important role in progress of the intervention • Personal characteristics of people in the set up structure have an influence how much progress is made • Radio Listening clubs and VDC’s

21. Lessons continued • Use of media made a lot more impact on issues and getting attention form some partners like gov’t officials and parliamentarians • YEDEF • Water Points in Phalombe • Gap in linkage between identified issues and follow up with duty bearers ( not much is being done); • One off activities and random visits to project sites • Limited collaboration among CSO’s; • each focusing on achieving their targets

22. Thank you Zikomo