The Education Coalition of Zimbabwe Transforms Advocacy Through Collective Efforts

The EOL grantees in Zimbabwe had a clear vision to build a strong synergy that enhances collaboration and cooperation in the quest for transforming the education sector to provide equitable, inclusive and quality education for all citizens in Zimbabwe.

The aim of the synergy agenda was to reduce duplication of efforts and resources by EOL grantees and to achieve greater impact at scale, to ensure that EOL grantees speak with one, big voice in their education policy advocacy.

This initiative started in 2022, when the Regional Management Unit in Kampala invited key grantees* to Nairobi Kenya to share their work and identify potential areas around which they could work together, complement each other and gain knowledge, skills from each other that could improve the chances of their project success. After the meeting in Nairobi, the Zimbabwe grantees collectively developed a clear synergy plan they could use moving forward.

Collaboration Goals to Strengthen Education in Zimbabwe:

• Upgrading the level of performance 
• Fostering innovation on advocacy engagements such as petitions and policy briefs
• Optimizing resource utilisation through value for money
• Resolving conflicts effectively 
• Increasing adaptability and strengthen engagement among the organization. 

The Education Coalition of Zimbabwe serves as an essential platform for uniting various stakeholders in the pursuit of quality education for all children in Zimbabwe through advocacy efforts aimed at influencing policy-making processes.

When examining the challenges faced by most grantee country teams, a significant issue is the difficulty in operationalizing collaboration. This challenge primarily stems from the limited time available for participants to work across their organizations and form alliances, and further extend these efforts to synergize as grantee portfolios.

Innovative Collaboration: Leveraging Basecamp for Efficient Communication and Policy Advocacy

The teams enhanced their workflow to establish a cost-effective, innovative, and timely communication system for efficient information flow. They sought solutions to make their collaboration more organized, scheduling meeting slots in advance with defined agendas and time limits.

Taking it a step further, the grantees began using Basecamp, a project management and collaboration platform. This allowed them to share project operational plans, manage to-do lists and tasks, and periodically reflect on activities and the education policy environment in the country.

Basecamp was used to share the latest information on policies such as the advocacy around:

• The re-entry of pregnant girls in schools
• Advocacy around the School Financing Policy
• And the Zimbabwe Early Learning Policy 

The Synergy Group functioned as a think tank, sharing strategies and evidence for high-level events. Specifically, EOL grantees contributed to the budget analysis processes and the policy brief, which was subsequently shared with government stakeholders.

This collaboration resulted in a comprehensive, inclusive, and gender-sensitive submission. The national budget includes social service support for education through the Basic Education Assistance Module, which covers levies for vulnerable children, both boys and girls. Additionally, the budget allocates funds for sanitary ware.

Key Achievements in Advocating for the Right to Education in Zimbabwe

The grantee portfolio in Zimbabwe greatly benefited from the collaboration and learning platform established on Basecamp, successfully coordinating synergy and learning from 2022-2023. Notably, EOL Zimbabwe’s synergies in the education sector enhanced inclusivity in learning opportunities while personalizing education experiences for employees. Coordinators from various organizations learned advocacy approaches through dialogue and engagement, thereby driving continuous evidence-based advocacy for the Right to Education in Zimbabwe. 

The results from the synergy 

Policy Advocacy:  The Zimbabwe EOL grantees each have specific areas of focus. The Zimbabwe Network for Early Childhood Development Actors (ZINECDA) concentrates on Early Childhood Development Policies. Meanwhile, the Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR Alliance) and the Adolescent Mothers Education Initiative (AMEI) consortium are dedicated to girls’ educa-tion. Lastly, the Kuyenda Collective focuses on promoting rural youth participation.

“We are proud to say that in the advocacy for the re-entry of pregnant girls in school, all EOL grantees in Zimbabwe came together for round tables to share evidence on the importance of second chance education, which then led to the start-up of the review of safeguarding policies of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.”

-Wadzanayi Chitiga, Acting Programmes Manager, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe.

The topic of gender was cross-cutting, prompting partners to use commemoration days as advoca-cy platforms. For instance, during the International Day of the Girl Child in 2023, the draft guide-lines for the re-entry of pregnant girls, initiated by the Adolescent Mothers Education Initiative Project, were accepted by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for further review.

The International Day of the Girl Child, raises awareness about discrimination and violence against girls, advocates for girls’ empowerment, and promotes their human rights. This initiative emphasized that girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life during their formative years and as they transition into adulthood.

Capacity Building: Thanks to the partnerships within the EOL Zimbabwe grantees, representatives had the opportunity to build capacities in Social Accountability and Monitoring at Rhodes Univer-sity. This was possible through the support from networks within the Kuyenda Collective. The ca-pacity-building coordinator provided training that enhanced the accountability monitoring exper-tise of organizations like Teach for Zimbabwe, which were able to send representatives.

Effective Monitoring and Evaluation: The synergy had a detailed work plan with intended outputs and outcomes. The Basecamp acted as a timeous reminder of deliverables and tasks. This there-fore strengthened the monitoring system within the organization. 

As a team, we consistently evaluate our work through important discussions, always seeking opportunities for enhancement. We aim to maintain a functional Basecamp that will continuously remind us of our tasks and goals. 

- McCloud Mungofa Project Coor-dinator Stimulus Africa 

Currently, the Africa Education Hub, hosted by the Transnational Networks Advocacy Capacity enables members across the country and region to chat, learn, share, and collaborate. This hub serves as a knowledge space where all EOL grantees can share their work and access the latest education information.

Building on the 2022-2023 processes and experiences, EOL grantees in Zimbabwe have developed the 2024/25 synergies workplan. The new synergy plan focuses on collaborative advocacy submis-sions for key regional engagements, joint participation in national education policy review meet-ings and conferences, and unified voices on key education advocacy issues.

Synergies lead to improved performance by allowing organizations to leverage the strengths of each member. For instance, ECOZI invites EOL members to high-level forums such as the Joint Sec-tor Review, meetings with the Minister, and National Joint Monitoring Visits. This synergy not only amplifies the impact of individual organizational initiatives but also creates a sustainable frame-work for continuous improvement in the education sector.

The collaboration among Zimbabwe EOL grantees has been highly effective, leading to significant results through cost-sharing and innovative ideas. Notably, the budget analysis of 2023 produced a policy brief.

New hope for Children in Zimbabwe

The Education Out Loud grantees in Zimbabwe have worked hard for educational transformation. Among the most significant achievements in 2024 are the establishment of the Second Chance Education program for pregnant girls and teenage fathers, launched in September 2024. Addi-tionally, the launch of the Zimbabwe Early Learning Policy in February 2024 has increased the en-rolment of early childhood education children in schools, as the policy considers children from ages 3 to 8.

For the years to come, these grantees will continue to work for the children’s right for a better education. 

“In 2025, we aim to support the  finalization of the School Finance Policy to support the continuity of education for vulnerable children. Completing this policy will ensure that more schools receive School Improvement Grants, leading to the procurement of learning materials and the construction of additional classrooms. Our goal is to ensure that more students are supported to stay in school” 

- Wadzanayi Chitiga, Acting Programmes Manager, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe.
 

*The grantees were OC3, a consortium of organizations supported by EOL and OC1, the National Education Coalitions.