Reason for formation
Disclaimer: This is guidance to the Advisory Council, Management and Stakeholders of the CITIZENS IN ACTION SOUTHERN AFRICA with respect to its intent in establishing a progressive regional body. Since it is impossible to predict the future with any certainty, the guidance cannot be very specific, but rather gives a general idea of the organizational goals and aspirations.
Why Citizens in Action Southern Africa
The organization was established by a group of human rights defenders coming together in recognition and belief that the organization can make a significant and positive impact in Southern Africa and beyond the region. The CIASA formation was therefore meant to tackle important issues at a scale where it can achieve significant and measurable impacts. The organization’s ability to take risks and make long-term and relatively large commitments allows it to undertake challenges not accessible to many other organizations. This is against the realization that marginalized communities’ women and girls, young people, and persons with disabilities are often left behind in the development processes of several Southern African countries.
CIASA seeks durable change, thus CIASA is a specialized organization that was established as one of the major outcomes of the baseline, needs assessment, and research conducted across Southern Africa. The research was organized in response to the need for solidarity and movement building across Southern Africa, expansion of civic space, lack of proper democratic and economic governance, barriers in accessing comprehensive SRHR integrated with Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) climate change and natural resources governance that primarily affects countries in Southern Africa. The research recommended that an organization should be established immediately to provide training, and oversight, generate scientific knowledge, and think tanks around Southern African communities’ interest in Climate Change, Child Protection, Environmental Sustainability, HIV and AIDs, and democratic and economic governance.
Most low-income developing countries in Southern Africa are characterized by low living standards which is threatening social harmony for citizens especially those in hard-to-reach areas. Despite the global efforts to end poverty through the Sustainable Development Goals, living standards have gotten worse for many communities in African countries. For instance, In Zimbabwe, the breadbasket has increased against extreme poverty for citizens despite the fact that the country is well endowed with natural resources such as minerals, and fertile land. The rich are getting richer given the opaqueness of the economy and the economic privileges created by political patronage. Worse still, inequalities in income and access to social services have been widened through persistent Global pandemics (COVID-19 included) and natural disasters resulting in the poor not accessing such services as SRHR and quality education for all, leaving the marginalised communities vulnerable. Differential access to natural resources has widened the disparity between the elites and those who are wallowing in deep poverty with women and persons with disabilities being the most vulnerable groups. Zimbabwe amongst other African countries is now characterized by perennial labour disputes and industrial actions due to concerns over the welfare of the public service labour force which is largely dominated by women. From a feminist perspective, the provision of water, sanitation, health, education, and other social services remain significantly poor, making it difficult for women to perform their caregiving role.
Exacerbated by COVID-19 pandemic, poverty remains a daunting challenge in many African countries despite the fact that poverty reduction is on the priority list in national, continental, and global development plans. Over the past decade, poverty levels are at unprecedented levels with urban poverty now widespread. Access to basic social services such as water and sanitation, health and education have turned out to be a right into a privilege in both rural and urban areas.
The organization is a non-political non-profit, non-governmental organization formed by human rights defenders with a particular focus on marginalized communities (women and girls, young people and persons with disabilities) The Citizen in Action Southern Africa is there to create and facilitate space for marginalized communities to have a collective voice to challenge oppressive systems and structural barriers and in turn effectively participate in key decision-making processes across the cultural, political, social, environmental, technological and economic spectrum.