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Talent Chimutambgi Herald Reporter

Action Aid Federation Zimbabwe recently launched its second phase of Strategic Partnership for Agreement in collaboration with various youth organizations with the thrust to promote young people in various facets of life.

SPA 2 will run between 2022 to 2025 with the thrust of strengthening youth advocacy work and improved state accountability to provide climate and green solutions to fight climate change, strengthen adaptation and resilience, to protect and restore nature, the environment and biodiversity.

The event saw Members of Parliament and various Government Ministries were represented including the Ministry Women’s Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Ministry of Youths, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Zimbabwe Youth Council and various government and non-government stakeholders grace the occasion.

Phase 1 of SPA project was implemented in 2018 tilted Youth Organizing in Leadership (YoL) together with other organizations such as National Association of Youth Organizations (NAYO), Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), Citizens Manifesto and Women and Law in Southern Africa Zimbabwe(WLSA).

Speaking during the launch, ActionAid country director Mr Joy Mabenge said the project would be focused on strengthening youth participation in civil, democratic and governance processes for improved state accountability redistribution of resources and improved youth responsive public services.

He said the programme will cascade to district level in order to encompass everyone.

Mr Mabenge said the programme had made significant strides in ensuring the provision of gender-responsive public services, and improved government responsiveness to the demands of citizens.

“We are excited to inform you that the project thus made significant headways along these lines which included creation of an enabling environment for youth participation, some notable improvements in ensuring the provision of gender-responsive public services, and improved government responsiveness to the demands of citizens,” said Mr Mabenge.

“SPA2 which will focus on fighting poverty and inequality, addressing economic needs of the youth.”

“Followed by this National inception which will also be followed by district level inception meetings in the respective districts in which the project will be implemented. These districts are Binga, Chimanimani, Chipinge and Mbire and are considered fragile contexts where there are refugees for instance in Chipinge at Tongogara Refugee Camp, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in all of the various districts due to climate induced disasters,” he said.

ActionAid Zimbabwe have various projects running, in different districts, including Binga and Mbire, under the ZRBF project and Local Rights Programmes promoting resilient livelihoods, agroecology and climate smart agricultural practices towards achieving resilient communities able to withstand shocks resulting from climate change.