The SIVIO Institute recently hosted a media briefing to officially launch the We Are One — Tiripamwe — Sisonke Fund, a collaborative giving initiative aimed at strengthening support for survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and enhancing the capacity of frontline responder organisations.
The briefing was hosted at Cecilia Business Center in Belgravia on November 27.
The initiative was announced at a time the world is commemorating the international 16 Days of activism against GBV.
Attendees included: Dr Tendai Murisa, executive director of the SIVIO Institute; Caitlin Spence, social development adviser at the British Embassy; Kudakwashe Dizha, interim executive director at Rozaria Memorial Trust; Mable Mukabeta from the Adult Rape Clinic; Abigail Matsvayi, representing the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association; SIVIO staff and members of the media.
The institute notes that GBV statistics have remained high since Covid-19, with numbers particularly rising in Zimbabwe, further noting that one in four women will experience GBV in their lifetime and that the number of organisations responding to these cases is facing a variety of challenges.
Murisa pointed out that reliable funding partners from the Global North, including governments and major organisations like USAID, have cut their expenditure. These cuts have significantly impacted groups responding to GBV issues.
One significant challenge is the ongoing legislative changes affecting the operating environment, including government directives regarding the registration of PVOs.
This has created uncertainty for potential funders and partners of local organisations.
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Murisa made a passionate plea, saying in the majority of instances, close to 65 to 75 percent of GBV response and awareness funding has come from external funders. “But now, with the challenges of funding, we are beginning to ask: is there any way we can mobilise local resources?” Murisa said, referencing the Zanu-PF mantra of nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.
“Is it possible that we can take the same approach to fixing problems in the social space, take the same process of saying that we as Zimbabweans are going to take ownership and begin to fund responses to GBV. We believe that there is a lot that we can do in a collective manner if we all pull resources together,” he said.
The fund is an effort by SIVIO together with some of its partners, including the British embassy, to mitigate these funding challenges. It is Zimbabwe’s first collaborative giving platform focused on ending GBV.
It unites corporate donors and individuals to support more than 15 frontline organisations that run emergency shelters and safe spaces nationwide.
These include Emthonjeni Women’s Forum, Musasa, Rozaria Memorial Trust, the Zimbabwe Association of Church Related Hospitals, the Female Students Network, Deaf Women Included, and the Adult Rape Clinic.
During the briefing, it was noted that some of these organisations are ill equipped lacking essential facilities or food to cater for victims – particularly those with children – who come for psychosocial or emergency care. Furthermore, they often lack funds to ensure that these children can continue their education.
Through the We Are One Fund, SIVIO is pooling together resources that allow both individuals and businesses to contribute to the fund.
The weareonefund.org is an individual giving platform where the organisation is calling upon individuals from all walks of life to contribute as little as US$10 per month towards supporting responses to GBV.
The fund uses a vetted payment platform called PAYNOW, which allows individuals to contribute via mobile money (InnBucks, Telecash, One Money, and Ecocash) as well as Visa cards.
It engages with corporates on one-on-one engagements as a method suited to the significant level of investment sought.
The fund is overseen by a board that includes, among others, Jabulani Ncube (deputy director at Crisis Action), Caitlin Spence (British Embassy), and Dumi Nkala, director of TELCO.
SIVIO Institute is an independent organisation focused on ensuring that citizens are at the centre of processes of socio-economic and policy change.
It aims to contribute towards Africa’s inclusive socio-economic transformation.
