Accountable Democratic Action Through Social Cohesion Semiannual Report

The program aims to increase local and national decision makers' accountability regarding constitutional provisions that protect the urban poor's rights to shelter and basic services. The program focuses on five local authority areas across Zimbabwe, namely, Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Kadoma, and Epworth. The program is managed by the Development Innovations Group (DIG) in collaboration with a local partner and sub-awardee, Dialogue on Shelter Trust (DoS). The program's activities are guided by a Year 1 Annual Work Plan, which was successfully implemented during the reporting period. The program's key activities include community-led documentation and tracking of evictions, establishment of anti-eviction solidarity groups, establishment and strengthening of partnerships with local authorities and the Informal Settlements Network (ISN), and establishment of litigation support for victims of evictions. Under Activity One, the ADA team collaborated with members of the Zimbabwe Homeless People's Federation on community-led documentation and tracking of evictions in 37 selected informal settlements in the five ADA cities. The data on informal settlements and arbitrary evictions from the five target areas is being compiled to create a web-based platform that informal residents can reference for shelter-related constitutional violations when engaging with decision makers. Under Activity Two, the ADA team mobilized communities to establish 74 women-led, anti-eviction solidarity groups in the five target cities. Solidarity groups provide communities with a platform to advocate for their rights to shelter and basic services. The ADA team also mobilized 165 solidarity group leaders, across the 37 selected settlements, who are establishing groups in their communities. Once the solidarity groups were created, the ADA team focused on ensuring its members understood the importance of having a collective voice and of meeting on a regular basis to enhance social cohesion within the community. The ADA team launched Activity Three and Activity Five ahead of schedule. Under Activity Three, the ADA team created partnerships and secured verbal commitments from local and national-level non-governmental organizations (NGO) to collaborate on protecting the shelter rights and human dignity of the urban poor. Under Activity Five, the ADA team provided litigation support to the informal settlement dwellers who decided to take legal action against eviction threats in 4 of the 37 informal settlements. The program's success is attributed to the ADA team's ability to secure the buy-in of the target communities and local authorities. The team's collaboration with the Zimbabwe Homeless People's Federation and other local partners has been instrumental in implementing the program's activities. The program's focus on empowering communities to advocate for their rights to shelter and basic services has been successful in promoting social cohesion and accountability among local and national decision makers. The program's impact is evident in the establishment of 74 anti-eviction solidarity groups and the provision of litigation support to victims of evictions. The program's data collection and tracking of evictions has also been successful in creating a web-based platform that informal residents can reference for shelter-related constitutional violations. The program's success has also been recognized by local and national authorities, who have acknowledged the importance of protecting the rights of the urban poor. The program's future plans include continuing to implement the Year 2 Annual Work Plan, which focuses on scaling up the program's activities and expanding its reach to more informal settlements. The program will also continue to work with local authorities and non-governmental organizations to promote social cohesion and accountability among local and national decision makers. The program's ultimate goal is to create a society where the urban poor have access to basic services and are protected from arbitrary evictions and demolitions.