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Gender Mainstreaming in ZERO
Although ZERO has always been gender-sensitive in its mission, vision and employment practices, no substantive policy existed on genderising the organisation. This short-coming was addressed during 2001-2002 when ZERO received funding from CIDA-GESP to mainstream gender in the organisation.
The project
addressed the issue of mainstreaming gender into the current
strategic plan and current projects of ZERO, giving staff full
appreciation of the gender elements of the strategic plan and
projects which were being implementation and equipping
staff through the development of aids/tools to ensure that
gender is fully taken into account in future strategic planning
processes and in project implementation. The tools developed out
of this process were fully internalised and extended to close
working partners and the governance of ZERO, the Regional Board.
This was characterised by holding several staff training workshops on mainstreaming gender. The inaugural workshop was the Gender awareness raising training workshop, which was followed by the Gender Analytical Skills Training Workshop. The purpose was basically to expose ZERO staff and partners to gender concepts in a bid to create gender awareness as well as equipping partners with skills to integrate gender during formulation implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects. This culminated in the engenderisation of the ZERO’s mission statement as well as its objectives.
 ZERO
understands that gender mainstreaming means focusing on both women and men and their relationships with each other, land and land resources, and working in a global perspective that allows for and appreciates regional diversity.
ZERO is well aware that mainstreaming gender means creating an enabling working environment that will attract and retain gender sensitive staff. ZERO also recognises the need to analyse and understand the differential roles and responsibilities, relationships, needs and visions for women and men as forming the basis of a gender inclusive development process. Gender equality is a fundamental and integral part of democracy and shall therefore be mainstreamed and promoted.
To confirm ZERO’s commitment to gender, the organisation is currently strengthening links with its traditional partners, both at home and in the region, such as the Zambia Alliance of Women, (ZAW) and Rural Association of Mutual Support Mozambique (ORAM), the Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau (ZWB), Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) and Women and Land Lobby Group
(WLLG).
Results-Based Management
In addition to the gender drive, in 2002 ZERO staff underwent training in Results-Based Management (RBM), a participatory and team-based approach to management that emphasised on results orientation in planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
The focus of the training sessions was on the definition of realistic expected results, based on appropriate analysis; the identification of programme beneficiaries and designing programmes to meet their needs; monitoring progress towards results and resources consumed, with the use of appropriate indicators; and identification and management of risks, while keeping in focus bearing in mind expected results and the necessary resources.
The staff appreciated that RBM can make a difference when results are mutually defined and agreed upon; a participatory approach ensures buy-in, commitment and a common understanding of what the project or programme is trying to achieve; interaction and flexibility allowed project implementers to change strategies during midstream to ensure development results are achieved.
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