Partners Involved: Bantwana Zimbabwe, FACT, Grassroot Soccer, HOSPAZ, Mavambo Trust, ZHI, Zim-TECH
Location: Harare, Zimbabwe
Staff members from multiple partner organizations in Zimbabwe, along with No Means No Worldwide team members, take part in a two day collaborative meeting in Harare, November 2022
In November 2022, staff members from No Means No Worldwide (NMNW) and representatives from 7 different organizations across Zimbabwe were able to come together in person for a 2-day meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe. This officially marked the first “in-country” Partner Network Meeting among No Means No partners. The Zimbabwe partner meeting had 3 main objectives:
To foster relationship building between different implementing partner organizations
To enhance No Means No program quality in Zimbabwe
To plan how partners in Zimbabwe want to collaborate in the future.
There were several key themes and learnings that emerged as a result of the meeting. One of the most important was the importance of stakeholder engagement. Partners identified a list of key stakeholders and shared the importance of securing thorough community engagement for the No Means No program. Partners have experienced that there is a risk of the program being misconstrued as something that radicalizes youth, and for that reason it’s important for all stakeholders— from community leaders to caregivers to teachers— to understand the core purpose of the program.
A second key theme that was discussed was the recruitment and retention of Instructors. Partners discussed the importance of recruiting Instructors from the districts where the program will be implemented. This is important for local sustainability and ownership. Additionally, partners shared the importance of ensuring that their team of Instructors are happy and supported. Instructors are the backbone of the No Means No program, and it’s crucial to maintain a constant flow of communication between the Instructors and partner organization. Additionally, partners shared that it’s important to consider Instructors as program participants before considering them as Instructors. Oftentimes, the No Means No training or curriculum can trigger things in Instructors—past experiences, traumas, etc.—that they need support with. It’s critical that Instructors are supported by a social worker and their organization prior to Instructing others. Bantwana Zimbabwe shared a best practice that they’ve recently piloted: giving lead trainers admin responsibilities as interns within the organization. This allows trainers to explore areas of interest, gain experience, and occupy time when schools are closed or on break.
The final key theme of the meeting was strategizing how to increase sustainability of the No Means No program in Zimbabwe. Partners shared ideas about the best ways to increase local ownership. There was an immense amount of interest in adopting the SKILLZ No Means No curriculum, which adds a sports component to the standard No Means No: Boys curriculum. This interactive boys’ curriculum is currently being piloted in Zimbabwe by Bantwana. Additionally, continuing the Zimbabwe Partner Network was identified as a top priority. In order to increase its effectiveness, partners decided to design a secretariat with a focal person from each partner organization to serve as a representative. This committee will coordinate and work together to engage local stakeholders and government officials, standardize logistics across partner organizations, and provide support to all partners in rolling out the No Means No program across Zimbabwe. The secretariat plans to meet on a quarterly basis in 2023.
No Means No Worldwide launched another country-wide network in Uganda, with the first meeting in January 2023. We hope to continue developing country-wide networks in all regions where we work. Please email Kat Daiss, Director of Partnerships at kdaiss@nmnw.org if you’re interested in building similar engagement regionally, even if there is only one other Implementing Partner (IP) in your region!
