DanChurchAid
Zambia
Human Rights Organisations in Zambia
Council of Churches of Zambia (CCZ)
The Council of Churches of Zambia (CCZ) is an ecumenical umbrella organisation of Christian churches which has existed since 1914. DanChurchAid has worked with the organisation since the early 1990s and has supported a number of projects under the HIV/AIDS and Political Space programme types. CCZ has much experience in working with governance, advocacy and Constitutional reform as well as civic education through the churches. CCZ also trains church leaders, e.g. in psychosocial counselling, home based care and HIV/AIDS advocacy. Furthermore, the organisation has established support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS through the Circles of Hope project.
Jesuit Center for Theological Reflections (JCTR)
The Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection (JCTR) is a faith-based organization working in the field of research, education and advocacy on issues linking Christian Faith and social justice. Main issues of concern to JCTR are development, gender equity and empowerment of local communities within justice and peace. The centre seeks to address some of the social, economic and political structural barriers that hinder the poor from obtaining just living conditions. JCTR engages in research on social issues like cost of living, social implications of debt servicing, accessibility of healthcare and education and the integrity of local democracy.
National Legal Aid Clinic for Women (NLACW)
NLACW provides legal services to women, youth and children with legal problems as part of their strategy to improve their overall human rights and legal position. The aim is to protect the rights of women and children and contribute to women’s autonomy through legal representation. The clinic has special interest in meeting the demands of women and children in the area of family and inheritance law. Among the activities of NLACW are litigation with an emphasis on test cases that will bring about changes in the judiciary and enhance amendments to the law, advocacy for law reform and workshops for rural communities on aspects of human rights.
Southern African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Conflicts (SACCORD)
SACCORD was established in 1992, and DanChurchAid has worked with the organisation since 2005. SACCORD works within civic education, respect for human rights, constitutionalism and good governance and is considered one of the strongest civil society organizations in these areas. The partner brings extensive experience in advocating for legal and policy reforms that empower the marginalised and discriminated groups in the local community. The organisation advocates for improved responsiveness from the government and its institutions and for improved administrative frameworks, particularly in relation to the Constitution and the electoral system.
Women for Change (WfC)
Women for Change (WfC) is a Zambian NGO. It was established in 1992 and has since then worked towards empowering remote rural communities, especially women, through gender analysis, popular education methodologies and advocacy in order to contribute towards the eradication of poverty. DanChurchAid has supported the social and economic empowerment programme of WfC since 1999. WfC has strong advocacy and human rights education components in its activities which aim at promoting and supporting gender sensitivity and human rights activism at community, institutional and national level. WfC has proved to be a strong partner in advocacy and plays an important role in the capacity building of other partners within the area of advocacy.
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA)
WLSA is part of a regional organisation with offices in seven countries in the Southern African region. It was established in 1989 with the aim of responding to the social, economic and legal needs of women. WLSA seeks to instill human rights standards in the traditional courts and to popularize information related to women’s rights in the current Constitution. The organisation trains women and women’s groups on their rights and duties, works with awareness raising, research and development of new methodologies to the study of gender and law as well as advocacy activities for legal reforms.
Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR)
DanChurchAid has supported Civil Society for Poverty Reduction (CSPR) since 2005. CSPR is a civil society network of over 100 organizations that came together in October 2000 with the main objective of ensuring that civil society participated in the formulation of Zambia's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). CSPR is widely known for working from a rights perspective and is considered a strong partner under the Political Space programme. CSPR coordinates civil society’s monitoring of policies and activities aimed at poverty eradication. As a membership organization, its outreach potential throughout Zambia is notable. The organization has strong advocacy skills and works with human rights and gender. Many of DanChurchAid’s partners are part of the network, including WfC and SACCORD.
Zambia National Women's Lobby (ZNWL)
Zambia National Women's Lobby (ZNWL) was formed in 1991 and is composed of a number of women's NGOs. Its main objective is to increase women’s participation and equal representation at all levels of decision-making as leadership in Zambia continues to be male dominated. ZNWL is involved in networking and is a resource base for information and policies about women. It also lobbies the Executive and informs the electorate about women’s issues. ZNWL also works to increase women’s participation at local government level and has carried out training and public awareness campaigns on the importance of getting women involved in decision-making within their local communities.
Zambia
