OSISA Conference | Zambia

Apart from my job with the European Union, I have also taken on a three month project with the foundation, Open Society Initiative Southern Africa (OSISA). I got involved with the project through my friend, Kathy, who runs a non-profit in the north of Swaziland and with whom I volunteer. OSISA is part of the Soros Network of Foundations which was founded by George Soros, the philanthropist. The main objective of the foundation is to build and strengthen the values, practices and institutions of open and tolerant democracies throughout Southern Africa. Specifically, OSISA supports advocacy initiatives that seek to enhance public policy and improve the situation of the most marginalized members of Southern African communities. They also support human rights defenders and other actors who seek to bring about social justice, pulling together diverse organizations and institutions, facilitating dialogue between key national players, and providing financial resources to organizations that promote open society ideals. Their efforts are aimed at building the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for transparency, accountability and democratic practice, whilst supporting state actors who show a willingness to be held accountable to their citizens. [For example, OSISA paid for the lawsuit against The Government of the Kindgom of Swaziland when free primary education wasn’t implemented in 2009 as per the Constitution.] One of the current primary initiatives in the field of education is Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) or ‘preschool.’ OSISA is tackling this from a human rights’ perspective and trying to push policies that will increase the existence of ECCD programs as well as access to them. Because this is an area of interest for the foundation, OSISA commissioned 6 Southern African countries to write a report on the state of ECCD in their respective country. Kathy was contracted to write Swaziland’s report and she subcontracted me. So, that’s how I came to be in Zambia for an OSISA Conference!

The conference was more like a ‘mid-point writing retreat’ as each country presented their baseline findings and current drafts for discussion. The majority of the sessions were focused on unifying the different reports through common themes and also by identifying the areas which needed to be supplemented to ensure a cohesive final document. The conference took place in Lusaka, Zambia at a game reserve called, Lilayi. Because we were scooped up from the airport and taken directly to the lodge, I didn’t get to see much of the city itself, apart from the drive. But, to be honest, the countryside looked just like Swaziland and/or South Africa’s Kwazulu Natal providence! Nonetheless, here are a few pictures from my trip…

Lusaka International Airport

Lilayi Game Reserve, Lodge

Pool

My hut

Enormous tree at dusk

Conference room

Rumbidzai from Zimbabwe

The Angola (Sirajo, Juliana, and Doroteia) and Mozambique (Iria) country teams

Views from the shuttle bus

Shopping center

Downtown Lusaka

Bicycles! Very uncommon in Swaziland, yet very common in Lusaka

And to wrap things up, the final draft of our paper is due next week. Then, I will be traveling with Kathy to Mozambique during the first week in September to present our final research at the International OSI Colloquium. I’m very excited to be published…it will be my first time! Stay tuned!