MAYA: Empowering Civil Society

From the Blue Community Manica Youth Assembly – MAYA, Zimbabwe:

Civil society grows stronger when laws are understood, voices are heard, and collaboration is intentional. last week , that conversation took place and it mattered.

We successfully convened a Sensitization Workshop on PVO Registration and Compliance with the New Regulations under the project, Strengthening Community-Based Organization’s Compliance with the PVO Amendment Act.

The forum brought together CBOs, CSOs, legal practitioners, representatives from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the NANGO Provincial Office, and other key stakeholders. Together, we unpacked the PVO Amendment Act, explored the Patriotic Bill on civic participation, and discussed practical ways to strengthen collaboration and create an enabling civic environment.

Key discussions focused on:

Understanding the Patriotic Bill’s impact on civic engagement and civil society operations.
Sharing implementation experiences, challenges and emerging concerns
Identifying practical recommendations that support compliance while protecting freedoms of association.

The outcome? Stronger partnerships, clearer understanding, and CBOs better equipped to engage constructively on legal and regulatory issues affecting their work.