during the constitution making process, we found ourselves caught in between, and our submission was hijacked and it ended up being something else, so there are issues beyond our control”. Conclusion The assessment unearthed the nature and extent of the raids that have been directed at GALZ and its members. The assessment brought out the opaqueness of the raids, which indicates the precarious environment that GALZ is operating under. The attacks at times come directly from the law enforcers and at times ill composed groups of individuals who just take advantage of the prevailing homophobic context. Other raids seem to be orchestrated by people who are well organised, raising speculation that they may be state security agencies working either on official or unofficial capacity, thus making it difficult to find out their intentions. The opaqueness of the raids has served to instil fear in the LGBTI community as they are at the mercy of anyone. Notwithstanding the challenging environment, the organisation has soldiered on and hopes for a better future. The organisation has managed to attract new members as well as retain some old members, though many have distanced themselves. It is also encouraging that some programs are still running and members still access essential services particularly those connected to HIV & AIDS. Despite the challenges they experience, staff members have soldiered on and enjoy doing their work in anticipation of a better future for the LGBTI community in Zimbabwe. 50 An Assessment of the impact of state sanctioned and unsanctioned raids on GALZ premises and gatherings