tested in how they practically manage and implement the “action plans” that have been put in place to deal with their most pressing community issues; • Without the support of Swedish Sida it would not have been possible for CIVNET to conduct the training workshops and promote the principles of democracy and democratic development in the remote areas of rural Zimbabwe. Apart from the practical issues that were dealt with by the communities as a result of the workshops, a foundation has been created for further action and mobilisation when required. This would not have been possible without the financial resources provided for the workshops by Sida. The interventions noted above have been verified by the consultant and there is no doubt that there have been improvements and changes to how individuals and communities confront and deal with their situations, albeit on a small scale, at present. These changes however do provide opportunities for social mobilisation at a community/ ward level that will further empower communities to demand services and delivery on promises made by political parties during election periods. In other instances facilitators shared experiences of training outcomes where representatives from the two major parties in Zimbabwe have together participated in the workshops and been able to civilly agree to ground rules on how party supporters can heal their differences and agree on a strategy of peaceful co-existence. According to reports these peace accords have been adhered to, and where historically there had been conflict and general hostility amongst community members because of political allegiance, these citizens are now learning to live with each other and tolerate political and ideological diversity by witnessing first hand how an MDC supporter and ZANU PF supporter are able to settle their differences. Although some of the attitude changing experiences may not necessarily be as a result of a personal experience but could be due to witnessing and observing positive behaviour change in others. This form of role modelling can also have a profound impact on course participants and result in shifts in personal perceptions. There is no doubt that in this culture of fear, ignorance, intolerance and general political repression the CIVNET training programme has provided some hope for the future and has given a confidence, which did not previously exist to the citizens, thereby enabling individuals and community members to take on issues that they would not have been able to in the past. Other indications that demonstrate the impact of the CIVNET programmes is: • That CIVNET’s programmes continue to produce results under the most trying of conditions. According to CIVNET’s annual reports during the period under review 2110 people were trained as trainers (1037 women and 1023 men). For the same period but at ward workshops 126 435 participants were trained of which 66524 were women and 59911 men.17 • That there remains a strong sense of commitment by the community leadership, the CIVNET staff, and the community structures (staffed by mostly volunteers) to continue with their activities despite the increasing repressive and deteriorating economic conditions in the country; • Communities participate in the CIVNET projects and activities with a sense of hope that the conditions will improve and change, especially now that they are able to actively participate in the resolution of their community issues. Their sense of hope is underscored by the fact that they are personally witnessing accumulative and incremental changes in their personal attitudes and behaviour, as well as at a community level; • Elected representatives at provincial, district and local government levels have a more thorough and informed understanding of their roles, functions and responsibilities and are less threatened by the 17 Refer to CIVNET Annual reports for a record of the above statistics THE CIVIC EDUCATION NETWORK TRUST (CIVNET)) IN ZIMBABWE – Sida EVALUATION 2008:51 17