mented politically and decaying economically has its own sets of problems. If the ability to empower citizens is not demonstrated, accompanied by immediate results and instant impact on the quality of their lives, there is the possibility that you can lose the support of the community, as well as the credibility of the training programme and the organisation. However if there are small to medium gains in achieving the goals and objectives set by the community training workshops this goes a long way to engendering confidence and self respect within the community structures and its citizens, and confirms the credibility of CIVNET and its staff working at provincial and ward levels. The community training programme methodology was designed to provide analytical skills (referred to as social analytical skills) to assist course participants understand the causes of and reasons for the difficulties they experience in their communities. The training encouraged dialogue and respectful interaction and engagement between members of the community, as well as the community and the official authorities. These skills imparted to the community participants provided an alternative way of dealing with community disputes and grievances and encouraged insights about how to deal with recalcitrant authorities who were resistant to engage with the communities. Furthermore, the community participants were equipped with the necessary capabilities to ensure that elected officials at provincial, district and ward levels are held accountable for delivering services and for ensuring that all citizens’ issues are treated equitably eg that the basic human rights accorded to all Zimbabweans are provided eg health care, safety and security, food, water and most importantly to uphold the human rights and dignity of each individual within the various communities that are part of their jurisdiction. The CIVNET training methodology is firmly rooted in democratic principles such as dialogue, engagement, transparency and accountability. The philosophical underpinnings of the programme are predicated on a rights-based approach which emphasises the inalienable rights that each human being is entitled to, as encapsulated in the International Declaration of Human Rights and the various SADC treaties and protocols. The assumption is that this crucial rights-based information will inevitably facilitate a shift in thinking and consequently a change in the attitude and behaviour of course participants, the broader community, and those holding public positions. It is further anticipated that public servants and elected representatives will be more accessible and responsive to the needs and rights of the community once they have understood their roles and the functions of central and local government in serving the people. This has been borne out by practical examples cited by members of the communities and course participants. Given that the CIVNET training workshops have as their overall strategic objective the empowerment of citizens in order to participate effectively in holding elected officials and the relevant authorities accountable it therefore goes without saying that the substantive content of the training programmes will inevitably be directed to some of the critical issues identified as strategic to consolidating democracy in Zimbabwe at central and local levels. During Phase One of the Sida Democracy Development Programme (2001–2002) CIVNET identified 2 key themes as pertinent and relevant to that particular political trajectory in Zimbabwe. These were: 1 Voter Education (2001) to prepare the citizens for the 2002 presidential elections 2 Participation (2002)2 training workshops focusing on the importance of participating in elections, as well as participating in the civic life of the community with the emphasis on holding the elected public representatives accountable and responsible for transparent and open governance at provincial, district and ward levels. 2 There was concern expressed by the community and advice provided by the authorities that it would be more expedient for CIVNET to adapt the Education for Participation theme to “Participation”. on Mashonaland Central the secretariat was advised to amend the Participation theme to include an HIV/AIDS component for security reasons. THE CIVIC EDUCATION NETWORK TRUST (CIVNET)) IN ZIMBABWE – Sida EVALUATION 2008:51 7