10. Recommendations The recommendations made in the Report are, to a large extent, based on the outcome of the evaluation process, the observations of those interviewed at both national and provincial and local levels as well as international donor partners, social analysts and NGO partners. These include: 1 CIVNET to compile an accurate dossier of statistical information capturing how many participants have been trained in their programme for each year of the Project, in which geographic areas the training took place, how many course participants were men, women and of what ages and what practical changes have happened in the communities where the trainings took place.23 This information could also provide useful data about voting patterns eg in wards that have historically voted for a particular party could be reviewed once the CIVNET training workshops have been held and their voting behaviour tracked once elections have taken place. This study does not have to be done on a national scale but could be limited to certain wards within particular party strongholds. 2 CIVNET to prioritise 2009 as its resource mobilisation year. It is critically important that CIVNET ensure its organisational sustainability and seeks to encourage donor partners to consider establishing a basket fund to provide support for the Citizens Leadership Development Programme as well as the civic education training programme – but on a larger, more intensified scale because with the collapse of most of the social services and government institutions there is a greater need for citizens to understand what is happening and how they can participate in creating alternatives within the current situation. 3 CIVNET negotiating with donor partners to make provision to increase the remuneration for trainers and CIVNET staff in the regions. Their skills are in great demand and they are regularly approached by other non governmental organisations, who are prepared to pay them more than they currently receive from CIVNET. The pool of skilled trainers and experienced human capital is becoming increasingly diminished as the economic meltdown has its effect on Zimbabwe and people migrate to other more stable economies. 4 Once sufficient multiple-year funding has been secured, the organisation to take steps to further institutionalise its national and provincial structures in order to ensure institutional sustainability beyond the Head Office. This to include a review of salaries, a review of job titles, implementing performance assessments, good corporate accounting principles with built-in checks, capacity building in various aspects of organisational administration eg monitoring and evaluation, record keeping, computer skills, financial record keeping etc etc. 5 The Head Office to be the strategic centre of the organisation, that co-ordinates, supervises and ensures good governance at national, provincial and local structures. The provincial and local structures to be effectively empowered and have sufficient capacity to implement the policies and programmes of the organisation. This has to date been done but with more resources these principles could be entrenched into the operational vision of the organisation. 6 To ensure its long term sustainability the organisation to be more outward looking in terms of marketing its intellectual resources and skills and the valuable information that it has gathered over the years from its involvement at grassroots. In some countries large amounts of money are paid for reliable information about what voters think. The same principle could be applied in Zimbabwe where roundtable discussions could be convened where the “voice”, demands, needs and conditions of the people are shared with political parties across the political spectrum, political analysts, local and international journalists and international donors. 23 The statistical information is available in storage but needs to be captured in an accessible manner. THE CIVIC EDUCATION NETWORK TRUST (CIVNET)) IN ZIMBABWE – Sida EVALUATION 2008:51 19