The League in action globally: a thriving relationship.

"The Beginning of a Long-Lasting Relationship" (The National Voter, January/February 2003) marked the completion of the League's successful 1999-2002 Woman Power Politics: Building Grassroots Democracy in Africa project. As anticipated and reflected in the title of that Voter article, the three-year project was a stepping stone to further LWV projects in Africa. In 2003-04, the League was in Malawi, and in the last quarter of 2005, the LWV embarked on a new two-year project in Kenya.

MALAWI

In September 2003, the League was subcontracted to provide technical assistance to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Malawi for its May 2004 presidential and parliamentary elections. This assistance focused on civic and voter education. The League helped to assess existing civic education and election monitoring materials, determine the process for polling monitor accreditation with the Malawi Electoral Commission, and create a system for reporting by monitors on election day.

To strengthen its expertise, the League partnered with the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK). The Council's chair, Isabella Wanjiku Karanja, was a Kenyan participant in the League's 1999-2002 Woman Power Politics program. The partnership with NCWK was very successful, and received high praise from U.S. authorities in Malawi. The contracting officer of the USAID mission noted that "the combination of [LWVUS] comparative experience together with that of the dynamic Kenyan team ... made a valuable contribution ..."

Although most of the activities were implemented through Malawian NGOs with strong grassroots constituencies, the League played an essential role in facilitating partner coordination meetings. This League activity produced many results, including an agreement for a common monitoring form; a collaborative approach to data collection and analysis; the design of a uniform T-shirt for election day; the purchase of candles and matches; and the design and production of posters, flyers and a common triple self-inking monitoring form for all poll monitors.

Between January and April 2004, a total of 8,558 poll monitors were trained and an estimated 410,440 citizens received civic and voter education!

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KENYA

The League's success in Malawi is followed now by a two-year program (2005-07) funded, after a highly competitive grant process, through the U.S. State Department's Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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This new project, Kenyans Working Together for Good Governance: Civil Society, Government and Members of Parliament, aims to strengthen accountability and openness in Kenyan governmental institutions through an exchange program with Kenyan women and League members.

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The two-year program is designed to foster close interaction among members of these groups who are committed to strengthening democracy by bringing about the changes needed to promote transparency and accountability. Again, the League is partnering with the NCWK for this two-year initiative.

The program consists of two integrated phases and anticipates the beginning of a long-term commitment to the strengthening of democracy and democratic practices in Kenya. Phase I brings eight Kenyans each year to the United States to learn first-hand about the government of the United States, its culture and its participatory democracy. Phase II takes League member-professionals to Kenya where they will work with the participants in Phase I and other Kenyans to foster dialogue about the importance of transparency. The LWV of Greater Tucson, AZ, and the LWV of Wichita-Metro, KS, are the two Leagues chosen from competitive proposals to participate in this program.

The first group of eight Kenyans arrives in April 2006. After a four-day orientation in Washington, DC at the LWVUS office, each group of four participants will visit its assigned League to learn first-hand about the U.S. government, culture and participatory democracy. At a later date, League members will travel to Kenya to foster dialogue, focused on the importance of accountability and government openness, among the Kenyan participants, members of civil society, local elected officials and other activists.

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The Leagues will be working with the Kenyans to develop concrete skills and tools for good governance. Participants will learn to develop efficient policies at the local level, to advocate for accountability and transparency, and to promote effective working relationships between the government and civil society organizations.

The League of Women Voters is committed to global democracy, and Kenyans Working Together for Good Governance is just one of many programs in this sphere as evidenced in the other feature articles in this Voter. And it doesn't stop there. League members who participated in the three-year Woman Power Politics project have continued to build on that initial experience. For example, the LWV of Calvert County, MD, has been sending books to the Zambian town of Arusha. Current Board Member Sarah Diefendorf and others have maintained their League-fostered Africa connection in various ways and even with private trips to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe (see the sidebar). The Africa connection with the League is alive and growing!

RELATED ARTICLE: ZIMBABWE, WE STILL HEAR YOU

When I did my initial training in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 2003, I met women who came from all areas of the country. We worked on a variety of issues including constitutional reform, AIDS, and women in government. I tried to pass on some more basic tools such as fundraising and working with the media. All this work was done against a backdrop of violence, political fear and an imploding economy that continues to suffer under a crippling 100 percent inflation.

Since my visit, legislation has been passed that effectively outlaws nonprofit organizations. Many of the women we worked with are struggling to hold on to their livelihoods, yet somehow manage to maintain a sense of defiance. With each passing year the situation gets more and more difficult in Zimbabwe. Yet the women press on, many imprisoned for their unwavering belief in democracy.

Over the years, some local Leagues have continued their connections to these women, even providing financial support when necessary. This link to the outside world is crucial, not just for the assistance, but because these women need to believe that their story is being heard.

During my visit in September 2005, I learned that a number of organizations were in dire straits, unable to effect change in the face of so much government opposition. However, one group has grown and continues to grow--Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA). Founded by a former League trainee, WOZA is gaining numbers and its voice is being heard. It is vitally important to let the women know that the League hears them, too.

This update on Zimbabwe is by Sarah Diefendorf, member of the LWVUS Board of Directors.

Zaida Arguedas is the LWVUS deputy executive director and LWVEF Global Democracy Program director.