2021-2025 STRATEGYfin - Gender Links

Gender Links (GL) is a leading Southern African Women's RightsOrganisation whose work has been widely acclaimed across thecontinent. Two times winner of the Mail and Guardian “Investing inthe Future Award”, GL has also received Top Women, Drivers of Changeand African Union awards for its outstanding contribution to advancingwomen's rights in this sub-region.

Formed in March 2001, GL is headquartered in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica, with offices in ten Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries,including a Lusophone base in Mozambique and Francophone base in Madagascar.

Described in an evaluation as a “small organisation with a large footprint,” GL has a webof close to 600 partners with whom it works to promote gender equality. At the policy level,GL coordinates the Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance that campaigned for theadoption of this unique instrument in 2008 that brings together global and internationalcommitments to gender equality. In 2016, SADC updated the Protocol to align it to theSustainable Development Goals. The Alliance has four theme clusters: Sexual andReproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) including gender violence; Women's PoliticalParticipation; Economic and Climate Justice. GL and Alliance partners produce an annual#VoiceandChoice Barometer tracking progress towards attaining gender equality in SADC.

In its gender and governance programme GL spearheads the 50/50 campaign in theregion. GL has played a key role in putting gender on the local government agenda in tenSADC countries through 432 councils that have joined the Centres of Excellence for Genderin Local Government. This includes gender responsive budgeting and service delivery, withnew areas like SRHR and Climate Justice enriching this model. The councils cover a populationof 40 million people or 34% of the population in the ten countries where they are found.

Pioneering work on the Sixteen Days of Activism campaign in the gender justice programmehas expanded to include 365 day action plans to end gender violence. GL has pioneeredtools for measuring gender violence tested in seven SADC countries, and used to strengthen365 day National and Local Action Plans for Ending Gender Violence.

GL has worked with 2000 survivors of gender violence to reclaim their lives throughentrepreneurship training linked to local economic development. The programme isanchored by councils that provide support, mentorship, access to finance and infrastructure.An assessment of the pilot phase of this project in 2015 showed that 85% of participantssaid they now experience less or much less GBV. Rebranded the Sunrise Campaign becauseof the fresh start and new hope that this has given participants, GL has mounted a globalcampaign to raise funds for sustainable solutions to GBV that change lives and deliveragency.

In twenty years of visionary work GL has reached over 200,000 direct beneficiaries. Ananalysis of the Drivers of Change stories collected this period showed that 65% of womensaid they had become more aware of their rights; an even higher percentage (73%) saidthey now had greater confidence; 52% said they could claim their rights and 49% hadimproved their self- image.

As founding chair of the Global Alliance on Gender and the Media (GAMAG), GL is aglobal and regional thought leader on gender and the media. GL works with 108 Centresof Excellence for Gender in the Media, including twelve public broadcasters and 11 mediatraining institutions that have opted to become Centres of Excellence for Gender in MediaEducation.

GL's visionary Sustainability Hub formally launched in 2021includes two social entrepreneurship units - GL Services andGL Cottages - that contribute to the GL Future Fund. The hub

also houses the Grant Making Unit that manages the Global Affairs Canada Women Voiceand Leadership Fund in South Africa. The hub is also establishing a Fund Raising Unit.

Find out more about GL's Twenty Years of Service:https://genderlinks.org.za/about-us/who-we-are/gl20/

CONTENTS

PART ONE - INTRODUCTION

Foreword

Executive Summary

Context

PART TWO - SIX GOALS FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

1 Policy and movement building

2 SRHR

3 Gender and media

4 50/50

5 Local action for Gender Justice

6 Gender and climate justice

PART THREE - SIX GOALS FOR INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

1 Sustainability

2 Results for change

3 Communicating results

4 Investing in people

5 Good governance

6 Sound financial management, value for money

AnnexesA SWOT

B Institutional score card

2

5

14

20

23

26

30

35

38

42

47

50

53

56

58

60

62

SurviveSecureStabilise

ReplenishRenewRegenerate

People

NaturalresourcesFinances

EndureOutlive

Ideas -conceptual

capitalPhysicalassets

Work,programmes

FORE

WO

RDWhen we started workingon this strategy in 2020,we had no idea that itwould turn out to be ayear like no other. By April2020, every one of the

ten Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC) countries in whichGL has offices had gone into lock downas the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Noneof us could predict, and we are stillunsure, what the “new normal” wouldlook like.

The silver lining to this dark cloud is thatless travel and more time with our familiesgave us the space to reflect. We drewon all the strengths that have made GLthe resilient organisation that it is today.Making IT work for Gender Justice has

been a GL slogan from inception in 2001.GL and partners pivoted quickly toworking from home. Strong teamsinternally and externally made it possiblefor human warmth and support to betransmitted through cyber space. Wetook giant leaps, learning to let go andtrusting those on the ground to do someof the work we used to deliver directly.

At its virtual meetings in November 2020and May 2021 the GL Board revisitedand honed the sustainability model thatis at the heart of this strategy. We striveto create an organisation that willendure and outlive all of us. In toughtimes, such as the ones we are goingthrough, we survive, secure and stabilise,while making sure that we replenish,renew and regenerate.

People are at the centre of who we are;what we do and the change we seekto bring about. We are able to createmultiplier effects because of the web ofpartnerships that we have across theSADC region. Our diverse board, staffand alumni carry the GL flag throughgood and bad times. We came togetheras the GL family for a virtual 20th

anniversary celebration on 17 March2021. This event also witnessed aleadership handover from our foundingCEO Colleen Lowe Morna, to our newExecutive Director Kubi Rama. We aredelighted that Colleen remains asSpecial Advisor to out new SustainabilityHub. This is an example of regenerationand renewal.

Page 2 2021 - 2025 STRATEGY

GL SUSTAINABILITY MODEL

2021 - 2025 STRATEGY Page 3

Finance will always be necessary forsustainability. After the crushing fundingcrisis we experienced in 2017, I am happyto report that GL is clawing its way backto 2015 funding levels, even during apandemic. True to out slogan - “don'tget angry, get smart” we are establishinga Fund Raising Unit as part of theSustainability Hub which is also taskedwith seeking out new funding streams.Grant Management represents excitingnew possibilities for GL. After many yearsof campaigning for funding for women'srights in the global south, we arepositioning ourselves to be an inter-mediary for such funds to reach smallerorganisations. This is a true coming ofage.

None of this is possible without ideas,and conceptual capital, the one areathat invariably suffers during crises. The2021 -2025 Strategy presets six goals forwomen's rights that we pursue in ourProgramme work (policy and movementbuilding; SRHR; gender and the media;women's political participation; localaction for gender justice; gender andclimate justice). It also presents six

strategies for building an effectiveinstitution (sustainability; results forchange; communicating results;investing in people; good governance;sound financial management and valuefor money). Preserving our planet is across cutting theme in our work andpractice. If COVID-19 has taught usanything it should be not to wait for thenext pandemic - climate change -before taking action.

On behalf of the GL Board, I would liketo extend our heartfelt appreciation toAmplify Change and the United NationsTrust Fund that supported the develop-ment of this strategy; as well as ourpartners who helped us draw up thisroad map in the uncertain haze of apandemic. As the African proverb goes:if you want to walk fast go alone; if youwant to walk far, go together!

Aluta continua!

Emily BrownGL Chairperson


EXEC

UTI

VE

SUM

MA

RY

This strategy provides a roadmap forGender Links as it navigates its waythrough the COVID-19 pandemic insearch of an inclusive, equal and justsociety in which women and girls in alltheir diversities exercise their voice andchoice in accordance with the SADCProtocol on Gender and Developmentand related regional, continental andglobal instruments. Crafted against thebitter-sweet backdrop of a pandemicand our twentieth anniversary, the 2021-2025 strategy presents a radical re-thinking of GL's work and ways ofworking. It is a testament to our stubbornhope even in the worst of times.

COVID-19 and women's rights

Like the HIV and AIDSpandemic before it, theCOVID-19 pandemic has

brought into sharp focus thegender fissures in Southern Africansociety. At the time of writing, over threemillion people had been infected bythe virus in Southern Africa, 75% of thesein South Africa. Unlike the rest of theworld, where men constitute the majorityof those infected and those who diefrom the infection, in South Africa andEswatini the opposite is true. The dearthof sex disaggregated data in othercountries makes it difficult to assess whatthe status is across the region. What isnot in dispute is that as in any otheremergency, women constitute themajority of those affected.

Women comprise the vast majority offrontline health workers1, those per-forming unpaid care-work in the home,and those in precarious work, includingthe informal sector, sex workers, domesticworkers and migrant workers who losttheir livelihoods because of hard lock-

downs that restricted movement ofpeople. Women are also the majority ofthose in the retail, food service, andhospitality, some of the industries facingthe most widespread business closures.2

SRHR services are under threat. Thelockdown restrictions have once againhighlighted the crisis of gender-basedviolence, particularly intimate partnerviolence that South Africa's PresidentCyril Ramaphosa has referred to as the“twin” pandemic that compromiseseven further women's lack of #VoiceandChoice.

Yet less than 10% of citizens in the regionhave been vaccinated. On 9 August,Women's Day in South Africa, partnersin the Women's Voice and Leadership(WVL) fund managed by GL petitionedthe president to speed up vaccine rollout. On 17 August, SADC day, partnersin the Southern African Gender ProtocolAlliance petitioned Heads of State toprovide sex disaggregated data onvaccine roll out under the hashtag#VaccineGenderJustice.

GL's VISION

Over the last twenty years,GL's vision has evolvedincrementally from a

region in which women and men areable to realise their full potential andparticipate equally in all aspects of

W

omen’s rights

inth

e

tim e of C OVID-1

9

1 https://www.who.int/news/item/03-05-2021-expanding-reach-addressing-gender-barriers-in-covid-19-vaccine-rollout2 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13545701.2021.1876906

#VaccineGenderJustice

public and private life in accordancewith the SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment to its current vision. Keychanges include:• The emphasis on diversity and inclusion,

in accordance with the SDG mantra,“leave no one behind.”

• The specific focus on women and girls.While GL remains committed toworking with men and boys whoconstitute about one third of directbeneficiaries, our African feminismpolicy brief concluded that we needto be unequivocal about our primarytarget.

• The change of “full potential” to “voiceand choice” in the public and privatespace, in accordance with the#VoiceandChoice slogan adopted bythe Southern African Gender ProtocolAlliance in 2018.

• Broadening our normative frameworkfrom the SADC Protocol on Genderand Development to include relatedregional, continental and global instru-ments that may go further than thissub-regional instrument. An exampleis the SADC SRHR strategy that is bolderthan the SADC Gender Protocol onSRHR.

As part of developing this strategy GLundertook a Strengths, Weaknesses,Threats and Opportunities (SWOT)analysis (see Annex A). This draws fromcomments made by staff and Board inthe 2020 Organisational DevelopmentScore (Annex B) and focus groupdiscussions at the regional SADCProtocol@Work summit in March 2021,followed by GL@20 celebrations. Keyfindings are summarised below:

GL's strengths• A strong well recognised

brand reaching from local tonational to regional to globallevel, anchored in SADC by dynamiccountry offices.

• Strong strategic partnerships with civilsociety, local authorities, community

based organisations, faith basedorganisations, government and theprivate sector.

• A visionary programme of action thathas put gender on the agenda of themedia and local government in SADC;popularised the 50/50 and Sixteen Daysof Activism campaigns and evolvedinto a far reaching “Voice and Choice”Campaign encompassing SRHR; themedia; women's political participationand climate justice.

• A focus from the outset on sustainabilitywhich has helped the organisation toweather many storms and has nowevolved into a novel Sustainability Hubthat includes income generating units;a Fund Raising Unit and a GrantManagement Unit.

• A strong institutional base underpinnedby a diverse community of staff,associates, service providers andpartners; a commitment to “Making ITwork for Gender Justice” robustgovernance; policies; an integrity andcompliance unit; results for change -monitoring, evaluation, innovation,learning, knowledge creation andmanagement unit; a communicationfor social change unit; sound financialmanagement based on Value forMoney.

GL's challenges• A huge agenda and

reach with many inter-connected threads that need to bebetter focused to ensure real impact.

• Learning to let go and trusting partnersto take ownership.

• Capacity and financial constraints ofpartners to take over; this is especiallytrue of the Centres of Excellence forGender in Local Government andmedia institutions hit both by theCOVID-19 pandemic and rapidlychanging realities as a result of digitaltechnology.

• Backlash and push back on sensitivesubjects such as LGBTIQ, sex work andsafe abortion.



• Shrinking civic space in some countriesof the region, for example Eswatini.

• The COVID-19 pandemic has puttremendous stress on staff and partners,even as creative solutions are continu-ously sought.

• The full impact of COVID-19 on fundingfor visionary advocacy work is likely tobe felt in the period of this strategy. GLis bracing for potential funding cutsjust as the organisation had started tomake a steady recovery after severecuts in 2017.

GL's goalsAgainst this backdrop GL hasformulated six goals for women'srights that the organisation will seeks tocontribute to; and six goals to improveinstitutional effectiveness. The lattermainly focus on Gender Links' internalcapacity, extended to partners throughthe Grant Making Unit (GMU) that wehope to expand significantly during thisperiod. Institutional strengthening ofgrantees will form a strong componentof all on-granting activities.

Ta

ble

I: G

L's

VIS

ION

AN

D G

OA

LS 2

021

to 2

025

An inclusive, equal and just society in which women and girls in all their diversities exercise their voice and choice inaccordance with the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development and related regional, continental and globalinstruments.

GOALS -Women's rights

1Policy andmovement

building

2SRHR

3Gender and

Media

450/50

5Local Action forGender Justice

6Gender and

climate justice

A strong SouthernAfrican women'smovement advo-cating for#VoiceandChoiceand holdinggovernment toaccount for global,African andregionalcommitments.

Women and girlsexercise#VoiceandChoiceover their bodiesthrough the fullattainment ofSexual andReproductiveHealth for all.

Gender equality inand through themedia giveswomen equal#Voice as citizens.

Women and girlsexercise equal andeffective#VoiceandChoicein the public spherethrough theirparticipation inpolitics anddecision-making.

Gender responsivelocal governmentenhances#VoiceandChoicefor women, girlsand youth inmarginalcommunities.

Halt thecataclysmicdestruction of theplanet throughinnovative linksbetween genderand climate justicein our work andpractice.

VISION

Southern Africa

Gender Protocol Alli

ance

Gen

de r&

M edia

50/5

0EQ

UAL PARTICIPATION

IND

ECISION-MAKING

LOCA

LA

CTION FOR GENDER JUSTICE

GOALS -Institutional

Effectiveness

1Sustainability

2Results forchange

3Communicating

results

4Investing in

people

5Good

governance

6Sound financialmanagment,

value for money

A strong andsustainableorganisation thatincludes a fundraising unit; grantmaking andincome generatingcapabilities.

A robust andtransparent systemand processes forplanning, moni-toring, evaluation,learning, innovation,knowledgemanagement andsharing.

Making IT work forgender justicethrough “fit forpurpose” use ofdigital technologiesto give visibility tothe work of partnersand beneficiaries.

Engaged, capablestaff, partners, andassociates with themotivation, facilitiesand tools to deliverhigh quality work.

Strong, continuouslyupdated policiesand practicesoverseen by adiverse, compliantand accountablegovernancestructure

Strong andcompliant financialpolicies, systemsand practices thatresult in zerotolerance forcorruption as well asValue for Money.


Priority actions

Women's Rights - #VoiceandChoice1. Policy and movement building: As

secretariat to the Southern AfricaGender Protocol Alliance GL will co-ordinate evidence gathering for theannual #VoiceandChoice Barometerto benchmark progress against keynormative frameworks. While theCOVID-19 pandemic persists, theAlliance will drive the #VaccineGenderJustice campaign. GL willsupport all the #VoiceandChoicetheme clusters in conducting effectivecampaigns including throughresource mobilisation. GL will facilitateglobal linkages through its co-leadership of the UN Women ActionCoalition 6 - Feminist MovementBuilding.

2. SRHR: The #Voiceand Choice SRHRcampaign will hone in on four areasthat have gained traction over thelast three years: Adolescent SRHR,teenage pregnancies, and safe abor-tion and child marriages, lobbying forprogressive policies and laws, attitudeand behavior changes.

3. Gender and Media: The #VoiceandChoice media programme will usethe results of the Gender and MediaProgress Study to lobby for genderequality in and through the media.Results relating to specific themessuch as SRHR and Women's PoliticalParticipation will be used to highlightwomen's lack of voice in public andprivate spaces. GL will make effectivelinks between the media and all itsprogrammes.

4. 50/50: Women's equal and effectiveparticipation in decision-making: The#VoiceandChoice Gender andGovernance Programme will use thegender audits of elections nowconducted for all SADC countries, GLwork with its country offices andAlliance partners to develop strategic50/50 campaigns linked to upcomingelections. In Zimbabwe, GL will build

on its successful campaign for aquota for women in local to ensurethat this is implemented in the 2023elections. Similar campaigns will bedesigned around the several electionstaking pace in 2024. GL will continueto spotlight its niche area - localgovernment - in gathering andpublicising data.

5. Local Action for Gender Justice: Inthis second sustainability phase of theCentres of Excellence (COE) forGender in Local GovernmentProgramme that first involved tenstages to become a COE, GL will workwith the more experienced “hub”councils to mentor neighboring“spoke” councils. GL will work withthe COE's on the SRHR, 50/50, Genderand Climate Justice and otherprogrammes. GL will train the “hub”councils in running the SunriseCampaign, Empower Women, EndViolence, making the link betweeneconomic empowerment andsustainable solutions to genderviolence.

6. Gender and climate justice: GL andAlliance partners will design a seriesof campaigns linked to the 2021#VoiceandChoice Barometer thatdraws links between the COVID-19pandemic and the climate changecrisis. These campaigns will run atregional, national and local level.

Institutional effectiveness1. Sustainability: GL will invest in

developing state of the art systemsfor grant seeking and grant making,integrated as far as possible with itsnew financial system. The Fund RaisingUnit (FRU) wi l l research newopportunities; track performance;help to target more effectively andt ra in managers . The GrantsManagement Unit will seek out newopportunit ies to serve as anintermediary. GL Services offerings(research, gender audits; training andproductions) will be streamlined to

ensure that efforts are focused onincome generating activities thatleverage off GL's wealth of know-ledge (“turning a wealth of know-ledge into wealth” to quote oneexternal evaluator). GL Cottages andConferencing wil l continue todevelop new strategies to surviveduring the pandemic. GL will seek totriple investments in its endowmentfund, the GL Future Fund, to reachthe $3million target.

2. Results for change: GL will streamlineexisting surveys and invest in dataverification and cleaning to enhancemonitoring, evaluation, innovation,knowledge creation and learning. Aspart of GL's Transparency Policy, GLwill regularly update all data on theInternational Aid TransparencyInitiative (IATI) portal and invest furtherin data visualisation.

3. Communicating results: All researchwill be packaged in multi- mediaformats compatible with social media.GL will improve use of communicationanalytics tools to target specificaudiences and gather feedback.

4. Investing in people: GL will continueto improve its online HR Managementsystem and training tools. GL willfacilitate COVID-19 vaccinations forstaff and partners so that face to faceengagements can resume.

5. Good governance: GL will review allits policies to standardise them andensure compliance with the laws ofall the countries we work in. TheCOVID-19 and Green Office policywill be updated in line with the

evolving context. These and the ZeroTolerance for Corruption policies willform part of staff, partner and granteecontracts. Staff and partners will betrained in all policies and theirapplication. The Compliance Unit willcontinuously update and monitor thecompliance register as part of riskmitigation. The GL Association andBoard will be continuously renewedin accordance with the Memoran-dum of Incorporation and trained incorporate governance.

6. Sound financial management, valuefor money: GL will complete its movefrom Sage Pastel to Sage Intacct, aplatform more conducive to NGOfinance with multiple donors andoperating in multiple currencies. GLwill include grantees as users and trainthem in the new system. GL willfacilitate grantee access to Sage Oneat reduced cost through an arrange-ment reached with the SageFoundation as part of their institutionalstrengthening. GL will include valuefor money (economy, efficiency,effectiveness and equity) in itsprocurement, finance monitoring andevaluation. Staff and partners will betrained on VFM using the manualdeveloped by GL for its work.

Table II overleaf presents fifty indicatorsthat GL will use to measure progress. PerGL's Planning, Monitoring and EvaluationFramework, they include impact,outcome, output, outreach and processindicators. These are derived from avariety of sources including:


ImpactOutcomeOutreachOutput

SADC Gender and Development IndexGender and local government scoreWebsite hitsNo of participants (Men/Women/Other)

Communicationanalytics

GL workshoptracking

Type ofindicator Barometer GL toolExample

In addition, GL has several qualitative tools that are used to measure change. Theseinclude “I” Stories or first-hand accounts; the GL annual learning journey written bystaff; Drivers of Change profiles; Most Significant Results stories, institutional profiles andSADC Protocol@Work case studies.

Indicator

SADC Gender andDevelopment Index

SADC Citizen ScoreCard

Gender attitude score(regional)

GL overall ODS scoreGL legitimacy ODSscore

GL Programme scoreODS

No of Alliance MOUs

No of summit casestudies

% green SRHR scores inthe 12 indicators of theSADC SRHR strategymeasured in the#VoiceandChoiceBarometerNo GBV survivorstrainedentrepreneurship% experiencing lessviolence

64%

55%

59%(2012)

83%89%

89%

22

742 (2013)

68%

67%

64%

82%80%

85%

24

1836

1350

85%

66%

60%

61%

87%91%

92%

19

2694

26%

660

87%

70%

65%

65%

90%91%

92%

35

3974

33%

2000

89%

Lobbying and advocacy efforts will result in legislative andpolicy changes across the region particularly in relation toquotas for the representation of women in political decisionmaking; Adolescent SRHR; safe abortion and child marriage.This will increase the country and regional scores in the SGDI.GL will work with partners to popularise changes policy andlegislative framework that will result in increased genderresponsive governance.Based on the analysis of the Gender attitudes score in 2020GL will be embarking on targeted campaigns to changegender attitudes.GL will strive to retain a consistent and robust ODS.The 11 percentage point increase in this ODS score from2015 to 2020 reflects the updating of GL's vision post 2015.

The 7 percentage point increase in this ODS score from 2015to 2020 reflects the consolidation of GL programmes underthe umbrella of the #VoiceandChoice campaign.

An increase of 16 MOUs with Young Women's Organisationsin 16 countries.This is an increase of 1280 case studies over five yearscomprising two Summits with an average of 40 case studiesper country x 16 countries per Summit.

In 2020, the percentage yellow scores (showing promise)is 37%. Ongoing lobbying and advocacy on key SRHRconcerns such as adolescent SRHR, safe abortion, teenagepregnancy and child marriage will result in some countriesprogressing from yellow to green in relation to the 12indicators.As Centres of Excellence for Gender in Local Governmenttake on ownership of the programme the number of womentrained will be increased.It is heartening to see the high proportion of womenexperiencing less violence; this must be retained andimproved.

2005 2010 2015 2020 2025(Projected) Notes

Indicators linked to our vision and the overall impact of our work

Indicators linked to our work

Policy and Movement Building

Voice and Choice - Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Table

II: Fi

fty in

dicat

ors t

hat w

ill be

used

by G

ende

r Link

s to m

easu

re ch

ange

2021

to 20

25

p gviolence

No of summit SRHRcase studies

No of SRHR news stories

% women sources inthe news% women in mediamanagement

% women inparliament% women in local gvt

% women in cabinet

No of local gvt COE's

No of COE hubs

Proportion ofpopulation coveredGender in local gvtScore (regional)

GL ODS ScoresustainabilityFunding in dollars

Total no of donorsSmallest grant (dollars)Largest grant (dollars)Sub granting amount(dollars)No of sub grants

17%

25%

30%

21%

845 239

175141

132 586

77(2013)

19%

27%

25%

24%

23%

350

18%

89%3 962 668

121708

1 557 501

152

20%

34%

27%

22%

24%

432

34%

66%

85%4 968 739

213 878

1 530 755

489

169

21%

34%

29%

20%

29%

380

73

43%

67%

92%3 314 737

34739

970 904388 539

60

1129

250

30%

40%

35%

30%

35%

300

100

18%

70%

92%4 000 000

205 000

2 000 0001 000 000

80

g g p pexperiencing less violence; this must be retained andimproved.This is an increase of 640 case studies over five yearscomprising two Summits with an average of 20 SRHR casestudies per country x 16 countries per Summit.As more media practitioners are trained in SRHR coveragethe quantity and quality of coverage should improve.

The slow pace over 15 years needs to be acceleratedthrough concerted advocacy.Increasing the proportion of women in media managementin Southern Africa is an achievable target.

The slow pace over 15 years needs to be acceleratedthrough concerted advocacy.The regression is partly a reflection of better data collectionin more recent years but is worrying and requires urgentaction.Although the pace is slow there is steady progression. Thisis an area in which rapid change is possible.

This is an area for consolidation, following an initial broadbrush approach. 100 “hubs” will each target an average ofat least two “spokes” bringing the number of active COEsto 300.The COEs will cover a lower proportion of the populationbut deliver greater impact.With greater focus the quality of services delivered willimprove.

The creation of the GL Sustainability Hub has created highexpectations that need to be sustained.GL is clawing its way back to 2015 funding levels; this willneed to be sustained.GL will seek to reduce the number of funders; increase thelarger grants and reduce the number of small grants thatadd to the administrative burden.Currently GL is managing one fund for GAC (Women Voiceand Leadership). The number of grants and amount wouldincrease with the AC Partnership and other grants.

Voice and Choice - Gender equality in and through the media

Voice and Choice - 50/50 Women's equal ad effective participation in decision-making

Voice and Choice - Local action for Gender justice

Indicators linked to institutional effectivenessSustainability

Indicator 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025(Projected) Notes

g g(dollars)No of sub grantsOwn income (dollars)

GL Future Fund(dollars)

No of eventsNo of directbeneficiaries% women% men% others

Website hitsFacebook followersTwitter followersInvesting in peopleGL ODS score for HRGL ODS score forpartnershipsNo of offices

No of staff

GL ODS scoregovernanceNo of AssociationMembersNo of Board Members

Physical resourcesElectronic resourcesAdministrative andfinancial routinesFinancial policies andprocedures

0

671656

60% 40%

1

6

316 628

297 503

20311 885

63%37%

76%77%

3

81%

10

81%85%85%

89%

601 338

642 092

48313 969

69%31%

627 7183440345579%78%

9

45

75%

6

13

81%83%83%

83%

60157 072

1 236 626

71540 794

64%35%1%

369 1947004766782%87%

8

39

84%

8

10

90%89%87%

85%

80500,000

3 200 000

80060 000

64%36%

700 00015 00015 000

85%90%

6

40

87%

8

10

90%90%90%

90%

y g g (and Leadership). The number of grants and amount wouldincrease with the AC Partnership and other grants.The COVID-19 pandemic seriously affected income in 2020;the GLSH will work hard over the next five years to increaseincome generation streams.The target of the GLFF is to reach the $3mn mark by 2025.

This is inclusive of virtual gatherings that have the potentialto greatly increase numbers.

GL gender policy aims to ensure that at least one third ofall its participants are men.Monitoring participation of non-binary persons is an importantnew indicator for GL

The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with strategiccommunications training is resulting in a marked improvementin GL's online presence.It is heartening to see these scores improving; this trendneeds to be sustained.

This is an area of consolidation as GL adopts more flexibleand cost effective ways of working; with some countryoffices becoming project sites, and more work throughpartners.

It is heartening to see these scores improving; this trendneeds to be sustained.Regular renewal, ensuring regional diversity and expertisewill be the key criteria.

GL will ensure that the “engine” room of the organisation iswell fuelled and functions smoothly.

Results for change

Communicating results

Good governance

Sound financial management, policies and procedures

Indicator 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025(Projected) Notes

3 Violence Against Women Baseline studies in South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho - seehttp://www.genderlinks.org.za/page/gender-justice-measuring-gbv

CO

NTE

XT


Gender Links promotes genderequality and justice in thesixteen countries of theSouthern African Development

Community (SADC). This vastregion from the Democratic Republic ofCongo (DRC) in the north to South Africain the south confronts a myriad ofchallenges as it attempts to address theneeds and aspirations of its 360 millionpeople, 40% of whom live in extremepoverty. Per capita incomes range from$256 per annum in Zimbabwe to $5099in Mauritius. The greatest challenge forSADC continues to be the need to builda life for its people free from poverty,d isease, human r ights abuses,environmental degradation and genderinequality.

Women remain the majority of the poor,the dispossessed, the landless and theunemployed. Violence Against WomenBaseline studies conducted by GL inseven SADC countries show lifetimeprevalence rates ranging from 25% inMauritius to 86% in Lesotho.3 Sexualviolence against women and girlsremains one of the major causes of HIVinfection. Marital rape is pervasive andcontributes to the HIV and AIDS pan-demic. For every two people enrolledin HIV treatment, five become newlyinfected. Women, and especially youngwomen, account for 58% of those livingwith HIV in the sub-Saharan region andbear the greatest burden of care.

Women's lack of voice, choice andcontrol over their bodies remains one ofthe major causes of unequal powerrelations with men. Key SRHR concernsin Southern Africa include significantpercentages of sexual ly activeadolescents below the age of 16;multiple concurrent sexual relations;increasing trends of inter- generational

sexual relations; low levels of consistentcondom usage during sex and highlevels of maternal mortality. Almost onequarter of all pregnancies end in unsafeabortions, a major contributor tomaternal mortality especially amongyoung women. The UNFPA estimates that43% of women in sub-Saharan Africahave experienced gender-basedviolence (GBV) in their lifetime.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatensfragile gains made. As communities inSouthern Africa are forced to stay athome, women and girls are at aheightened risk of domestic violence,intimate partner violence, child abuse,and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence.

According to the World Health Organi-sation (WHO), in some crisis settings, levelsof GBV skyrocket to 70%. Anecdotalevidence points to reduced familyplanning services, low uptake of ARVtreatment, a rise in teenage preg-nancies, child marriages and unsafeabortions under the COVID-19 lock-downs. Vaccine roll out is only justbeginning in most countries. Aid cutsthreaten the SRHR advocacy gains

Several other forms of exclusion intersectwith gender to compound the misogynyassociated with patriarchal norms. Theseinclude race, class, the rural/urbandivide, age, disability, occupation(especially sex work), sexual orientationand gender identity. The often multipleburdens of exclusion result in even higherlevels of violence for certain categoriesof women. For example, disabledwomen experience high levels of stigmaand cultural myths relating to theirimpairments as well as high levels ofphysical, verbal, emotional and sexualabuse.

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The status of women is closelylinked to the political context withineach country. In Southern Africa,this context includes colonisation,decolonisation, the switch fromone party to multi-party politics,liberation struggles from whiteminority rule and occupation, aswell as the ideological inclinationsof dominant parties. To cite justone example of the differentcountry contexts, Eswatini (formerlySwazi land) i s a t radit ionalmonarchy in which the king takesa new “maiden” wife each year.The mountain kingdom neighboursSouth Africa with its state-of-the-art post-apartheid constitution thatrecognises the right to differentsexual orientations and underwhich abortion has been legalised.

These differences betweencountries also represent possibilitiesfor a “push me, pull you” regionalapproach in which progress in onecountry can be used to nudgeneighbours forward. Foundedshortly after Zimbabwe's indepen-dence in 1980, SADC has its roots(and relatively strong coherence)in the anti-apartheid struggle. Post-apartheid, SADC's major focus ison infrastructure, trade andeconomic integration. However,the regional body, which isheadquartered in Gaborone,Botswana, also tackles many crosscutting social concerns such asmigration, health, HIV and AIDS,climate change and genderequality. SADC has spawnedseveral Regional NGOs (RNGOs)working across a variety of socialjustice themes4. These include twoWRO: Women in Law SouthernAfrica and Gender Links.

Politic

al m

ap

ping

of So

uthern A

frica

n co

untries

4 Examples include AIDS and Rights Alliance forSouthern Africa (ARASA); Southern AfricanAIDS Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS); SADCLawyers Association; Regional PsychosocialSupport Initiative (REPSSI).


CLOSERELATIONS

INDIVIDUAL

COMMUNITY

SOCIETY

Public realm ofpower - policy/strategyto meet the needs ofwomen in business -access to assets,financial services andbusiness developmentopportunities

Community realmof power - localgovernment, privatesector, NGOs andfunders support

Private realm ofpower - economicGBV as a form of control

Intimate realm ofpower - creating abelief in ability to achieveeconomic independence

GL’

s TH

EORY

OF

CH

AN

GE


GL's Theory of Change recognises thatgender is the most cross-cutting of allforms of inequality and exclusion.Reinforced in formal and informal ways,gender inequality begins in the home;is perpetuated by the family; schools;work place; community, custom, culture,religion and tradition as well structureswithin society more broadly-the media,new media, popular culture, advertising,laws, law enforcement agencies, thejudiciary and state. While society readilyidentifies other forms of inequality,gender discrimination is so normalisedthat it often goes unnoticed, includingby women who have been socialisedto accept their inferior status. Genderinequality follows the life cycle of mostwomen from cradle to grave.

Despi te changes in laws andConstitutions, many women remain

minors all their lives - under their fathers,husbands, even sons, and as widowssubject to male relatives. Women andgirls in Southern Africa remain themajority of the poor; the dispossessed;the unemployed; the voiceless; thosewhose rights and dignity are dailyviolated and denied; those infected andaffected by HIV and AIDS.

Behaviour is mediated by cognitions i.e.what people know and think affectshow they act.

Individual behaviour is the fundamentalunit of group, organisational, community,and national behaviour. The individualbehaviour of women and men bothshapes, and is shaped by their socialenvironment and its multiple levels ofinfluences i.e. interpersonal, communityand public policy (McLeroy et al.,1988).


The ecological model often used ingender analysis illustrates the viciousnegative cycle that reinforce genderinequality. Like an onion, layers ofattitudes, customs, culture, traditions,practices and norms that reinforce theinferior status of women wrap aroundand entrap the individual woman. Forexample, a woman who dares to speakout against violence she is experiencingin the home is often told by close family(including female relatives) to go backinto the abusive relationship and makeit work. The community, includingreligious and traditional authorities, atbest turn a blind eye, at worst condonethis violence within the private sphere.Steeped in patriarchal norms andtraditions, state structures and processes(such as the police and criminal justicesystem) fail women. Instead of becomingthe “voice of the voiceless”, the male-dominated media denies survivors ofviolence their own voice, reporting theirexperiences through heavily biasedcourt reporting; often sensationalisingand trivialising their experience.

Each one of these layers can equallybecome a virtuous positive cyclechallenging these deeply entrenchedvalues, attitudes, systems and norms.Unlike sex, a biological given, gender isa social construct that can be decon-structed. The media may be a part ofthe problem, or it can be part of thesolution. State policies, laws andstructures can be transformed to cham-pion gender equality. Communities canbe mobil ised to reject negativepractices, attitudes and tendencies.Women and girls can be mobilised toclaim their rights. The growing men-for-change movement is testimony to thefact that boys and men can rise aboveand challenge social norms - hence theslogan, “men of quality believe inequality.” GL remains committed toworking with men in all its programming,while recognising that the primary focusat this time must be women and girls(see GL Theory of Changehttps://genderlinks.org.za/about-us/values-and-principles/gender-links-theory-of-change/)

Womandisempowered

Familycondone

oppression

Custom, religion,local structures

say sufferin silence

Education reinforcesgender stereotypes

Media, justicesystem, statestructures fail

women

Vicious negative cycle of inequality

WomanEmpowered

Familyprogressive

Custom, religion,local structures

challengepatriarchal norms

Education challengesgender stereotypes

Gender awaremedia, justicesystem, state

champion equality

Vicious positive cycle of equality

GL officesGL project sites

HeadQuarters

Luso-phonebase

Franco-phonebase


Vision

Gender Links (GL) is committed to aninclusive, equal and just society in whichwomen and girls in all their diversitiesexercise their voice and choice inaccordance with the SADC Protocol onGender and Development and relatedregional, continental and globalinstruments.

Geographical positioning

Gender Links has offices in ten registeredSADC countries, including a Lusophone

base in Mozambique and Francophonebase in Madagascar. GL's Botswanaoffice also serves as a liaison office withthe Southern African DevelopmentCommunity (SADC).

GLOBAL ANDCONTINENTAL

SADC PROTOCOL ON GENDERAND DEVELOPMENT, SADCSRHR STRATEGY

VOICE CHOICE CONTROL

SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RIGHTS CLIMATE JUSTICE

POLICY ANDMOVEMENT BUILDING

LOCAL ACTION FORGENDER JUSTICE

COMMUNICATIONSFOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Rhetoric- reality gap. Patriarchy & contradiction between constitutional and legalprovisions and the realities of women's lives: political, social, economic, expressed atthe individual, family, community, societal level.

PROBLEMSTATEMENT

REGIONAL

PILLARS

Cross cuttingthemes

GL PARTNERS -NATIONALAND LOCAL

SGG 5, CEDAW, BEIJING PLUS25, ICPD, MAPUTO PROTOCOL

Gender and Media DiversityCentre

V ice

ChSADC Protocol@Work Summit

V ix

xChSommet Protocole au travail de la SADC

P

P

P

P

Gender Protocol Alliance

Southern Africa

DURA/ISIP

HALA / HUB

for Gender in Local Government

GL’

s PR

OG

RAM

ME

OF

AC

TIO

N


Working with partners at local, national,Southern African and international level,GL realises its vision through:• Three programme areas: Policy and

Movement Building (which coordinatesthe SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment); Communications forSocial Change (including traditional,mainstream and new media); andLocal Action for Gender Justice (theCentres of Excellence for Gender inLocal Government).

• Four cross cutting themes: Sexual andReproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)including Violence Against Womenand Girls (VAWG); women's equal andeffective political participation; genderand climate justice.

• A Sustainability Hub with two incomegenerating units, GL Services and GLCottages contributing to the GL; aFund Raising Unit and Grant Manage-ment Unit.

• Results for Change achieved throughrobust planning, monitoring, evalu-ation, learning, knowledge manage-ment, sharing and innovation.

• Institutional effectiveness through goodgovernance; care for staff, associates,and partners; compliance with integritypolicies; transparent financial manage-ment, zero tolerance for corruption,value for money and use of digitaltools.

GL's way of working

In all its programmes, GL conductsevidence-based research and producesmulti-media products in differentlanguages. These are launched at highprofile events with maximum outreachachieved through mainst ream,community and social media. The resultsare used to develop corrective actionplans. GL builds capacity on gendermainstreaming through on-the-joblearning as action plans are applied.These are constantly reviewed andadapted to ensure innovation. Know-ledge is gathered, validated, sharedand affirmed at annual SADC Protocol@Work summits. Evidence based researchmeasures the change that has takenplace, as this cycle is repeated.

Conductevidence-based

research; baselinestudies

Engage with keystakeholders on

results

Use the mediato publicise

findings

Developcorrective

policies andaction plans

Empower changeagents; train themon-the-job through

implementingpolicies

Affirm good practicethrough summits and

awards; document theseusing multimedia formatsand gathering testimonial

evidence

2021 - 2025 STRATEGY

Goal: A strong SouthernAfrican women's move-ment advocating for#VoiceandChoice and

holding government toaccount for global, African

and regional commitments.

Specific objectives• Promote and strengthen advocacy for

the SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment and other gendernormative frameworks using theSouthern Africa Gender ProtocolAlliance networks at both regional andnational levels.

• Strengthen partnerships with theexisting and new partners in line withthe current priorities including youngwomen's organisations in all countries.

• Conduct campaigns to changegender attitudes from an overall scoreof 61% positive gender attitudes in 2021to 65% by 2025.

• Increase the lobbying and advocacycapacity of the movement to effec-tively undertake their mandate atnational and local levels.

• Mobilise funding for Women's Rights,including through GL's Grant MakingUnit (GMU)

What we have achievedThe mandate of the Policy andMovement Building programme is tocoordinate the work of the SouthernAfrica Gender Protocol Alliance,research and advocacy. Some of thekey achievements of the programmeare:• Accelerating women's rights cam-

paigns: Through the Alliance networks,GL has pushed the envelope on thecampaign for implementation of theSADC Gender Protocol, women's in-creased and meaningful participationin politics, sexual and reproductiverights (SRHR), economic justice andclimate change.

• Strengthening the women's movementfor gender equality and women'sempowerment: The Southern AfricanGender Protocol Alliance, establishedin 2006, through its regional andnational networks reinvigorated thewomen's movement heightening thevoices of women's NGOs across theregion.

• Measuring change: GL and theSouthern African Gender ProtocolAlliance produced ten editions of theSADC Gender Protocol Barometerbetween 2009 and 2018. The Baro-meter consolidated the status ofprogress made on the implementationof the SADC Protocol on Gender andDevelopment. Progress is measuredusing two yardsticks, the SADC GenderDevelopment Index (SGDI) which isbased on empirical data collected on23 indicators on six areas (Governance,Education and training, Productiveresources and employment, economicempowerment, Sexual and reproduc-tive health, HIV and AIDS and Mediaand information and communication)and the Citizen Scorecard (CSC)based on citizen perception. TheAlliance also administers a GenderProgress Score used to measurechanges in attitude towards genderequality, and the Knowledge ScoreCard is used to gauge how well theSADC Gender Protocol is known. Since2010, the Alliance and partners haveconvened the annual SADC Protocol@Work summits, at district, nationaland regional level, showcasing howthis instrument is being used at localand national level, by the media,government and civil society, to bringabout change.

• Built a strong Sexual and ReproductiveRights (SRHR) network as part of theSouthern African Gender ProtocolAlliance: In 2019, Gender Linksproduced the inaugural #VoiceandChoice Barometer that measured 100

SIX

GO

ALS

FO

R W

OM

EN’S

RIG

HTS

POLICY AND MOVEMENT BUILDING1So

uthern Africa

Gender Protocol Alli

ance

5 https://forum.generationequality.org/action-coalitions


indicators on SRHRin the region,including thosedrawn from thegender attitudesurvey. The 2019Barometer, servedas the first civilsociety shadowreport on theSADC SRHR strate-

gy score card adopted by SADCmember states in November 2018. Outof the 20 indicators identified bygovernments, the Alliance found 12that could be measured across allcountries. The Alliance country andregional partners implemented SRHRcampaigns relevant to their contexts.

• From local to global, GenerationEquality Action Coalition Six, Feministmovement building and leadership:GL is one of the civil society leads forthe Generation Equality Action Coali-tion Six: Feminist Movement Buildingand Leadership. Through the globalplatform GL and the Alliance aresharing Southern African feministmovement building strategies andcontribute to the global agenda. Theaction coalitions Action Coalitions areglobal, innovative, multi-stakeholderpartnerships that are mobilisinggovernments, civil society, internationalorganisations, and the private sectorto catalyse collective action; sparkglobal and local conversations amonggenerations; drive increased publicand private investment; and deliverconcrete, game-changing results forgirls and women.5

What we have learned• Partnerships strengthening and

common purpose is an importantfoundational principle for the AllianceProgramme and its networks: While theGL networks are well established acrossthe region context specific collabo-

rative initiatives implemented in acoordinated manner is crucial to sus-taining the Alliance.

• Capacity building remains key for thesuccessful implementation of the SADCGender Protocol: Through knowledgesharing and learning interventions GLand the Alliance strengthen their abilityto lobby and advocate for policy andlegislative changes that will result insustainable change for women andgirls in SADC.

• What is not count counted does notcount: The array of research andevidence underpinning the Alliancework ensures that the programmes areresponding to real needs of commu-nities, countries and the region overall.The availability of data and evidenceallows for strategic linkages acrossdifferent thematic areas. For example,there is increasing evidence thatsupports the nexus between gender-based violence prevention and eco-nomic power for women and girls.

• Resource mobilisation remains a majorchallenge for coalition building withinthe gender movement: Lobbying andadvocacy for increased funding forfeminist movement building atnational, regional and global level isan urgent ongoing priority.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Evidence driven advocacy and lobby-

ing: Utilise the evidence gathered inthe annual #Voice and Choice SRHRBarometers and through the casestudies presented at the #VoiceandChoice Summits to lobby and ad-vocate for changes in policy andlegislative frameworks to improve thestatus of women and girls in all theirdiversity. Policy and legislative shiftsand their subsequent implementationwill result women and girls realising theirfull potential in their public and privatelives. Key campaigns will include safeabortion, sexual diversity, GBV preven-


tion and mitigation, climate changeand women's effective politicalparticipation.

• Strengthening and extending partner-ships towards generation equality: TheAlliance country focal points will mapand form young women's clusterswithin the Alliance structure. Thenational young women's cluster will berepresented on the regional Alliancestructure. The Alliance will integratethe Generation Equality agenda intoits local, national and regionalactivities. The Alliance Young Women'sClusters will lead the ASRHR campaignsat local, national, regional and globallevel.

• Harnessing the demographic dividendof the SADC's burgeoning youth popu-lation: Champion adolescent SRHRacross the Southern African region.Lobby and advocate for stand-aloneAdolescent SRHR policies that includeaccess to SRHR services without thirdparty consent. The Alliance youthcluster will campaign for enablingteenage pregnancy policies and lobbyfor the domestication of the SADCModel Law on Child Marriages.

• Changing attitudes critical to attaingender equality: GL and Alliance willconduct awareness raising campaignsto change gender attitudes from anoverall score of 61% positive genderattitudes in 2021 to 65% by 2025.

• Resource mobilisation, capacitybuilding and building sustainable

feminist movements: Increase thelobbying and advocacy capacity ofthe movement to effectively undertaketheir mandate at national and locallevels by providing training and therequisite resources.

How we will measure change• GL and Alliance partners will produce

the annual #VoiceandChoice Baro-meter to measure progress on theimplementation of the SADC Protocolon Gender Development and otherrelevant frameworks. The two keyindicators for measuring change atthe macro level are the SADC Genderand Development Index (SGDI) as wellas the Citizen Score Card.

• Conduct analyses of the case studiessubmitted to the #VoiceandChoiceSummits to establish what works.

• The Gender Progress Survey will beadministered in 2025 to measurechanges in gender attitudes. This willbe administered every five years.

• GL will track the number of memo-randa of understanding signed withpartners particularly youth organi-sations and the level of participationby partners.

• Progress on campaign implementationwill be tracked using virtual feedbackforms and engagements.

• Institutional strengthening throughmapping of networks and themegroups as well as fund raising.


Goal: Women and girlsexercise #VoicandChoiceover their bodies throughthe full attainment ofSexual and Reproductive

Health for all.

Specific objectives• Lobby and advocate for universal

Sexual and Reproductive Health andRights (SRHR) as part of the #VoiceandChoice campaign spearheadedby the Southern African GenderProtocol Alliance and local councils in10 Southern African countries.

• Lobby for the development, fundingand implementation of AdolescentSRHR (ASRHR) policies in 16 SouthernAfrican countries in line with theMaputo Protocol, Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC)Protocol on Gender and Developmentand the SADC SRHR Strategy 2019-2030.

• Build a robust Young Women's Move-ment in the Southern Africa GenderProtocol Alliance and provide aplatform for adolescent girls' tocontribute to ASRHR policies andpractices.

• Strengthen ASRHR responses andservices at local level with a specialemphasis on mitigating the impact ofCOVID-19.

• Advocate for safe abortion policies,the domestication of the SADC ChildMarriages Law and effective teenagepregnancy policies.

• Build women's agency and economicpower as a strategy to improvewomen's and girl's SRHR and preventgender-based violence.

What we have achieved• SRHR Article in the SADC Protocol on

Gender and Development: TheAlliance successfully advocated for astandalone Article on SRHR in the

updated SADC Gender Protocol(2016). The Article cross referencesprovis ions in the InternationalConference on Population andDevelopment (ICPD). The Alliance alsoworked with health NGOs to advocatefor the SADC SRHR strategy adoptedby Health Ministers in November 2018.This includes a colour-coded scorecard with 20 indicators that govern-ments have committed to track.

• A strong Sexual and ReproductiveRights (SRHR) network as part of theSouthern African Gender ProtocolAlliance: In 2019, Gender Links pro-duced the inaugural #VoiceandChoice Barometer that measured 100indicators on SRHR in the region,including those drawn from the genderattitude survey. The 2019 Barometerserved as the first civil society shadowreport on the SADC SRHR strategy scorecard adopted by SADC member statesin November 2018. Out of the 20indicators identified by governments,the Alliance found 12 that could bemeasured across all countries. TheAlliance country and regional partnersimplemented SRHR campaignsrelevant to their contexts.

• Local action plans: GL worked with the100 Centres of Excellence for Genderin Local Government that have beensupporting the Sunrise Campaign,Empower Women, End Violence, todevelop local level SRHR action plans.These included working with juniorcouncilors to conduct a RapidAssessment of Youth SRHR facilities andto conduct awareness around these.

• SRHR action plans and campaigns:Alliance focal networks in 15 countriesimplemented 40 national levelcampaigns and 177 local levelcampaigns in 10 countries.

• Results during this period include:removal of VAT and making sanitaryware available in schools in seven

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS2


SADC countries; the raising of the ageof child marriages to 18 for girls inMauritius; decriminalisation of homo-sexuality in four SADC countries. Initialdoubts regarding the competenciesof local authorities on SRHR are beingdispelled by councils like Murehwa inZimbabwe that devised a strategy forsustaining SRHR services under COVID-19 lockdown.

What we have learned• Evidence gathering and participatory

research: Alliance partners contributeto the Gender Responsive Assessment(peer review) of laws; case studycollection, and analysis of campaigns.Youth conducted the RapidAssessment of SRHR Services in SouthernAfrica. GL research has a strongemphasis on citizen engagementthrough scor ing or assess ingperformance. Our motto is "makingevery voice count, and counting thatit does."

• The power of feminist movementbuilding: The #VoiceandChoicecampaign re-energised the Allianceand made it relevant to current cam-paigns including #MeToo, #TimesUp,and (within Southern Africa) the#TotalShutdown campaign. Partnerownership of the campaign is under-scored by pivoting to virtual campaignsduring #COVID-19 lockdowns. Newways of working will be integrated intofuture programming to create multipliereffects, reduce costs and realise greensavings.

• The power of audits, learning andsharing between countries: The 2019mapping of SRHR SADC laws updatedin 2020 and curated in an online database is a rich repository of regionalexperience that will be drawn on todevelop model ASRHR and safeabortion policies and checklist. It willalso be used to share good practiceson applying the SADC Model Law onChild Marriage.

• Engaging with research findings: GLworks with partners to develop multi-media products and messages fromcampaigns appropriate to eachnational context, including in locallanguages. These are disseminated atworking meetings to apply theresearch (such as those proposed withcouncils to strengthen ASRHR policies);mainstream media and social media.Keeping issues in the public eye putspressure on policy processes. GL alsooffers partners coaching on dataliteracy to empower them to speakauthentically on research findings.Partners determine thei r ownadvocacy strategies based on thefindings.

• Developing policies and action plans:For example, the preliminary findingsfrom the ASRHR research will be usedto probe why two fifths of all youth failto access services as long as they arenot accompanied by another adult;fees being charged and whether theseare appropriate.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Mount concerted ASRHR, safe abortion

and child marriage campaigns tocounter the regressive tide of theCOVID-19 pandemic: Ten out of 16SADC countries do not have stand-alone ASRHR policies and some expirein 2020. The Alliance will seek to ensurethat all SADC countries commit toprogressive ASRHR policies. Six SADCcountries still have different ages ofmarriage for girls and boys. The Alliancewill seek to ensure 18 is the minimumage of marriage in all cases. Only twoSADC countries have provision forabortion on demand. The Alliance willseek to ensure that countries take stepsto liberalise abortion laws.

• Youth led campaigns: Involving youthin a meaningful way in SRHR work isimportant as they have different needsfrom adults. With the surge of HIVinfections amongst youth for example,


it is important to include them in sexualbehavioural campaigns that will fosterchange amongst peers.

• Using digital platforms: GL will streng-then the use of mobile technologiesand the Community of Practiceplatform to communicate SRHR cam-paigns and results.

• Evidence based programming: Pro-duction of SRHR research productsincluding relevant Audits, model lawsand policies and the #Voice andChoice SRHR Barometer.

• Cascade the Sunrise campaign to 100local councils: Work with local councilsin ten countries to harness the Sunrisecampaign and roll it out as part of theirlocal economic developmentinitiatives.

• Linking survivors of GBV to LED andcapital: GL will build capacity of hubcouncils link GBV survivors to LEDopportunities. GL is identifying privatesector companies that can sponsorsurvivors of GBV with start-up capitalfor their businesses.

• Review local council SRHR action plansto be more youth responsive: TheASRHR Rapid Assessment findings forspecific localities will be used tostrengthen the youth responsivenessand sensitivity of local SRHR plans, aswell as take corrective action at thehealth facilities. This forms part of a

broader GL initiative to review the SRHRand Gender Action plans of the COEsin the face of the COVID-19 pandemicbased on a survey and

How we will measure change• GL and Alliance partners will produce

the annual #VoiceandChoice Baro-meter to measure progress on theimplementation of the SADC Protocolon Gender Development and otherrelevant frameworks.

• Track policy and legislative changeson safe abortion, teenage pregnancyand the domestication of the SADCModel Law on Child Marriages.

• Progress on campaign implementationwill be tracked using virtual feedbackforms and engagements.

• Measure changes to Sunrise partici-pants' experiences of violence andlevels of income by administering theGender Empowerment Index (GEI) atbase- and end-line.

• Establish how much capital Sunriseparticipants have accessed using theonline assessment tool to trackprogress.

• Do a comparative analysis of thechanges in the council's SRHR plans toinclude youth responsive servicedelivery and track implementation ofthe plan through local council genderscorecards.


Goal: Gender equality inand through the mediagives women equal#Voice as citizens.

Specific objectivesThe 2021 to 2025 objectives of the prog-ramme are to:• Accelerate progress on attaining

gender equality in and through themedia through advocacy andlobbying based on the latest Genderand Media Progress Study (GMPS)2020.

• Strengthen media capacity to improveon gender in both institutional andeditorial practices.

• Contribute to strengthening the genderand media movement in SouthernAfrica and beyond.

• Contribute to knowledge disseminationand strengthening of content onSexual Reproductive Health and Rights.

What we have achieved• Gender and Media Research: GL has

led some of the most cutting edgeresearch work on gender and mediathat has been used to inform mediatraining, advocacy and policy. Theorganisation coordinates the Genderand Media Progress Study (GMPS)every five years which is the mostextensive longitudinal research studyon gender equality in the news mediain Southern Africa, spanning from 2003-2020, assessing representation ofwomen's voices in news content.

GENDER AND MEDIA

Gen

der &

M edia

3

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

Proportion of women sources over time

2003 2010 2015 2020

21%20%19%17%

• The latest GMPS conducted in 2020reveals women's voices have in-creased from 17% in 2003 to 21% in2020. The study also providesinformation on media coverage ofSexual and Reproductive Health andRights issues in the media. Beyondstudying media content, GL hasconducted studies on gender in mediaeducation, gender in media houses,gender in media regulation andgender in media developmentorganisations.

• GL media training: The portfolio hasdiversified itself serving as both a coreprogramme area of work but alsosustains itself through media consult-ancies. The programme leads theorganisations efforts to support themedia in gender sensitive reporting onvarious key gender equality issues inthe region. Through the media Centresof Excellence process, GL offered onthe job training for journalists in 108media houses from 2011-2015 Themedia training was will tailored around


the provisions of the SADC GenderProtocol including Health and HIV andAIDS Gender based violence amongstothers. GL media portfolio managedto attain media training consultanciesin organisations such as the AfricanUnion, UN Women, GIZ to train themedia on gender sensitive reporting.GL has also worked with journalism andmedia studies departments in institu-tions of higher learning to enable themto mainstream gender in journalismcurriculum as well as to conductgender and media research. GL's workwith journalism and media traininginstitutions forms part of the Centres ofExcellence for Gender in MediaEducation (GIME) project. Togetherwith institutions of higher learning GLhas in the past conducted Genderand Media Literacy training courses aswell as run seminars on gender anddiversity issues. GL has also worked withinstitutions such as Sol Plaatje Instituteof Media Leadership at RhodesUniversity in developing a Gender andMedia Leadership course.

• Global advocacy: GL chaired theGlobal Alliance on Media and Gender(GAMAG) from 2014-2016. GLachieved its target of working throughGAMAG to develop a post 2015 posi-tion paper and petition supported by500 member organisations around theworld to include specific and measur-able global targets and indicators onmedia, ICTs and their gender dimen-sions in the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals (SDGs) This strengthened GL'sreputation as a key organisation withexpertise on gender and media drivingthe gender and media agenda fromregional to global level.

• Policy framework for gender respon-siveness in and through the media:Through the media COE process GLcreated innovative partnerships withthe media. By 2015 at least Ten publicbroadcasters had joined the COEprocess, which was two thirds of thetotal number of public broadcasters

in the region. Media houses engagedin the process developed policieswhich encouraged them to promotegender equality in the media 85 mediaCOEs developed gender policies toguide their operations. The genderpolicies covered all facets of mediaoperations including, policy framework,working environment and editorialcontent and programming. MediaCOEs have developed as part of effortsto create an enabling environment forgender equality to flourish. This includesthe existence of sexual harassmentpolicies. Beyond 2015 due to lack offunds and the uncertainty on the gainsmade on the COE process GL did notcontinue with this initiative however,85 media COEs developed genderpolicies to guide their operations.

What we have learned• To become more demand driven:

Beyond GL conducting researchstudies and training media houses theorganisation's work has transitioned toa more demand driven approachwhere GL media training and as wellas media research services have beensought by various stakeholders. Thiscontributes to sustain the programmein a time when there is continueddwindling resources for media deve-lopment work.

• Flexibility when working with the media:The media is a constantly changingterrain with new information andtechnologies changing the wayjournalism is practiced. Sustainedapproaches to improving genderequality must be embedded ininstitutional commitments. The mediais also a sector where practioners movearound more frequently betweenmedia houses as such institutionalisedtraining is more effective to have abroader reach within a particularnewsroom.

• Diversi fying and strengtheningapproaches to push for genderequality in media: The issue of gender


equality is still not high on the agenda20 years on since GL started this workand it is important for feminist mediaactivists such as GL to find moreinnovative ways, new avenues andbetter strategies to bring this to foreand give more gains. Although theproportion of women's voices haveincreased slowly there have beennoticeable qualitative gains inincreasing under reported issues in themedia and the media gaining moreconsciousness on the need to reflectwomen's voices in the media and thevisible decline in stories that carryblatant stereotypes becoming lesstoday than clearly than they were asthey were 20 years ago.

• Peer learning: Sharing amongst mediapractitioners is a good example oflearning amongst media houses and

journalists of a particular and cultivatesincreased interest. Knowledge sharingat the SADC gender summits haveprovided a learning platform for mediaas well as the opportunity to networkwith other sectors.

• Constant monitoring is key in bench-marking progress and showcasingexamples of good practise. The mediamonitoring conducted by GL since2003 has given insights efforts done bythe media and the change this mightbe bringing on the ground. Mediamonitoring gives an opportunity toconstantly take the pulse of what ishappening in the sector and theseinsights are used to adjust strategiesand optimise the campaign for genderequality in and through the media andICTs as well as influence media trainingand engagement.


What we will do in 2021-2025• Promoting freedom of expression and

opinion online: GL will influence policyand practice through effectivepromotion and protection of women'srights to freedom of opinion andexpression on and offline with the viewto develop a gender-sensit iveapproach to freedom of expression.GL will undertake an advocacycampaign to promote women'sfreedom of expression based on theresults of the GMPS as well as a baselinesurvey on online gender basedviolence that will collect evidence onhow online GBV hinders freedom ofexpression and opinion online.

• Transition to Communications for SocialChange: The gender and mediaprogramme will now be known as theCommunications for Social Changeprogramme. In addition to the prog-ramme being research and advocacydriven and primarily focusing onmainstream media it will incorporatethe daily communications to givevisibility of the work done on the groundacross programmes. This will strengthenhow the units work together especiallyin advocacy campaigns on differentthemes. With the convergence oftraditional and digital media, GL seesan opportunity to focus on how mediaplatforms can strengthen communi-cation in order to contribute to broadersocial change.

• Monitoring the media in terms of howthey portray women as well as issues:Periodic media monitoring will remaincentral to GL's work. Monitoring willcontinue to give up to date status ofhow media represents and portrayswomen in news content. This moni-toring will include media monitoring ofSRHR, Women's Political Participationand other women's rights issues as theyappear in the media. GL also intendsto do a follow up study to track prog-ress on gender and the media bySeptember 2025 to provide compa-rative data.

• Media training: Strengthening mediacapacity especially in an attemptimprove women's voices. Through itstraining arm, the media and commu-nications portfolio will prioritise trainingmedia personnel on a consultancybasis where need has been identified.This will allow the programme to beself-sustaining. Therefore, the prog-ramme will contribute more meaning-fully to the Gender Links Servicesportfolio through the training expertiseand knowledge gathered over theyears. It will also focus on strengtheningmedia reporting on SRHR in SouthernAfrican in line with the #VoiceandChoice campaign.

• Collaboration and Relationships: Tostrengthen relationships among, andcollaboration between, GL andpartner organisations which includegender and media organisation as wellas journalism and media studiesdepartments in institutions of higherlearning to achieve programmepriorities more effectively.

How we will measure change• GL will continue to produce the SADC

Gender and Media Progress Study andcoordinate the Global Media Moni-toring Project in the region to track thestatus on progress made on increasingwomen’s voice in the media as wellas portrayal of gender issues in themedia.

• Where training has happened, GL willtrack the stories that have beenproduced. Beyond the number ofstories produced, GL will do qualitativeanalysis on what thematic areas themedia is tackling and how this ischanging what the media prioritises.Another qualitative dimension to thiswill be inquiry into how citizens’attitudes and perceptions are beinginfluenced by what the the mediareports on issues such as SRHR forexample.

Goal: Women and girlsexercise equal andeffective #VoiceandChoice in the publicsphere through their

participation in politicsand decision-making.

Specific objectives• To promote increased women's

political participation (WPP) to reachthe target of 50% at all levels ofdecision-making from top leadershipto local government in accordancewith the provisions of the SADC Protocolon Gender and Development and Sus-tainable Development Goals.

• To employ country specific approa-ches to the 50/50 campaign targetingcountries based on each political andsocio-economic context.

• Adopt a multipronged approachtargeting key gatekeepers andstakeholders in WPP including politicalparties and election managementbodies (EMBs).

• Localise the 50/50 campaign, byworking with Centres of Excellence(COEs) and women's networks at thelocal government level.

• Increase the capacity of women andmen politicians to advance women'spolitical participation at all levelsthrough a WPP Academy.

• Involve youth, especially youngwomen and promote intergene-rational exchange and learning togroom young women to raise theirvoices on key issues affecting themand to become the leaders of thefuture.

What we have achieved• Over the last 15 years Gender Links has

tracked women's representation at alllevels of decision, conducting the firstcomprehensive study on women'sparticipation at the local governmentlevel.

• Each year women's representationacross ten indicators is reported on inthe SADC Voice Choice Barometer.

• Gender and election policy briefs forender audits of elections now con-ducted for all SADC countries,

• In 2020 Gender Links in partnership withthe Women in Local GovernmentNetwork in Zimbabwe successfullylobbied the president to adopt a 30%gender quota at the local governmentlevel.

• After years of campaigning, Mauritiusadopted a gender neutral quota atthe local government level in 2012.

What we have learned• It is time to redouble our campaigning

and lobbying for 50% women in allareas of decision making. There hasbeen slow and uneven progress acrossthe region in increasing women'srepresentation in parliaments andregression at the local governmentlevel. Each country has a differentcontext and while there are commongeneral principles, each campaignshould be tailor made for eachcountry. CSOs need to be moreresponsive and seize advocacy andlobbying opportunities as they arise,to push the 50%-50% agenda. It is alsoimportant to build the capacity ofCSOs in effective organizing. Even incountries that have quotas it is essentialto conduct advocacy and lobbyingfor them to be enforced.

• It is essential that targeted 50/50 cam-paigns are undertaken throughout theelectoral cycle and well ahead ofelections to ensure enough time forcampaigns to be effective and yieldresults.

• The campaign is not just a once offactivity, it is a process and CSOs needsustained financial support to continueto influence the electoral cycle pastelection day. There is need to identifycost-effective means of tracking and

50/50 WOMEN'S EQUAL AND EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING4


50/5

0EQ

UAL PARTICIPATION

IND

ECISION-MAKING


keeping the advocacy publicly aliveand enduring.

• Knowledge building is key, it producesevidence and creates a basis for publicengagement. As part of civic engage-ment and advocacy, cutting edgepolicy research should be conductedon a continuous and cumulative basis.Lack of confidence is a by-product ofthe social system that blunts women'sambition for political leadership.

• It is essential to include young womenin the campaign and mobilisation asthe future leaders. African parliamen-tarians and leaders are the oldest inthe world and yet Africa has the mostyouthful population. Young womenraise issues that are pertinent to themsuch as menstrual health, teenagepregnancies, child marriage and safeabortion, which have largely beenoverlooked by legislators to date. Inadvocacy for a quota for women,activists you call on States todisaggregate MP and local councillorsdata by age and sex. All researchshould also include age disaggregateddata to track progress.

• Advocacy needs to include politicalparty structures: Where legislated TSMsare not possible, voluntary party quotashave shown to be effective inincreasing women's representation inSouth Africa, Mozambique andNamibia for example. Political partiesshould have clear guidelines on howthey seek to achieve genderinclusiveness. This will require a reviewof party constitutions and re-alignmentof women's leagues so that they canplay more active roles to enhancewomen's engagement within theparties. It is crucial to engage politicalparties in any 50/50 campaignadvocacy for more inclusion throughimplementing voluntary TSMs andcomplying with them

• Electoral management bodies are keyplayers throughout the electoral cycleand should ensure gender is a keyconsideration throughout the electoral

process and through developingpolicies or strategies for the EMB toincorporate gender issues.

• We need to deepen our research onWPP by moving beyond just thenumbers. The numbers are easy tomeasure, but there is little research onthe qualitative difference womenmake once in decision makingpositions.

• Peer learning across the region throughexposure and study visits betweencountries have the potential to forgechange and bring government officialson board, through learning from goodpractice across the region, for examplethe study trip Zimbabwe officials wenton to Mauritius to learn how theyincreased representation of women inlocal government almost fourfold.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Conduct research and produce

evidence-based advocacy tools thatmake the case for increasing women'srepresentation and participation inpolitical decision making.

• Continued awareness raising andpublic education on the importanceof women's leadership in all campaigns

• Strengthen structures that promotementorship and inter-generationallearning through young women in localgovernment networks or other formalstructures such as junior parliamentsand councils.

• Include a specific quota for youngwomen in lobbying and advocacywith targeted mentoring programmesfor young women.

• Facilitate exposure and study visitsbetween countries that are in theprocess of electoral reform and coun-tries that have undergone electoralreform and/or adopted quotas, tolearn from good practice across theregion.

• Work with alliance and local govern-ment partners to implement countryspecific 50/50 campaigns in the leadup to elections before 2030:


Angola

Botswana

Comoros

DRC

Eswatini

Lesotho

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Work with EMB and political parties toenforce the 30% quota. Advocate for50% quota at all levelsAdvocate for electoral reform - to amixed or PR system with a legislatedquota at all levels

As this is a new SADC country conductresearch on WPP to inform advocacyand lobbying strategies for electoralreform and legislated quota at all levelsAdvocate for legislated quota at all levels

Advocate for the enforcement of the30% constitutional quota, and for this tobe increased to 50%. Long termadvocate for electoral reform. Continuedawareness raising and public educationon the importance of women's leadershipWork with electoral commission toenforce the 30% quota at local level.Advocate for the quota at local level tobe extended to national level and lobbyfor the quota to be increased to 50%.Continued awareness raising and publiceducation on the importance of women'sleadershipUse the Mauritius example to advocatefor quotas at local and national level.Continued awareness raising and publiceducation on the importance of women'sleadershipAdvocate for recommendations of lawreform commission to amend theconstitution to be adopted, continueputting pressure on govt to comply withthe Gender Equality Act. Continuedawareness raising and public educationon the importance of women's leadership

Work with electoral commission toenforce the 30% quota at local level.Advocate for the quota at local level tobe extended to national level and thatit be increased to 50%. Continuedawareness raising and public educationon the importance of women's leadershipAdvocate for all parties to adopt quotasand or legislated quota of 50%.Continued awareness raising and publiceducation on the importance of women'sleadershipContinued 50/50 campaign to ensure nomore regression. Advocate for legislatedquota at local level to be extended tonational level and increase to 50%.Awareness raising and public educationon the importance of women's leadership

Have achieved 30% but WPP atnational level decreased sevenpercentage points since 2009Lowest representation at nationallevel, 11% and 18% at local leveldecreased by one percentagepoint since 2009Only 17% representation atnational level

Low representation at nationallevel (18%), but increased 6percentage points since 2009. 27%at local levelWPP both at national and locallevel decreased four and threepercent respectively to 18% and15% despite a constitutional quotaof 30%

At the local level women'srepresentation has decreased 18percentage points from 58% in2009 to 40% in 2021. Lesotho alsosaw decrease of threepercentage points at nationallevel

WPP has increased at the nationallevel to 18% and 7% at the localgovernment level still well belowthe 50% target

WPP has increased both at thenational and local level since 2009to 20% and 15% respectively. 2017the Law Commission recommen-ded that Section 62 of theConstitution be amended toprovide for a quota. Nothing hashappened since the recommen-dations were madeMauritius increased WPP to 20% atnational level in last elections.At the local level representationincreased fourfold in the 2012elections to 26% but decreased inthe last election to 22%

One of the highest representationin the region, 42% at national level,34% at local level (decreased from36% in 2009)

Best performer at the local levelwith 45% women's representation,36% at national level

Legislated

None

None

None

Constitutional- 30%

30% at locallevel

None

None

Legislatedquota local

Voluntary party

Voluntary party

PR

FPTP

FPTP (TRS)

Mixed

FPTP

Mixed

Mixed

FPTP

Mixed

PR

PR

20222027

20242029

20232028

20232028

20232028

20222027

20242029

20242029

20242029

20242029

20242029

Nextelections

before2030

Electoralsystem Quota WPP context 50/50 STRATEGY


How we will measure change• Track women's representat ion

measured through the ten indicatorsfor WPP. The annual #VoiceandChoiceBarometer, measures progress on theimplementation of the SADC Protocolon Gender Development and otherrelevant frameworks.

• Track the number of countries withchanges in electoral systems or quotasin favour of women.

• Learning and knowledge productionthrough case studies submitted to the#VoiceandChoice Summits to establishwhat works.

• Number of women in local govern-ment and young women in localgovernment networks or other struc-tures, formed or strengthened.

• Number of political parties and EMBsadopting gender policies and quotas.

• Number of young women enteringpolitics.

Nextelections

before2030

Electoralsystem Quota WPP context 50/50 STRATEGY

Seychelles

South Africa

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Longer term - Advocate for a 50%legislated quota at all levels.Awareness raising and public educationon the importance of women's leadershipFollow the electoral reform process closelyand strategise on how to ensure gainsare not lost with new electoral system.Advocate for a legislated quota at alllevels

Step up 50/50 campaign to ensure nofurther backsliding. Advocate forConstitutional quota to be raised to 50%

Actively participate in the ConstitutionAmendment Bill 10 process and ensurethere are provisions to increase women'spolitical participation. Advocate forlegislated quotas at national, local levelusing the Zimbabwe and Mauritius models

Work with electoral commission toenforce the 30% quota at national andlocal level.Advocate for increasing quota to 50%quota at all levels.

23% women's representation atnational level, has stayed thesame since 2009

Best performer at national level,46% and 41% at local level.Country has to change the PRelectoral system at the nationallevel by 2022 in line withconstitutional court rulingHas achieved over 30% at bothnational (37%) and local (30%)levels, but with minimal progressover the last 12 years. Need tomove beyond 30%There have been marginalincreases in women's represen-tation since 2009, but still remainsvery low at 17% at national and8% at local level. There is currentlya Constitutional amendment BillunderwayImplementation of the quota atthe national level resulted in anincrease of 17 percentage pointsfrom 18% in 2009 to 35% in 2021.30% quota for local governmentadopted in 2021

None

Voluntary party

Constitutional- 30%

None

Constitutional30% nationaland local level

Mixed

PR - NMixed -L

FPTP

FPTP

FPTP

20252030

20242029

20252030

20212026

20232028


Goal: Gender responsivel o c a l g o v e r n m e n tenhances #VoiceandChoice for women, girlsand youth in marginal

communities.

Specific objectivesThe 2020 to 2025 objectives of the prog-ramme are to:• Expand the mainstreaming gender

in local government Centres ofExcellence programme (COE) to 10countries from the current seven tocover 410 local councils increasing theproportion of the population coveredfrom 43% to 45%.

• Increase the number of hub councilsto 90 to support 320 spoke councils inten countries.

• Support local councils to increase theirgender in local government scoresfrom 67% to 72%.

• Replicate the effective youth councilmodel operating in Zimbabwe andZambia in eight additional countriesto ensure young people's voices areincluded in local government prog-ramming and decision making.

• Augment ownership and sustainabilityof gender responsive governancethrough resource centres, customisedcapacity building packages andmentorship models.

What we have achieved• Outreach: The Local action for Gender

Justice programme reached 443 COEsin Southern Africa. The councils covera population of 42 million people or43% of the population in the sevencountries.

• Putting gender on the local govern-ment agenda: The COE programmeput gender on the agenda of localgovernment in Southern Africa, and islocalising the targets of the Southern

African Gender Protocol through thelocal-level gender action plans.

• Gender responsive budgeting, contri-butions to the COE process: COEcouncils have specifically designatedbudget allocations for gender projectsespecially for awareness campaigns.The councils contribute in kind throughresource persons, venues and cateringfor some of the COE workshops.

• GBV campaigns: At least half of theCOEs have been involved in theSixteen Days of Activism campaignswith some COEs taking part every year.Councils also craft 365 Days Cam-paigns to end GBV. The COEs colla-borate with the community andinstitutions that work to fight GBV andHIV and AIDS. The campaign hasbecome a platform for dialoguebetween policy makers and thecommunity. With some members ofthe community now able to use IT foradvocacy during the Sixteen Dayscampaigns, networking has becomestronger and accountability aspectsmore visible for local government.

• Learning and sharing: The programmepromotes learning and sharing throughProtocol@work summits, on the jobtraining and study visits.

• Gender certification: Since 2017, theprogramme awards certificates toparticipating local authorities to affirmgood gender performance. Thehighest performing councils areawarded a platinum rating.

• Establishing the hub and spoke model:The model selects strong urban andrural councils that can serve as 'hubs”for the COE process, twinning withweaker councils, and rolling out theprocess through peer learning andsharing. The model is deepening theCOE process and is being successfullyrolled out Zimbabwe through 10 hubsand 84 spoke councils.

LOCAL ACTION FOR GENDER JUSTICE5LOCALA

CTION FO

RGENDERJUSTICE


• Young people's voices count: InZambia and Zimbabwe junior councilsplay and important role in decisionmaking and programming to ensurelocal government is youth responsive.

• Passing the baton to GFPs: The prog-ramme trained 243 Gender FocalPersons (GFPs) from local councils whohave been trained in the COE processand the Sunrise campaign.

What we have learnt• Involving local councils in programme

design: Involving local councils inprogramme design results in greaterownership and long term sustainabilityof the programme. Inception work-shops and reference groups is the firststep in the roll out of the programme.

• Making young people's voices count:Youth involvement in the programmeis important for intergenerationalsustainability through creating 'future'gender responsive leaders and foryouth responsiveness local gover-nance.

• Navigating the political space: Targetcountries are likely to adopt varyingapproaches to the COE programmeas political and economic contextsdiffer. Political buy-in is critical to ensurethat the programme is rolled outeffectively. The Ministry of LocalGovernment in Zimbabwe adoptedthe Hub and Spoke as the genderprogramme of choice and includedperformance in employee score cardsto measure progress.

• Learning and sharing: It is important todocument best practices, cascade itinto new councils, and promote peerlearning.

• Walking the talk: Buy-in from thecouncil leadership accelerates prog-ramme delivery and allocations ofbudgets. Leadership requires thecouncil to report on progress of costedaction plans.

• Citizen participation for accountability:Involve citizens in assessing localcouncils' gender responsiveness. Citizenparticipation is critical to ensure that


local councils are providing genderresponsive services and programmes.

• Peer learning and sharing: GL createsmultiplier effects through facilitatingsharing of good practices. The "each-one-teach-one" models runs from theCOEs at local level to the nationalnetworks. Audits of laws and policiesare used to identify what works; theseare turned into models and checklists.Alliance networks share successes dailyon a whats app group; this createscreative competition to do better.

• Tackling poverty to end violence:Poverty is a major contributing factorin gender-based violence. LocalEconomic Development and SocialDevelopment is the best strategy toaddress issues of low SRHR and GBV.

• Creation of a networking space forsurvivors: The entrepreneurship trainingshould allow for the support of womenat different stages of development toavoid losing opportunities for womenwho have more advanced ideas orestablished businesses and who wouldbenefit from a different approach. GLis piloting networking in four countries.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Hub and spoke model for sustainability:

GL will build the capacity of COEsthrough the hub and spoke model toimprove sustainability and ownershipof gender responsive governance.

• Innovation through technology: GL willuse of mobile technologies includingapps to provide a platform for genderresponsive governance resources andone-stop platforms for monitoring andevaluation. The hub and spoke modelwill be accompanied by an app totrack gender responsive servicedelivery.

• Partnership building: Strengthenpartnerships with local governmentministries and associations to endorsethe programme as a genderprogramme of choice.

• Increased commitment and owner-ship: Capacity building of senior

council management such as townclerks and CEOs to ensure that genderequality is prioritised in councils. Thiswill add onto the continuous capacitybuilding of GFPs and Gender cham-pions.

• Promote diversity in programming:Include groups such as including youth(e.g. junior councillors), key populations(sex workers and PLWHA), gender anddisability and promoting sexual orienta-tion, gender identity and expression(SOGIE) in the programme.

• Leverage on learning platforms: Show-case good practices in gendermainstreaming at local governmentlevel through the #Voice and Choicesummits.

How we will measure change• Administer the local government

gender scorecard every two years.The scorecard will be done by thecouncil, the community and an inde-pendent panel of judges during the#VoiceandChoice Summits. This willensure that the score is triangulatedprovide a verified performance score.

• Analyse of the case studies submittedto the #VoiceandChoice Summits toestablish what works and to share theseamongst all councils in ten countries.

• Monitor the number of memoranda ofunderstanding signed with ministries oflocal government and local govern-ment associations and the level ofinvolvement by these groups.

• Track budget allocations and in-kindcontributions made by the councils tothe COE process.

• Conduct gender responsive servicedelivery assessments using an onlinesurvey. The results will be analysed andshared with councils to improveservices and gender responsiveness.

• Evaluate gender responsive cam-paigns being rolled out at local levelto assess gender responsive prog-ramming and outreach.

Goal: Halt the cataclys-mic destruction of theplanet through inno-vative links betweengender and climate

justice in our work andpractice.

Specific objectives• Ensuring women and men's equal and

effective participation in decision-making around climate change.

• Strengthening gender mainstreamingat all levels, especially local govern-ment, to ensure that women and men'sspecific needs are addressed.

• Partnerships with climate changefocused and humanitarian organi-sation to draw expertise and leadeffective campaigns.

• Increase the capacity of women andmen politicians to advance genderand climate justice.

• Involve youth, especially youngwomen and promote intergener-ational exchange and learning.

• Ensure internal policy and practicepromotes a green working environ-ment.

What we have achieved• Annual research for the climate justice

chapter in the annual #VoiceandChoice Barometer, which will be ourbaseline for future Barometers whichmeasure progress on the implemen-tation of the SADC Protocol on GenderDevelopment and other relevantframeworks.

• Coordinating SADC Gender andClimate Change cluster of the Alliance.

• Integrated into Sixteen Days of Activismcampaigns and local level advocacywork.

• Sharing of best practices on climatejustice during Protocol@work summits.

• Capacity building on gender conceptsin climate change.

• Internal Organisational Policy onClimate change which includespaperless office; recycling,

• Road transport for short distances,planting of trees by board membersand staff, including Policy on Environ-mentally Sustainable Management ofused PPE at Gender Links. Green work-space - Go Solar, Go green: GenderLinks has remained committed tomaintaining green office workspaces.This is because GL believes that lesscluttered, green friendly and awareoffices make for more holistic andpleasant working environments. At theonset of the Covid-19 pandemic in2020, GL took a further step in the areaof electricity and energy conservationfor its offices in South Africa. Inconsultation with its donors, GL wasable to pivot and negotiate for fundsto install solar equipment. This hasgreatly reduced bills for the Headoffice.

What we have learned• There are few campaigns and initiative

to address climate justice: While theclimate crisis is arguably the biggestthreat of our time, countries have beenslow in adopting and implementinginternational agreements on climatechange. There are just a few climatejustice campaigns or initiatives at thelocal level, where it matters most.

• Women are underrepresented indecision-making on climate changefrom the local to national level, despitebearing the brunt of the climate crisis.

• There are links between COVID-19 andclimate justice which need highlighted- reflection on the COVID-19 responses,or lack of, must inform how the SADCregion shapes climate change adap-tion for generations to come.

• The climate crisis presents the perfectopportunity to for policymakers to focuson building a future that uses a gender

GENDER AND CLIMATE JUSTICE6



lens and addresses the concerns ofthe most vulnerable members ofsociety.

• Data on climate justice is not disaggre-gated by sex making it difficult toquantify the links between genderequality and climate justice.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Conduct research on the links between

gender and climate justice to informadvocacy and campaigning, inclu-ding advocating for climate justiceindicators to be disaggregated by sex.

• Conduct learning sessions for Allianceand local government partners onclimate justice and its links to genderjustice.

• GL and Alliance partners will design aseries of campaigns linked to the 2021#VoiceandChoice Barometer thatdraws links between the COVID-19pandemic and the climate changecrisis. These campaigns will run atregional, national and local level.

• Seek out and document best practiceson climate justice to be showcasedduring Protocol@work summits.

• Work with local councils to developand implement gender aware climatejustice policies and action plans.

• Ensure compliance with internalOrganisational Policy on Climatechange to promote a green workingenvironment.

How we will measure change• Number of campaigns implemented

at national and local levels.• The number of Gender and climate

justice entries to the Protocol@worksummits.

• Tracking the proportion of women indecision-making on climate fromcommunity groups to national govern-ment.

• Number of countries and councils withgender aware climate change policiesand action plans.

• Number of countries providing sexdisaggregated data on climatechange indicators.

GENDER LINKS ORGANISATIONAL CHART 2021

GENDER LINKSASSOCIATION

Kubeshni GovenderChair

Athalia MolokommeBotswana

Thenjiwe MtintsoSouth Africa

Ferial HaffajeeSouth Africa

Keabonye NtsabaneBotswana

Thoko MpumlwanaSouth Africa

Patricia MadeZimbabwe

Emily BrownChairperson

Chigedze VirginiaChinyepiBotswana

Rethabile PholoLesotho

GENDER LINKSBOARD

AuditCommittee

Emma KaliyaMalawi

Mbuyiselo BothaSouth Africa

Thomas Amos Adrian Dowie

Sarah MistryUnited Kingdom

Sarah LongweZambia

Mbuso SimelaneEswatini

Céline Marie YolandeMadagascar

Marie-Annick SavripèneMauritius

Alice GouchUnited Kingdom

GL Marketing& Compliance

28 Marcia

Cottages

Nancy PadareHouse Manager

GL Services &Training

Mukayi MakayaGL ServicesAssociate

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Kubi RamaExecutive Director

Rose MazinyiHouse Assistant

Tinashe ChipwanyaWVL GrantsManager

Fikile MaviyaWVL Grants

Assistant

NomthandazoMankazana Mokoa

WVL Coordinator

Fanuel HadziziSystems

Administrator

Iailfine PapisyMadgascar

Manager

Zotonantenaina RazanandratetaSenior Finance and

ProgrammeOfficer

Madagascar& Francophone

Local Action forGender Justice

Communi-cations for

SocialChange

Tarisai NyamwedaCommunicationsfor Social Change

Manager

Policy &Movement

Building

Shamiso ChigorimboPolicy & MovementBuilding Manager

GLSUSTAINABILITY HUB

Kevin ChirambaGLS Associate

Colleen Lowe MornaSpecial Advisor- Sustainability

Finance,Admin & HR

Casey DedekinFinance Systems

Associate

Mary BangaSenior Finance

& HR Officer

AnnaHarris-Stone

HR Associate

Bhekiwe NcubeDirector ofOperations

DIRECTOR OFOPERATIONS

Thembi MoyoHouse Assistant

Debrah MukukuMarketing &Compliance

Manager

Botswana &SADC Liaison

Local Action forGender Justice

Keletso MetsingSenior Finance &

Programme Officer

OnneetseMakhumaloBotswanaFacilitator

Local Actionfor Gender

Justice

Priscilla MaposaRegional Manager

Zimbabwe

Tapiwa ZvarayaCoordinator

Juliet RusawuSenior Finance

Officer

FinanceSystems

M&E

Monica BandeiraM&E

Associate

Debi LeePublications &

Productions Associate

Susan TolmayGender &

GovernanceAssociate

Gugu NyoniWebsite

Administrator

Simone ShallWeb

Associate

Anushka VirahsawmyLocal Action forGender Justice

Mauritius Manager

Fabian SampayaLocal Action forGender Justice

Namibia Facilitator

Mauritius Namibia

Kaino MaganoKamweka

Namibia Intern

Sheistah BundhooSenior Finance &

Programme Officer

Ncane MaziyaLocal Action forGender Justice

Eswatini FacilitatorThandokuhle Dlamini

Local Action forGender Justice Eswatini Officer

Ntolo Mary LekauSenior Finance &

Programme Officer

MabethaMantebohelengLocal Action forGender Justice

Lesotho Manager Samuel BiembaZambia

Finance Officer

Albert NgosaLocal Action forGender Justice

ZambiaCoordinator

Eswatini Lesotho Zambia

WomenVoice

& LeadershipFund

Naume ZinengeyaHouse Assistant

Kenwood BandaGardener

Kgomotso BaloyiHead Chef

Chukele BaloyiSecurity Officer


Goal: A strong andsustainable organisationthat includes a fundrais ing uni t ; grant

making and incomegenerating capabilities.

Specific objectives• To create and conceptualise the GL

Sustainability Hub (GLSH).• To create a dedicated Fund Raising

Unit that tracks GL's fund raising efforts;helps to direct these more effectively,and builds the capacity of staff andpartners to fund raise.

• To strengthen the Grant ManagementUnit (GMU) and position GL as strongSouthern Africa Grant Making entity;

• To grow Gender Links Advisory Servicesinto a global brand that is renownedfor advancing institutional gendermainstreaming programmes;

• To position Gender Links TrainingInstitute (GTI) as a world class institutionfor training in gender, gender andmedia, gender and political gover-nance;

• To position GL Resources as authenticreference sources of information ongender reporting within the SADCRegion;

• To position Gender Links Cottages(GLC) as the “one-stop shop” for allaccommodation needs, conferencing,catering, tours and events manage-ment in Johannesburg with a strongsafety record on COVID-19.

• To generate revenue that contributestowards GL's long term sustainabilitystrategy by investing operating profitsin the Gender Links Future Fund, whilecontinuing to self-fund and sustain alloperations concerning the GL incomegenerating units.

What we have achievedCreating the GL Sustainability Hub: In2021 GL achieved its goal of creating a“bird with two wings”: the NGO carrying

out GL's core programme delivery, anda Sustainability Hub concerned with longterm sustainability. As part of GL'ssuccession plan, the founding CEOColleen Lowe Morna handed over tothe former Deputy CEO, Kubi Rama, nowthe Executive Director. Lowe-Morna isnow Special Advisor to the SustainabilityHub that comprises three units: A FundRaising Unit (FRU); Grants ManagementUnit (GMU) and GL's two income-generating units, GL Services and GLCottages.

Fund Raising Unit (FRU)Like any other NGO, GL puts out 50 to60 funding applications each year withvarying results. Globally, the Associationof Women in Development (AWID) hasfound that only 1% of aid goes directlyto women's rights organisation. GL hasbeen part of global advocacy efforts toensure that WRO secure the funds theyneed to do their work effectively. Thepurpose of the FRU is to help GL betternavigate traditional funding (bilateral,multilateral and foundations) both in itsregional and country offices, as well asexplore new types of funding.

SIX

GO

ALS

FO

R IN

STIT

UTI

ON

AL

EFFE

CTI

VEN

ESS SUSTAINABILITY1

GL AssociationBoard of Directors

M and E SystemsAdministrator

Policy andMovement building

Comminication forSocial Change

Fund RaisingUnit

Grant making

GL Services andGL Cottages

Executive committee

Madagascar

South Africa

Mauritius

Mozambique

Zambia

Lesotho

Eswatini

Zimbabwe

Local Action for Gender Justice

Botswana

Executive Director GL NPODirector ofOperattions

Special Advisor GLSustainability Hub


In the new areas, the link between theFRU and GL's social entrepreneurshipventures is deliberate. GL is exploringpotential new types of funding such ascorporate social responsibility funds; HighNet Worth Individuals; public and onlinegiving. For example, during its 20thanniversary celebrations, GL ran a liveonline giving platform that generated$10,000 in untied funds. The value of suchfunds is both the branding opportunityand the fact that they can be investedin the GL Future Fund. This is a new areain which GL still has much to learn.

Regional/Country

HNWI

Public giving

Bilateral

Multilateral

Foundations

Online giving

HNWI

Multilateral

NEW FUNDING MODALITIES

Multilateral

Bilateral

Foundations

WROin theSouth Multilateral

Foundations

WROin theSouth

POOL FUNDS

INGOS

CONSORTIUMS

SNGOs/WR Funds

INTERMEDIARIES

Bilateral

Traditional funding modalities are nowfar more complex. In the past, GLbenefitted directly from funds set up bybilateral and multilateral fundingagencies. As a result of budget cuts innorthern capitals, these funds are nowbeing pooled or made available toconsortiums; or being channeledthrough intermediaries (usually largernorthern NGOs). In addition to beingmore difficult to access, these “trickle”down amounts are much smaller thanin the past. A high degree of agility andskill is required to access ever dwindlingresources, especially amid a pandemic.The role of the FRU is to advise senior

management on emerging trends;gather information on opportunities;assist in preparing proposals (especiallythe larger grants); curate useful docu-ments and information needed forapplications and due diligence; trackperformance; conduct regular reviewsand on-the-job capacity building.

Grant makingAs part of studying the funding land-scape, GL has noted the trend in recentyears towards the emergence of strongand capable southern NGOs that canthemselves serve as intermediaries.


In 2019, Global Affairs Canada con-tracted GL to manage its Women, Voiceand Leadership Grant in South Africa(approximately US$3.1 million). Thisprovided GL the opportunity to set upa Grants Management Unit (GMU) andall its related systems. GL currentlymanages over 40 multi-year core,networking and rapid response grantsfor women's rights organisations acrossthe country. GL leveraged an additional$66 000 in funding from UKAID for theCOVID-19 Rapid Response Grants.

To support the technical componentsof Grants Management, GLS developedits own end-to-end online basedplatform that supports the entire grantsmaking cycle f rom Grant Cal lAnnouncements, online based ConceptNotes, automated email acknowledge-ment notes, online based Full GrantApplication Proposals. These are

supported by online scoring systems forboth Concept Notes and Full Appli-cations. The functionality allows for bothquantitative and qualitative scoring andcomments. This cloud based system alsoallows uploading of documents andimages. The Grants Management plat-form interfaces with the GL Sage Pastelsystem which accommodates thefinancial aspects of grants manage-ment. The online platform also takesinto account Due Diligence admini-stration and reporting. All submissionsare stored in the cloud, accessible andretrievable at any time. The system isoperational and functioning smoothly.

Although only in its second year ofgranting, GLS is confident that the grantsmanagement system is working well andstrong governance structure are in placeto effectively roll out the grants makingprocesses.

Gender Linksown incomegenerating

initiative

GLENDOWMENT

FUND

GLCOTTAGES

EventsTour & Shuttle

ServiceCatering Services

GL ResourcesGL PublicationsGL Surveys

ConferencingAccommodation

GLSERVICES

GL TrainingInstitute

GL AdvisoryServices

What we have achieved


Gender Links “own income generating”portfolio comprises two dynamic inde-pendent business units, Gender LinksServices (GLS) and Gender LinksCottages (GLC). These two portfolioswere inspired by an external evaluationthat suggested that GL should leverageits physical and intellectual assets, turninga “wealth of knowledge into wealth”.Within GLS are three complimentaryunits, GL Advisory Services, GrantManagement, GTI and GL Resources.

Over the last decade, GenderLinks Advisory Services hasserviced close to 100consultancy contracts for a

range of bi lateral andmultilateral agencies, donors and NGOs.These cover policy and strategydevelopment; research; gender audits,institutional and systems support,evaluations and speaking engage-ments.

The Gender Links TrainingInstitute (GTI) provides trainingin Gender Main-streaming,Gender Responsive Bud-geting, Gender and Media Monitoringand Entrepreneurship Training Course.A unique selling point for GTI is its ability

to also produce customised and clientspecific training modules.

GL Resources: This unit isresponsible for sel l ing,marketing and promotingGL produced publications,books, reports, photos andSurveys through the online book shopas well as the UK-based African BooksCollective.

GL Cottages and Conferencingis a bed and breakfast facilityclose to the GL offices thatis run commercially to service

GL's needs (about 20% of thetime) and those of other clients (mostlylike-minded NGOs) the rest of the time.This is a social entrepreneurship venturededicated to service excellence. GLCottages endeavours to keep up withthe latest hospitality industry trends andprovide customers with innovativesolutions offering flexible arrangementsto increase convenience to customers.Like all hospitality industries the GLCottages experienced a severe blowas a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. How-ever, the GLC has become an icon ofGL resilience, bouncing back wheneverthe situation permits.

GL

AD

VISORY

S E R VICE

S

GL TRAINING

IN STIT U TEG

L

PUBLICATION

S

AN

D

P R O D U CTION

S

GL COTTAGES

&C

O NFE REN CING


• $1 mn• Match Fund -

AnonymousDonor

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• $1 mn• Saved by GL

- own income

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• $1 mn• Match Fund -

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• $1 mn• To raise• 14 months

GL

TO R

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202

5


From the beginning, GL has had anendowment fund comprising incomegenerated through GL Services, the GLCottages and Conferencing Centre,interest earned and private donations.Presently this stands at about $1 million.We have been promised $1 million on amatch basis by an African philanthropist.Our challenge is to raise another $1million by 2025. At $3 million the fund willyield approximately $300,000 per annumto be applied to the core costs thathave been so severely affected byfunding cuts. The GL Future Fund (GLFF)is at the heart of GL's sustainabilitystrategy.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Further develop the GMU

through improved grantand financial managementsystems.

• Develop guidelines for the FRU forapproval by the Board.

• Make a list of targeted Corporates;find out which area their funding focusis and what CSI budget they haveavailable; create tailored custommade pitch for each of them, thataligns with their goals.

• Enrol interns that will assist withorganising fundraising events andmobilising.

• Acquire 18A Status with SARS to issueTax certificates to private donors.

• Complete the process of patentingkey GL intellectual property and ensurethis is done routinely.

• Complete Services SETA accreditationfor the GTI in South Africa.

• Promote GLS Surveys online in atargeted way, focusing on the relevantorganisations that can make us of GLResources.

• Target book distributors in all the SADCcountries, and identify more distributorsin South Africa to carry and promoteGL publications.

• Implementation of the “Hotel Eye” Appat GL Cottages.

• Enhanced branding and positioningand brand awareness -we need todecide who our specific customers areand tailor make our product offeringto suit that clientele.

• Product diversification - GLC will needto set up a coffee shop and createoutdoor bar area. For winter, GLC willintroduce outdoor boma fires andintroduce traditional foods.

• Leveraging off the GL networks andsmart partnerships with travel and tours.

How we will measure changeThe GLSH will measure itself against thefollowing 2025 targets and indicators:• GL ODS Score sustainability: GLHS will

seek to maintain or better the currentscore (92%).

• Funding in dollars: The GLSH will striveto bring GL's annual income back upto $4million per annum; still lower thanin 2015, but better than in recent years.

• Total no of donors: The GLSH aims tohelp reduce the number of donors(from 34 to a more manageable 20)while increasing the amount eachgives.

• Smallest grant (dollars): GLHS will seekto raise the amount of the smallestgrant, currently $739, to at least $5000.

• Largest grant (dollars): GLHS will seekto have larger grants in the mix, withthe largest grant around $2 million perannum.

• Sub granting amount (dollars): GLHSaims to increase on granting from itscurrent level of close to $400,000 anannum to $1 million per annum.

• No of sub grants: The number of sub-grants will also be increased, from 60to 80.

• Own income (dollars): GLHS will seekto restore own income (severelyaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic,to former levels of about $500,000 perannum.

Goal : A robus t andtransparent system andprocesses for planning,monitoring, evaluation,learning, innovation,

knowledge managementand sharing.

Specific objectives• Establish a seamless process from

planning, to monitoring, evaluating,learning, knowledge and innovation.

• Increase the quality of quantitativeand qualitative Results for Changedata.

• Improve data verification and integrity.• Improve data visualisation and dissemi-

nation.• Enhance accountability to donors and

beneficiaries by disseminating andengaging with our findings.

• Enhance a results-for-change culturewithin the organisation by creating aplan l inked to decision-makingprocesses.

What we have achieved• GL pioneered and over time has

honed the concept of Results forChange, encompassing M&E, know-ledge, innovation and learning.

• We have developed 135 online surveysthrough Alchemer platform and 91reports on Google Data Studio.

• At the output level, GL gathers infor-mation on the number of events andbeneficiaries through online forms.

• At the outcome level, GL gathersquantitative data through threesurveys: a gender attitudes quiz; acitizen score card where the publicrate their governments performanceon gender and a SADC Protocol onGender and Develop knowledge quizto ascertain how aware the public isof the instrument.

• At every GL event, participant's fill inonline evaluation forms that assists in

assessing the quality of GL's work andareas that need improvement.

• GL gathers data on cost saving andin-kind support through online forms.

• GL uses Alchemer for research onspecific areas of work, for example theGender Progress Score (GPS) or atti-tude survey and the Gender andMedia Progress Study.

• The GL online tools facilitate easy datagathering. Participants are able to fillin surveys on smart phones, tablets andcomputers. The results are available inreal time and analyses can be donerapidly because the data is stored indatabase.

• Greater transparency and account-ability, GL is able to provide robustevidence for all our actions anddecisions to stakeholders, donors andbeneficiaries. Additionally, the M&Edata we produce helps donors weightheir funds' efficacy in funded projects,which influences their current and

RESULTS FOR CHANGE2

RESULTSFOR

CHANGE

Monitoring

Learning

Evaluation

Knowledge

OrganisationalEffectiveness

Innovation

GENDER LINKS RESULTS FOR CHANGE MODEL



future funding plans. GL is currently aregistered member with IATI and hasdata on the platform.

• Improved project performance - feed-back forms, like the evaluation form,help us in better understanding thetarget population's needs. This helps

to define the scope of the project anddesign objectives that are relevant,measurable and achievable.

• Over the last five years GL has investedin data visualisation and is makingprogress in producing research reportsin multi-media formats.

The launch of the 2019 to 20020 Gender ProgressScore in August 2020 is an example of how GL is usingM and E tools and giving visibility to the findings.Alliance and COE partners helped to gather over35,000 responses to questions that measure attitudesacross the SADC region. GL produced a regionaland 15 country reports. These have been turned intopower point presentations and infographicsdisseminated through social media. Participants inthe study and launch, including individual councils,have access to the results through google datasheets on the GL website. The launch is being turnedinto a year- long campaign by linking questions tokey dates. Partners will use the research to promptradio talk shows and other inter-active ways ofengaging with the findings. Read more:https://genderlinks.org.za/gender-links-community/surveys/southern-africa-gender-progress-score-gender-attitudes/

GPS - Gender

Progress Score

• GL has a strong tradition of gatheringqualitative evidence in the form ofpersonal accounts and testimonies ofbeneficiaries in follow up research, forexample, in the case of those whoparticipate in the Sunrise project "I"Stories. GL is encouraging partners touse digital technologies to producevlogs - first-hand accounts in shortvideo clips.

What we have learned• Tools change in response to new donor

requirements, ideas and experiencesand may render gathered data inade-quate. For example, different donors

have different age categories theywant disaggregated.

• Too often staff and partners administerM and E without an appreciation ofwhy this is being done.

• Quality checking of data and dataintegrity remain serious challenges,often surfacing well into the researchproject.

• Giving ownership of our M&E processesto partners is a double edge sword. Itsaves GL resources and releases theburden of doing everything for councilsand partner organisations like WVLgrantees. The challenge is that somecouncils fail to take ownership of the


project and GL has to carry the burdenof training and capturing data forcouncils and partner organisations.Changes and transfers of Gender FocalPersons interrupts the work. Internetconnectivity poses challenges in somelocal councils since most of our toolsare online.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Practical solutions to challenges such

as working in offline mode so thatconnectivity issues are averted

• Sharpening the focus of best practicessubmitted at summits to elucidate howthe SADC Gender Protocol is beingused.

• Analysis of the qualitative evidence -Changing Lives, I Stories, Women inPolitics profiles.

• Staff and partner capacity building toenhance appreciation of the value ofM&E.

• Follow up IATI compliance training andimplementation.

How we will measure change• Analysis of data collected from various

sources and surveys. GL will do furtherdisaggregation of data to includesexual identity, disability, income, urbanand rural.

• Longitudinal tracking of participants inthe Sunrise project. Each participantwill complete the GEI at the beginningof the programme to establish base-lines. These will be re-administered atthe end of the process to measurechange.

• Qualitative data (Drivers of Change,“I” Stories and institutional profiles.)


Goal: Making IT work forgender justice through“fit for purpose” useof digital technologiesto give visibility to the

work of partners andbeneficiaries.

Specific Objectives• Increase the visibility of GL works across

all its different programme areas.• Growing, engaging, and inspiring

Gender Links' network of followers andsupporters.

• GL programmes need to reach out toas many beneficiaries as possible, ICTprovides an easier platform for this tobe achieved.

• Use the latest social media platformsfor information sharing and outreach.

• Be able to explain complex ideas in asimple and easy-to-understand way.

• Use digital media analytics and socialmedia listening to feed into the overallorganisational and contribute to theorganisations priorities.

Since inception GL has had as one of itsslogan's “Making IT work for genderjustice.” GL has harnessed the power ofIT to work efficiently and effectivelyinternally, as well as enhance theagency of the women with whom wework, as illustrated in the graphic.

What we have achieved• Having an online presence: The use of

online media can no longer be ignoredin undertaking advocacy work. GL hasestablished owned media through theGL website as well as social mediaplatforms such as Facebook, Twitter,Instagram that sustain its online pre-sence. This has assisted the organisationto reach far and beyond the bordersof the SADC region. The organisationswork can be read and engaged within far reaching places. By December2020 GL had accumulated 7004 Face-book followers on its regional Facebookpage while on Twitter the organisationhad 7667 followers. GL also has countryspecific Facebook pages whichcountry office use to share countryspecific work. By end of 2020, thesepages had followers that range froma high of 4039 in Madagascar to 520in Namibia.

• Use social media to effectivelydisseminate results: GL has beensuccessful in coordinating the creationand dissemination of digital content(websites, email, online actions, videos,social and multimedia content) forvarious projects including on SRHRto disseminate project results. Forexample, GL has created social mediaplans and editorial calendars basedon the Southern Africa GenderProtocol Voice and Choice Barometerfindings. Having this content inmultimedia formats including in videoformats has made this easier tounderstand.

• Maintaining a diverse lists of contacts:In order to stay connected to as manyof GL's beneficiaries as possible theorganisation has a bulk messagingsystem. The list serve has 6581 contactsthat can be easily reached with onemail shot. The announcements includecalls to actions, press releases, infor-mation and articles on gender-related

COMMUNICATING RESULTS3

OrganisationalIT

Internalcommunication

Outreach Externalcommunication

• Microsoft 365, Cloud computingand the Intranet

• Online financial system• Orange HR system• Results for Change

• Email lists • Zoom • Whats App groups

• List serve

• Website • Community of Practice• Social media


issues. The list serve is reviewed annuallyto keep it up-to-date. After every eventor activity new participants areuploaded to the list serve. GL uses theseannouncements to direct traffic to theGL website and social media.

• Digital campaigning: GL has been akeen user of digital tools and platforms,community engagement tactics, andcreative online content to helpengage and inspire people to takeaction and keep gender equality onthe agenda. GL with its partnerorganisations in the Southern AfricaGender Protocol Alliance have run amultifaceted campaign with a strongonline presence through the #VoiceandChoice campaign. GL is currentlyleading the #VaccineGenderJusticeCampaign which is calling on SouthernAfrican countries to provide sex, ageand region disaggregated data tomonitor vaccine roll out so as to ensurethat vaccines are reaching margina-lised communities.

• Used webinars to focus discussions ongender equality issues. This allowed foronline discussions across countries onvarious thematic areas especiallyduring periods like during Sixteen Daysof No Violence Against Women GL rantargeted discussions on themes relatedto gender-based violence (GBV). Thisallowed for cross country informationexchanges, developing a regionalgender movement and to communi-cate in different languages acrossborders.

• Development of an online Communityof Practice: The Southern Africa GenderCommunity of Practice is a virtualspace that includes resources andsurveys and gender and women's rightsissues. The platform may be used toset up forums and petitions. GL usesthe facility to bring together groups ofinterested people to discuss genderconcerns across borders and lang-uages. The discussions always endwith recommendations for lobbyingand advocacy on the issue. The GL

Community of Practice is a virtualspace that includes resources andsurveys and gender and women's rightsissues. The platform may be used toset up forums and petitions. GL usedthe platform to create discussion onSafe Abortion and gather signaturesto lobby for Safe Abortion legislationin the lead up to International SafeAbortion Day on the 28 September2019.

What we have learned• Need a detailed communications plan

to ensure sustained engagement andgrowth. Communications also requiresa dedicated budget for digital cam-paigning to reach a wider audienceand a better targeted audience.

• T h e n e e d f o r m u l t i f a c e t e dapproaches. Online communities aresupported by some of offline presenceto complement the actions that arehappening virtually

What we will do in 2021-2025• GL will develop a comprehensive digi-

tal engagement strategy designed toeducate and mobilise existing as wellas new audiences. This strategy will belinked closely to the offline campaignsthat GL does on the ground.

• With digital campaigning gettingincreased attention GL will strengthenits capacity in developing and imple-menting online campaigns for changethrough methods such as petitions,


social media actions or creative onlinedisruption tactics, and managingsupporter communities (such as largemailing lists, online groups, subscribers,social media followers, online activistspaces). It will also increase knowledgeand share and learn amongst its keypartners in using digital campaigningor organising so as to strengthen eachother's efforts in online activism.

• As part of its communications strategyGL will drive digital engagementthrough online content production,social media channel and distributionof multimedia work that engagesaudiences in its gender equality work.

• Contribute to the training and digitalempowerment of staff, partners andbeneficiaries in digital campaigningand organising skills to assist inimproving online presence which givevisibility to the work of partners andbeneficiaries.

• Identify opportunities and leadplanning and implementation of onlinecampaigns around a variety of targetsthat meet our goals of growing andempowering the regional women'srights movement, including supportingbottom-up, user-generated cam-paigns for example in the WomenVoice and Leadership programme.

• Doing more visual work to commu-nicate project content as well projectresults. GL will produce more audiovisual content utilise filmmaking andediting experience in its team andthrough associates to advance theorganisations communications' objec-tives.

How we will measure change• Track the number of influencers that

follow the organisation and the GLcontent that influencers share, quoteand follow on digital platforms.

• On digital platforms will measure theactivity, reach, engagement (reads;comments shares, likes, visits) andfollower rates on various platformsincluding the website, Facebook,Twitter and Instagram. With increasedefforts on online communications andcampaigns GL seeks to reach 15000followers on both Facebook and Twitterand 5000 followers on its recentlycreated Instagram account.

• Measure the number of videos produ-ced in support of the projects and thevideo views garnered through thismaterial.


Goal: Engaged, capablestaff, partners, andassociates with themotivation, facilitiesand tools to deliver high

quality work.

Specific objectives• Strengthen and develop an efficient,

effective results-based humanresource function for a dynamic, agileand responsive organisation that hascapacity to meet requirements of allits stakeholders, donors, sub-granteesand partners.

• Prioritise the wellbeing of Gender Linksstaff and create a healthy, safe and

productive working space for staffmembers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Provide effective management over-sight and efficient support services fromthe South Africa Head Quarters, toallow for the optimal use of humanresources for greater impact of GL'work across the SADC region.

• Maintain an organisation that has theright people in the right positions withthe right skills to accomplish the goalsof the organisation. Major staffing focuswill be given to new areas of growthsuch as SRHR and grant-making.


INVESTING IN PEOPLE4

No. of staff

Sex

No of staff per unit

Qualifications

Length of service

Masters

10

Less than three years

8

BA in progress

3

Three years to six years

8

F

29

Country Offices & GLC

35

BA

15

More than six years

19

Total 46

M

17

GL HQ

11

Diploma

7

Average

6 years

GL STAFF PROFILE: SUMMARY OF KEY FACTS 2020

• A diverse, well qualified and stablestaff: GL has a total staff complimentof 46 staff in 2020; 14 deployed at HeadOffice in Johannesburg; 21 in the ninecountry offices and 11 hospitality staffat the GL Cottages and Conferencing,which forms part of GL's sustainabilityefforts. Over the past 5 years, theaverage staff compliment for GL hasbeen 40 staff members and this willprobably cont inue to be thereasonable and realistic target goinginto the 2021-2025 period.

On average, GL staff have served for sixyears. This is three times the global Length

of Service (LOS) of three years. Nineteenstaff have served over six years; 8 staffthree to six years, and only 8 staff lessthan three years. This shows great stabilityand resilience despite the funding shocksthat GL has experienced in recent years.It also reflects a high level of staff loyalty.All GL professional staff (excluding GLCot tages s ta f f ) have te r t ia ryqualifications. The highest number (15)have Bachelors' degrees; three arestudying for Bachelors' degrees; ten (orclose to one third of professional staffhave Masters' degrees. Seven (less thana third) have diplomas. These figuresreflect a highly skilled staff fit for the high


performance environment demandedby GL and its funders. GL therefore hasno doubt that with this kind of stableand suitable staff profile; it is ready totake on the future.

• Investment in robust HR Systems:Gender Links has successfully investedin a state of the art online automated,Human Resources Managementsystem which tracks the full life cycleof a staff member from the time of jobapplication, recruitment and selection,performance management, absencemanagement (leave) time use, all theway to staff exit resignation.

• S u c c e s s f u l i m p l e -mentation of Covid-19Protocols and vaccine rollout: GL won accolades asone of the first organi-sations to return to workafter the first wave of thepandemic mid-2020. GLadopted a COVID-19

policy soon after lockdown, training ofits staff members on all the safetyprotocols and procedures in line withthe World Health Organisationrecommendations. Measures takeninclude:• Risk assessment and identification of

staff members with comorbidities• Flexible work from home policy to

assist high risk staff• Purchase of Personal Protective

Equipment for staff: GL procured facemasks, face shields and sanitisers forthe offices

• Daily testing of temperatures for staffand visitors.

• Minimising contact among em-ployees, clients, and customers byreplacing face-to-face meetings withvirtual communications e.g. confe-rence calls, Skype, Zoom.

• Minimizing the number of employeeson site at any given time e.g. rotationor shift work.

• Discontinuing nonessential local andinternational travel.

• Providing employees with up-to-dateeducation and training on COVID-19 risk factors and protectivebehaviours (e.g. cough etiquette andcare of PPE).

• Public display of posters and signageon Covid-19 protocols in the office.

What we have learnt• Succession planning: After a few false

starts at seeking a successor for theCEO, GL studied two models of suc-cession - one in which the foundingCEO makes a clean break (thegraceful exit) and another in whichthe CEO continues to support sustain-ability of the organisation (the mutualsuccess model). The Board opted forthe latter, given the precarious fundingenvironment and this has been thewinning formula.

• Flexible contracts: In 2021, GL reducedthe full time staff complement, placingsome staff members on Service LevelAgreements in which they are paidaccording to time and deliverables.This has reduced the burden of full timestaff costs, while increasing the levelof skill and productivity.

• Decentralisation of the human resour-ces function: Over the period duringwhich Gender Links has not had a full

At the time of writingabout one third of GL staffhad been infected byCOVID-19 but with nofatalities. None contractedthe virus at the work place.80% of GL staff have beenvaccinated, a highpercentage consideringthat less than 10% of SADCcitizens have had thisopportunity. This istestament to the high levelof awareness in theorganisation.


time HR Manager, we have learnt thatthis function can be devolved tofrontline management in each unit/country office.

• Mental well-being: Out HR consultanthas focused on mental well-beingespecially during the time of COVID-19. She arranged a series of onlineseminars with experts that contributedgreatly to staff morale during lock-down.

• Work from Home: The pandemic hastaught us that with good systems, it ispossible for staff members to work fromanywhere in the world and still deliverefficiently as long as there are checksand balances in place with cleardeliverables.

What we will do 2021-2025

• Maintaining a “revolving door” in whichstaff that resign, retire or are retren-ched are replaced by new or returningstaff that help to regenerate theorganisation as it restructures, right sizes,and displays resilience in the face ofmany challenges.

• Strategic recruitment: As Gender Linkscontinues to break new ground ingrant-making space and SRHR, recruit-ment will be done very intentionallyand targeted at acquiring fresh skillsand adequate capacity for excellentservice.

• Maintain a committed team of Consul-tants and Associates: Gender Links'success and service delivery dependson having a competent and commit-ted workforce capable of delivering

the organisations' mission and respon-ding effectively to donors, sub-grantees, partners and all its stake-holders. A combination of core staff,Associates and external servicesproviders with expertise knowledge willbe used to ensure efficient and excel-lent delivery.

• Re-enforcement of organisationalpolicies to stakeholders: Future focuswill be on sharing our Gender Links HR,Integrity and Finance policies with sub-grantees, partners, service providersand all beneficiaries of Gender Links.This is to ensure compliance by GL andstrengthen the sector overall.

• Vaccination roll-out campaign strategyto be shared with partners: As GenderLinks, over the next few years we willmake it part of our corporate socialresponsibility to ensure that we spreadthe vaccination gospel to all our sub-grantees, partner's service providersand all who work within our spheres.

• Strengthening of Human Resourcespractices and staff wellness: GenderLinks will further strengthen HumanResources practices by bringing in anHR Consultant who will conductfrequent training and offer wellnesssessions to staff.

How will we measure change• No of staff; at HQ and in country offices

and levels of qualification. With a likelyreduction in the number of field officesdue to funding challenges, the numberof staff may in fact reduce.

• Proportion of staff to associatesbecomes an even more importantindicator than before, as associatesgenerally provide a high level of skills.

• Average length of service.• Average age of staff• Proportion of HR costs to the budget

overall.• Proportion of support to programme

staff.• Proportion of budget spent on capa-

city building• Proportion of staff fully vaccinated.

Crisis - opportunity - 10R’s

ResignationsRetrenchment

Retirement

RESTRUCTURINGRESILIENCE

RIGHT SIZING

ReturnRenewal

RegenerationRetention


Goal: Strong, continuouslyupdated policies andpractices overseen by adiverse, compliant andaccountable gover-

nance structure.

Specific objectives• A strong, well respected, transparent

ad accountable governance structurethat strikes a good balance betweenretention and renewal, providingregional diversity, expertise andstrategic guidance.

• A strong, continuously updated suiteof integrity policies that is well under-stood by staff and partners, appliedand refined as appropriate.

• Compliance with statutory require-ments by GL offices across the SADCregion.


• GL has a well-established two tiergovernance structure: The Associationis GL's highest decision-making body.The Association appoints Board forthree year terms of three years each(renewable based on performance).The Association monitors the perfor-mance of Board Members and reviewsall Board decisions. These may be sentback for amendments. The Boardappoints an Executive Committee

comprising chairs of committees whichmeet biennially ahead of boardmeetings in May and October. Thesecommittees are: the organisationaldevelopment committee; prog-rammes committee; country opera-tions and diversification committee.The audit committee is an indepen-dent structure that reports to the Board.In 2021, three Board members retired;two joined the Association whichprovides an avenue for founding BoardMembers to continue to share theirexpertise and oversight. GL has threenew Board Members from Eswatini,Mauritius and Madagascar. Thetwelve-member Board is drawn from8 SADC countries with two BoardMembers from the UK.

• Setting up an Integrity and Compli-ance Unit: in late 2019, Gender Linksset up and Integrity and Compliancefunction that monitors compliance.

• Registration of an office in the UK: In2019 GL registered an office in the UKto assist in fund raising and representingthe organisation overseas.

• “A” rating by auditors on organisationalrisk and integrity: GL takes pride in thefact that it has consistently receivedgood reports from its major donors. In2020, BDO Auditors awarded GenderLinks an A-class evaluation report aftercarrying out the GL Organisational Riskand Integrity Assessment (ORIA). TheGL Board reviews bi-annually the RiskRegister and debates risk mitigatingfactors presented by management atevery Board meeting. In 2021, GlobalAffairs Canada also issued an excellentevaluation of GL's systems, policies andprocedures.

• Absence of lawsuits over a period of20 years: Gender Links has been inexistence for 20 years and there hasnot been a single lawsuit filed againstthe organisation in all of its countryoffices across the SADC region

GOOD GOVERNANCE5

GL ASSOCIATION

GL BOARD AUDITCOMMITTEE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEChair and the Chairs of Committees

ORGANISATIONDEVELOPMENT

COMMITTEE

PROGRAMMESCOMMITTEE

COUNTRYOPERATIONSCOMMITTEE

DIVERSIFICATIONCOMMITTEE


• Trademarking and Patenting of GL'name and Logo: The GL boardresolved in 2020 that the organisation'sname, logo and intellectual propertybe patented for protection andreserving copyrights. This process is atadvanced stages and being carriedout by specialised patent lawyers inall the GL regional offices. The GenderLinks name has already been reservedin Mozambique.

What we have learnt• Application of GL Memorandum of

Incorporation statutes (MOI): GL hasencountered a few incidentssuggesting that its original MOI needsto be updated to clarify proceduresfor the appointment of Board Membersby the Association to ensure that thisprocess is more rigorous.

• Registration of satellite offices: optionsvary from country to country from crea-ting branch offices to independentregistration. GL's unfortunate experi-ence in Mozambique where a break-away board defied the authority ofthe regional board and had to beexpelled has led to greater caution inthe registration of new offices. The GL

Board nonetheless continues to explorepotential off shoots, especiallyinternationally.

What we will do 2021-2025• Ensure strong corporate governance,

checks and balances.• Review and standardise all policies.• Create a compliance register that is

monitored monthly, quarterly andannually at all the appropriate levels.

• Offer online training for staff in allorganisational policies.

• Ensure that sub-grantees and partnersare fully oriented on all GL Governanceand Institutional policies and whereappropriate that these are incorpo-rated into stakeholder's contracts.

• Training and capacity building of Boardmembers as part of Board orientationespecially in countries where Boardmembers assist with financial oversight.The training will clearly outline responsi-bilities and roles of Board members.

How we will measure change• Governance scores on the Gender

Links Organisational scorecard signifi-cantly improved from 75% in 2015 to84% in 2020. The target for 2025 is 90%.


Goal: Strong financialcompliance, systems andpractices that resultin zero tolerance forcorruption as well as

Value for Money.

Specific ObjectivesTo ensure:• Financial sustainability and budgetary

control.• Revise accounting Policies and Proce-

dures in line with the South AfricanCompanies Act provisions on achie-ving sustainable compliance andsynchronising donor reporting require-ments and institutional auditing guide-lines.

• Produce reliable and timely financialmanagement information.

• State of the art systems that facilitatemulti-country and currency operations.

• Unqualified annual audits completedwithin the first three months of the year.

• Support and capacity building forpartners and grantees.

What we have achieved• Regular updating of IT and financial

policies, including the recent reviewof exchange rate policies, to ensurethat these are in line with donor require-ments.

• A strong underlying IT infrastructure withhigh internet speeds, regularly main-tained.

• Move to Sage Evolution with countryoffices set up as branches. Granteeshave independent licences to ensurethat all grant reporting is on oneplatform.

• Eight sets of key Sage IntelligenceReporting (SIR) Financial reportspresented monthly which included; (1)Chart 1 Summary, (2) Donor Reportsfor all current donors, (3) CountryReports, (4) Institutional Reports - all GL

project reports, (5) HR Report, (6)Operations Report, (7) GLC Report, (8)GLS Report.

• Unqualified audit opinions for insti-tutional audits as well as Agreed UponProcedures (AUP) for our donor audits.

• All financial document storage is nowdigitised, making it possible for mostoversight to be done virtually.

• Successful addressing of two difficultcases with WVL grantees: one suspec-ted fraud, another non-performance.

What we have learned• Systems are constantly being updated;

GL must remain abreast of thesedevelopments.

• Strong finance management is at theheart of credible management.

• Financial management challengesprovide the opportunity to revisepolicies, procedures and systems toensure more flexible approaches thataddress inconsistencies and weak-nesses in the entire system.

What we will do in 2021-2025• Complete move to Sage Intacct which

is designed for NGOs. Ensure maximumadherence to the policies and proce-dures that will be reviewed on anannual basis during the strategy period.

• Gender Links will remain accountableto the donor agencies and individualswho support its work.

• Completion of audit reports threemonths following the end of financialyear, no management letter pointsand audit costs maintained year onyear during the strategy period.

• Procurement policies and proceduresstrictly adhered to ensure optimisationof value for money (VFM) as wellintegration of donor procurementguidelines and thresholds in order toeliminate instances noncompliancewith donor regulations relating toprocurement rules and regulations.

SOUND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & VALUE FOR MONEY6


• Indirect costs will be contained within7-12% of direct costs.

• Statutory compliance in all offices.• Annual registration compliance returns

submitted accordingly as per thestatutory controlling bodies, such as;the South African Companies andIntellectual Property Commission(CIPC) and other Company registrationregulatory authorities in other GLcountry offices.

• Firm checks are mandatory, for mini-mizing such illicitness and preventingabuse of resources. These will beaddressed with complete financialplanning, coordination and control.Currency risks will be managed throughplanned funds movement betweenstronger currency accounts and thefunctional currencies as well as theallocation to country projects for shortterm liquidity where necessary andadoption of appropriate exchangerate policies to eliminate exchangerate losses.

How we will measure change• Gender Links will conduct organi-

sational scorecard survey to measure

the impact of systems improvement,financial policies and procedures onthe organisational long term planning,operational efficiency and allocationof resources across the programmesand units of the organisation.

• From annual financial statements,Gender Links will measure percentagechange in the funding on an annualbasis to ensure that the funding targetis contributed to gradually throughoutthe strategy period.

• Evidence of new Grants ManagementContracts annually will indicate thegrowth of sub-granting towards the2025 target.

• Gender Links will always do quotecomparisons in order to ascertain andmeasure value for money in each andevery instance of procurement ofgoods and services and report on suchon a monthly basis.

• Management decisions will be testedagainst the financial informationprovided to ensure all financialdecisions can be attributed to financialinformation provided during financialreporting and updates.

ANNEX A: GL SWOT ANALYSIS 2021-2025

STRENGTHS CHALLENGES GOALS

OUR WORK

STRATEGICPILLARS

So

uthern Africa

Gen der Protocol A

llian

cePO

LIC

YA

ND

M

OVEMENT BUILDING

GENDER AND

CLIMATE CHANGE

GE

ND

ER

AND MEDIA

50/5

0EQUAL PARTICIPATIO

N

INDECISION-MAKIN

G

LOC

ALACTION FOR GENDER

JUSTICE

•GL has clearly defined partners and target groups at local,national and regional level.

•GL is a sought-after partner because of the value it places onpartnerships, donor relations and research.

•GL staff are not always able toattend partner events as thereare competing priorities.

•Not all partners feel ownership.•Sub-granting (e.g. with WVL)

and downstream contracting(e.g. with the Alliances)introduces a new powerdynamic. GL has to managebeing a partner and beingaccountable for funds.

A strong Southern Africanwomen's movementadvocating for#VoiceandChoice and holdinggovernment to account forglobal, African and regionalcommitments.

•Over the last three years the Alliance has forged a strong,inclusive SRHR cluster including LGBTIQ organisations.Campaigns are taking shape and having an impact.

•Strong media monitoring base with the Gender and MediaProgress Study and links to media training institutions.

•A strong research base especially on gender and localgovernment with practical links between programmes,especially the Local Action for Gender Justice and MediaProgramme.

The most extensive regional programme on gender responsivelocal governance ever undertaken by an NGO that has grownincrementally with increased local ownership through the “hub”and “spoke” programmes

COVID-19 has given added urgency to gender and climatejustice debates. This is a cross cutting theme at GL - in the workof the Alliance, local government and media. GL has a greenoffice policy and used green travel savings during lockdown toswitch to solar.

•Considerable push back onsensitive topics such as safeabortion, LGBTIQ, adolescentsexual and reproductivehealth, child marriages.

• Increase in GBV under COVID-19 lockdowns.

•The changing medialandscape as a result of digitaltechnologies leaves little scopefor engagement at policylevel. Most traditional mediahouses are in survival mode;the more so during thepandemic.

•Changes in laws and electoralsystems clearly needed tobring about change take time.

The initial broad brush approachhas stretched GL leading to theneed for greater consolidation.Need for much greaterawareness among activists.

The initial broad brush approachhas stretched GL leading to theneed for greater consolidation.

Need for much greaterawareness among activists.

Women and girls exercise#VoicandChoice over theirbodies through the fullattainment of Sexual andReproductive Health for all.

Gender equality in and throughthe media gives women equal#Voice as citizens.

Women and girls exercise equaland effective#VoiceandChoice in the publicsphere through theirparticipation in politics anddecision-making.

Gender responsive localgovernment enhances#VoiceandChoice for women,girls and youth in marginalcommunities.

The destruction of the planet ishalted through innovative linksbetween gender and climatejustice in our work and practice.

SE

XUAL REPRODUCTIVE

HEALTH AND RIGH

TS

STRENGTHS CHALLENGES GOALS

HOW WE WORK

STRATEGICPILLARS

SUSTAINABILITY

INVESTING INPEO

PLE

RES

U

LTS FOR CHANGE

GOOD GOVERNANCE

COMMUNICATINGR

ESU

LTS

FINANCIAL EXCELLEN

CE

VA

LU

E

FOR MONEY

•GL has established a dedicated Sustainability Hub with a FundRaising and Grant Making Units; as well as two incomeGenerating Units - GL Services and GL Cottages.

•GL invests any non-tied funds in the GL Future Fund, with atarget of $million by 2025.

•Funding for women's rights isincreasingly constrainedespecially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

•On granting funds limitedrelative to the need.

A strong and sustainableorganisation that includes afund raising unit; grant makingand income generatingcapabilities.

•CBOs given space to participate in GL activities.•GL support and engage with partners and the commit to build

stronger relationships. GL collaborate with local authorities,associations and ministries.

•GFP and gender committees in councils which ensure theimplementation of gender work.

•GL has developed very good HR policies that are universallyapplicable and country specific.

•HR policy well documented and clear•GL has invested a lot in external expertise to ensure it creates a

good working environment, complies with labor regulations anddevelops a professional staff that is well rounded.

•A lot of investment is put into staff development and affirmation.•Smooth leadership succession.

•Reporting and documentation is taken seriously at GL.•Good system in place. Very strong with use of technology.•GL reports to donors timeously and according to prescribed

requirements.•GL has a commendable culture of knowledge management.

•Exclusion of some rural localauthorities.

•Not enough technicalpersonnel

•COVID-19 has kept us apart -need to get together more.

•The need to improve work-lifebalance; these lines are evenmore blurred in lockdown.

•The COVID-19 pandemic andvirtual operations havecompromised some HRactivities especially thosegeared at wellness.

•GL use of social media and modern technologies andinformation sharing platforms.

•GL has strong links with mainstream and local media.•The use of ICT platforms like community of practice & social

media promotes GL visibility.

•A strong culture of fairness, integrity and non-discrimination.•Establishment of the Integrity and Compliance unit.•GL stays relevant to the emerging issues.•Governance structures function well; virtual platforms used

effectively for convening the Board and Association for criticaldiscussions and timely decisions as the need arises outside ofregular meetings.

•Sound financial policies and systems.

•Data quality and oversightneed improving.

•Staff and partners do notalways understand the surveysbeing undertaken nor engagewith the results.

•Much of the work remainsinvisible as we are not tellingour stories effectively.

•Need to be more vigilantabout the MOI - terms ending,procedures etc

•Need for clarity on the role ofcountry board members.

•Need for greater adherenceto routines.

•Procurement practice mustimprove.

•Audit must be completedwithin the first three months ofthe year so as not to interferewith normal processes throughthe year.

Making IT work for genderjustice through "fit for purpose"use of digital technologies togive visibility to the work ofpartners and beneficiaries.

A robust and transparent systemand processes for planning,monitoring, evaluation,learning, innovation,knowledge management andsharing.

Engaged, capable staff,partners, and associates withthe motivation, facilities andtools to deliver high qualitywork.

Strong, continuously updatedpolicies and practices overseenby a diverse, compliant andaccountable governancestructure.

Strong and compliant financialpolicies, systems and practicesthat result in zero tolerance forcorruption as well as Value forMoney.

ANNEX B:

Variance2020-20212020

91%

91%

86%

90%

84%

84%

84%

89%

84%

94%

89%

87%

88%

90%

89%

87%

82%

84%

85%

93%

92%

88%

87%

2015

80%

80%

83%

81%

71%

75%

75%

81%

75%

85%

84%

78%

81%

81%

83%

83%

79%

82%

83%

87%

85%

83%

82%

2010

89%

83%

76%

83%

80%

82%

81%

79%

76%

92%

78%

77%

80%

81%

85%

85%

76%

82%

89%

88%

89%

83%

83%

Legitimacy for its work

Vision, Mission, and Core Values

Formulation of Relevant Strategies

Strategic Positioning Average

Governance Structures

Application of democratic rule

Governance Average

Planning for implementation

Working methods

Reporting and documentation

Follow up

Partnerships and Target Groups

Programme of Action Average

Physical resources

Electronic resources

Administrative and financial routines

Human resources

Institutional Strengthening Average

Financial policies and procedures

Long term financial planning and resource mobilisation

Sustainability Average

M&E Average

Total Average

2%

8%

10%

7%

4%

2%

3%

10%

8%

2%

11%

10%

8%

9%

4%

2%

6%

2%

-4%

5%

3%

5%

4%

VISION

MISSION

VISION

Gender Links (GL) is committed to an inclusive, equal and just society in which women andgirls in all their diversities exercise their voice and choice in accordance with the SADC Protocolon Gender and Development and related regional, continental and global instruments.

MISSION

GL achieves its vision through a people-centred approach guided by the SADC Protocol onGender and Development that is aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, Beijing PlusTwenty and Africa Agenda 2063.

Working with partners at local, national, Southern African and international level, GL realisesits vision through:• Three programme areas: Policy and Movement Building (which coordinates the SADC

Protocol on Gender and Development); Communications for Social Change (includingtraditional, mainstream and new media); and Local Action for Gender Justice (the Centresof Excellence for Gender in Local Government).

• Four cross cutting themes: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) includingViolence Against Women and Girls (VAWG); women's equal and effective political participation;economic and climate justice.

• Results for Change achieved through robust planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning,knowledge management, sharing and innovation.

• Institutional effectiveness through good governance; care for staff, associates, and partners;compliance with integrity policies; transparent financial management, zero tolerance forcorruption, value for money and use of digital tools.

• A sustainability strategy that includes a dedicated Sustainability Hub.

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w.g

end

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a

CONTACT US

BOTSWANAUnit 203, Plot 64516, Second Floor,Showground Close, Fairground, GaboroneTel: +2673188250Fax: +2673188251Email: [email protected]

LESOTHOLNDC Kingsway Mall, Block C,Development House, Room 421Kingsway Street, MaseruTel: +266 2231 675Email: [email protected]

MADAGASCARImmeuble Premium, 2ème EtageEX Village des Jeux AnkorondranoAntananarivo 101, .MadagascarTéléphone: +261 20 22 350 51Email: [email protected]

MAURITIUSCorporate Road,Melrose, MokaTel: +230 437 3960Email: [email protected]

NAMIBIAErf 2829, Windhoek North

Johanne Albrecht Street 139Tel: +264 61 254285/254119

Fax: +264 64 253224Email: [email protected]

ESWATINISokhamlilo building, ground floor,

Office No. 2 & 3, Dzeliwe RoadTel: +268 340 20506/+268 762 40486

Email: [email protected]

ZAMBIACivic Centre, 4th Floor,

New Wing Building,Independence Avenue, Lusaka

Tel: +260963266323Email: [email protected]

ZIMBABWENicoz Diamond Building

30 Samora Machel Avenue6th Floor, Harare, Zimbabwe

Tel: +263 4 798600Email: [email protected]

HEAD OFFICE9 Derrick Avenue

Cyrildene, JohannesburgSouth Africa 2198

Tel: +27(0)11 0290006/+27 (0)11 0282410Email: [email protected]

2021-2025 STRATEGYfin - Gender Links

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