Gender Equality and Elections BRIDGE Modular Workshop for EMB Staff

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is an election management body. With assistance from cooperating partners, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), conducted a Gender Equality and Elections BRIDGE Modular workshop from the 6^th to the 8^th of November 2024. The aim was to empower the ZEC staff to mainstream gender in all the electoral processes. The BRIDGE Curriculum, and in particular, the Gender Equality and Elections module has a comprehensive package that highlights gender imbalances in the electoral process and how it affects democracy. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission therefore found it prudent to train its lower and middle management staff so that they understand Gender Equality and Elections with a view to  developing strategies that promote women participation.

The BRIDGE Module on Gender Equality and Elections was identified as an appropriate module for the identified group of participants as they work with grassroots stakeholders. It would enhance their ability to analyse and conduct elections from a gender perspective. Participants were constituted from Head Office and the ten (10) provinces of the country. The workshop was led by Utoile Silaigwana, an Accrediting Facilitator. TtF Complete facilitators namely, Sekai Chipise, Loice Masimu and Blessing Dzwowa all from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission completed the facilitation team. Utloile Silaigwana, Accrediting Facilitator, provided both oversight and mentorship throughout the training and managed to accredit the three Ttf Complete facilitators (Blessing Dzwowa, Loice Masimu, Sekai Chipise) to Workshop Facilitator level.

A total of twenty-four (24) participants (9 women and 15 men) comprising executive assistants, officers, District Elections Officers, Deputy Provincial Elections Officers and the Executive. The participants from diverse backgrounds benefited from information, experiences and practices from their peers.

The level of participation by participants was superb as they exhibited both keenness to learn and to share experiences. Evaluation forms at the end of each day, the informal feedbacks received during breaks, indicated that they felt that both the content and methodology of the program were appropriate, relevant and engaging.