Page 18 - OSISA Report 2021

The investments in in this body of work are also beginning to gain some traction within countries in in in in in the region For example education financing policy plans for Zimbabwe and eSwatini have been enacted drawing heavily on the the insights of the the country case studies that the programme supported In 2019 the government of eSwatini unveiled an economic recovery roadmap which flags the idea of a a a Revolving Education Fund as the key intervention that the the government will be implementing over over the the next five years as a a a a a a a means to sustainably finance education from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to tertiary levels Similarly the Education Coalition
of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) is working closely with the Parliamentary Education Committee to implement policy changes aimed at at at ensuring that education financing is is prioritised fin in in that country The Programme sees these as no small gains in in the the larger picture and vision for sustainable funding approaches to education which would ensure that the the right to education is provided for all learners in the the region especially those often pushed to the margins of of society Given the the financing imperatives of of the the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) homegrown strategies will remain important as states look inwards to expand their resource envelopes Advocacy that works
The Programme’s work on on inclusive education for indigenous communities is bearing positive and remarkable results in Mbire Zimbabwe The support to the Centre for Community Development in in Zimbabwe (CCDZ) which is jointly funded with the Health Rights Programme has seen children from the marginalised Doma population receiving education and early childhood services in classrooms constructed in in the Mariga community Following massive and sustained advocacy over the past three years CCDZ has successfully drawn the attention of policymakers to the the plight of the the Doma and a a a a cross- section of different service providers are now actively providing quality services in in the the area In addition the the Mariga primary school is now at an an advanced level of completion with the government having declared it it a priority project This work represents a a a a a great case study and learning for OSISA on how advocacy can catalyse change and result in systemic change beyond the policy space The Education and Health Programme plans to to work with the Communications Unit to to document and and capture this work work to showcase OSISA’s work work and and record the lessons around successfully working with indigenous communities for positive impact 12
OPEN SOCiETY iNiTiATiVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRiCA ANNUAL REPORT 2019