Sikhathele Nkala, Zimbabwe
MPA student,
Class of 2017
Intern, Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BUPRA)
I am doing my internship at the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BUPRA) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. BUPRA is working to improve service delivery, livelihoods, and local governance practice not just in Bulawayo, but throughout Zimbabwe.
As part of my internship, I have visited and attended training workshops organized by BUPRA's partner organizations and networks to learn and share ideas about how to design and implement programs that support youth and women involvement and full participation in local government. I am also conducting research for a case study of BUPRA's experience on promoting active citizen participation in local governance issues.
I have learned this summer that there is nothing "ordinary" about so-called "ordinary citizens." I have seen these ordinary citizens question, challenge, and put pressure on government to change public policies related to issues that have an impact on them every day, things like housing, urban road tolls, social cash transfers, and prepaid water meters. These ordinary citizens keep local ward councilors and Members of Parliament on their toes and confidently speak out against acts of corruption by local government and public officials.
Participating in public meetings facilitated by BUPRA has given me valuable practical experience on how to generate solutions to policy problems. I now understand some of the factors that contribute to policy failures. One of these factors is the exclusion of affected communities during the policy formulation and implementation processes. No institution can provide satisfactory services that meet community expectations if the community members are not themselves involved in policy processes. They are the ones who best understand what is needed. If provided with the necessary guidance, they can develop relevant and lasting solutions to these problems.
I am pleased that I have been able to make a contribution to BUPRA during my internship. I noticed, for example, that although it produces good reports for its funders, these reports often don't include a lot of important detail that I think is necessary to appreciate the impressive work that the organization is doing. I mentioned this to the director and pointed out ways that some of BUPRA's success stories could be captured and neatly packaged. He has agreed to incorporate my ideas into their future programming and has asked me to review their progress and narrative reports and come up with recommendations for how to do this.
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