CENTRE FOR SOCIAL CONCERN
ADVOCACY STRATEGY
December, 2009
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Introduction
This Advocacy Strategy seeks to enhance the visibility, credibility and effectiveness of
the advocacy work of the Centre for Social Concern (CFSC). The major reason for
the emphasis and consolidation of the advocacy initiatives has been necessitated by
the recognition that CFSC undertakes important research activities that are
recognized both at national and community levels as important tools that can
influence policy and decision making in the country. It is also recognized that CSFC’s
position as a faith institution gives it the comparative advantage as a credible
institution to champion changes in social and economic issues affecting Malawians. A
key expectation from stakeholders in Government, donor community, other CSOs
and Malawians in general is that CFSC becomes a prominent player in advocacy and
policy influence in Malawi. To assume this new role, CFSC needs to strategically
focus and tactfully intensify its advocacy work.
This advocacy strategy was developed by members of staff from the Centre for
Social Concern (CFSC) to guide their advocacy and policy influence work. The
development of the strategy was guided by an external facilitator but the contents
were derived from the current activities of the centre and the strategic plan for 2007
– 2010. The advocacy strategy is contributing to the vision, mission and goal of the
CFSC strategic plan. It has consolidated the major focus areas of the CFSC based on
its programmes, in order to develop advocacy tools and tactics that would support
the achievement of the objectives of each programme.
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ADVOCACY STRATEGY FOR THE CENTRE FOR SOCIAL CONCERN
(CFSC)
PRIORITY ADVOCACY ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
The following are the issues that shall be addressed in the advocacy strategy:
1. Poor living and working conditions for tenancy labor.
2. High cost of living for ordinary people.
3. Political manipulation of ethno-religious groups.
4. Environmental degradation.
5. Unfair taxation system.
ADVOCACY GOAL
To raise the awareness of the leadership in the faith communities and the country at
large on the impacts of poor policies, both at the international and domestic levels
and more especially market liberalization on the real livelihoods situations of
Malawians and so to advocate for policies that will make it possible for them to live
lives of human dignity
ADVOCACY OBJECTIVES
1. To influence Government to enact the draft Tenancy Labor Bill into law by
December, 2010.
2. To advocate for the adoption of a Code of Conduct on religious and ethnic
tolerance by all political parties and faiths groups by December, 2011.
3. To advocate for a tax system that equitably distributes the tax burden between
the rich and the poor by December, 2014.
4. To influence the Government to put in place a mechanism that will reduce the
gap between the income and cost of living among the urban poor by 20% by the
year 2013.
5. To advocate for the set up of an interfaith network to address deforestation
problems in Malawi by December, 2009.
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TARGET AUDIENCES
Objective: To influence Government to enact the draft Tenancy Labor Bill into law
by December, 2010.
Primary Audience
State President, Minister of Justice, Law
Commissioner, Chairperson of the
Business Committee of Parliament,
Chairperson of the Legal Affairs
Committee, Minister of Labor and
Vocational Training
Power Map
Supporters
Secondary Audience and/or Allies
Members of Parliament, Minister of
Agriculture, Members of the Cabinet
Committee on the Economy, Principal
Secretary in the Ministry of labor,
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of
Agriculture,
the
Media,
MCTU,
TOTAWUM
Opponents
Neutral
Human Rights CSOs, Trade TAMA, Landlords, Tobacco Tobacco
Unions, tobacco tenants
Buyers
Commission
Control
Objective: To advocate for the adoption of a Code of Conduct on religious and
ethnic tolerance by all political parties and faiths groups by December, 2011.
Primary Audience
Catholic Bishops, Anglican Bishops,
General
Secretaries
of
Muslim
Association
of
Malawi,
General
Secretaries of all the CCAP Synods,
President of Seventh Day Adventist
Church, General Secretary of the
Evangelical Association of Malawi,
District Commissioner for Mangochi, the
State President, Chairperson of UDF,
President of MCP, President of PPM
Power Map
Supporters
Christians,
villagers
Secondary Audience and/or Allies
Traditional
authorities,
general
secretaries of all political parties, general
secretary of ECM, moderators of the
CCAP synods, imams, pastors, human
rights organizations, multiparty liason
committee, IMD, the media, priests,
pastors, apostles, reverends
Opponents
Neutral
Moslems, Youth wings of political Other CSOs
parties
Objective: To advocate for a tax system that equitably distributes the tax burden
between the rich and the poor by December, 2014.
Primary Audience
Secondary Audience and/or Allies
The State President, Minister of Finance, Leaders of Political Parties in Parliament,
Chairperson of the Budget and Finance Members of Parliament, the media,
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Committee of Parliament
MEJN, SOCAM, IMF, CAMA, MCTU,
human rights organizations
Power Map
Supporters
Opponents
Civil servants, human Members of Parliament,
rights organizations
Cabinet Ministers, MCCI,
private
sector
organizations
Neutrals
Faith leaders, Missionaries
of Africa, International
Organizations, villagers
Objective: To influence the Government to put in place a mechanism that will
reduce the gap between the income and cost of living among the urban poor by 20%
by the year 2013.
Primary Audience
The State President, Minister of Finance
Secondary Audience and/or Allies
Minister of Labor, Principal Secretary for
Labor, MCCI, Minister of Agriculture,
Principal Secretary of Agriculture,
ADMARC CEO, ESCOM CEO, Water
Board CEOs, Minister of Health,
CISANET, MEJN, CCJP, CADECOM,
Church and Society of the Synods, Hon
Callista Chimombo, Eunice Chipangula,
MHEN, MCTU, the media.
Supporters
Opponents
Neutrals
MCTU, MEJN, MHEN, Small
and
Medium
CISANET,
faith Enterprises,
Employers
community, TUM
Association of Malawi
Objective: To advocate for the set up of an interfaith network to address
deforestation problems in Malawi by December, 2009.
Primary Audience
Secondary Audience and/or Allies
Secretary Generals for ECM, MCC, Bishops, Sheikhs, Minister of Energy and
MAM, QMAM, EAM.
Mining, traditional authorities, Minister of
Tourism, CCJP National Coordinator,
National Coordinators of Church and
Societies,
Willie
Kasanga,
Rev
Nkomawanthu, Fr Boucher.
Power Map
Supporters
CCJP, ECM staff, media
Opponents
Charcoal sellers,
owners
Neutrals
land
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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Activity
Timeframe
Responsible
person
Objective: To influence Government to enact the draft Tenancy Labor Bill into law by December, 2010.
Source
Funding
Conduct a study tour to two tobacco growing districts with the January, 2009
media.
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Identify journalists from both the print and electronic media to January, 2009
champion issues affecting tobacco tenants
Hastings Kafundu
-
Trocaire
Africa Group
Provide support to identified and interested journalists in terms On going
of information and facilitating their access to the tobacco
tenants
Hastings Kafundu
-
Trocaire
Africa Group
Review and update the tobacco tenants report
February, 2009
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Conduct a networking meeting with TOTAWUM to mobilize February, 2009
their support and modalities for collaboration
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Produce leaflets, bronchures and summarized versions of the February, 2009
tobacco tenants report
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Hold a national conference on the report involving February, 2009
Government, CSOs, trade unions, traditional authorities to
initiate networking
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
of
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Activity
Timeframe
Responsible
person
Source
Funding
Hold a networking meeting on the issue with faith community March, 2009
to mobilize their support (CCJP, Church and Society etc)
Hastings Kafundi
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Conduct networking meetings with HRCC, CHRR and other March, 2009
networks
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Conduct two marches to present petitions to District Labor Day on 1 May, 2009
Commissioners in two tobacco growing districts
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Initiate a listserver to open discussions on the issue with other February, 2009
stakeholders.
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
Initiate debate on the tobacco tenants plight as an election issue January – May, 2009
with political parties
Hastings Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Africa Group
of
Objective: To advocate for a tax system that equitably distributes the tax burden between the rich and the poor by December, 2014.
Commission a study on taxation justice
January, 2009
Conduct a study feedback meeting for stakeholders
March, 2009
Hold a launch for the study findings.
May, 2009
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
Hastings Kafundu,
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
Hastings Kafundu
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
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Activity
Timeframe
Develop and disseminate a position paper on taxation justice
June, 2009
Hold regional dissemination workshops on the study findings
June – December, 2009
Conduct lobby meetings with Government
June – December, 2009
Responsible
person
Hastings Kafundu
Jos
Kuppens,
Hastings Kafundu
Jos
Kuppens,
Hastings Kafundu
Jos
Kuppens,
Hastings Kafundu
Source
Funding
of
- Trocaire
- Trocaire
- Trocaire
Objective : To advocate for the adoption of a Code of Conduct on religious and ethnic tolerance by all political parties and faiths groups by
December, 2011
This objective will use Mangochi as a pilot district because there are already on-going activities on religious and ethnic tolerance. The successes
and/or failures of the this work shall be used as platform for national level advocacy.
Conduct a desk study on the availability of an existing code of January, 2009
conduct in Mangochi district
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
Draft/review the code of conduct in collaboration with faith February, 2009
groups, District Commissioner (Mangochi), traditional leaders,
politicians, media, the Police and NICE in Mangochi
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
Launch the study findings and the revised code of conduct in March, 2009
the district
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
Conduct awareness meetings on the code of conduct in March – April, 2009
Mangochi targeting faith groups, traditional leaders, politicians,
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
8
Activity
Timeframe
Responsible
person
Source
Funding
of
CSOs, the Police, NICE and the general public
Conduct interfaith prayers on the religious and political March – April, 2009
tolerance prior to the May, 2009 general elections
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
Document experiences of Mangochi district on the code of June – August, 2009
conduct.
Disseminate best practices and experiences from Mangochi on September – December, 2009
the code of conduct through various media (radio, TV,
newspaper, Lamp Magazine etc)
Tobias Jere, Willie - Miserior
- Forum
Kasanga
Jos Kuppens, Tobias - Miserior
- Forum
Jere
Develop a plan on how to use the Mangochi experiences to December, 2009
advocate for national level code of conduct
Jos Kuppens, Tobias - Miserior
- Forum
Jere
Objective: To influence the Government to put in place a mechanism that will reduce the gap between the income and cost of living among the
urban poor by 20% by the year 2013.
Conduct meetings to formally introduce the Basic Needs Basket January – March, 2009
and its objectives to primary and secondary audiences in
Lilongwe, Blantyre, Mzuzu and Zomba .
Chrissie Kafundu
Conduct lobby meetings with officials from the Ministry of April, 2009
Health, CHAM, MHEN Coordinator on ‘Access to Health’
study report
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
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Activity
Timeframe
Launch the ‘Access to Health’ study report through a meeting April, 2009
with involvement of the media
Responsible
person
Jos
Kuppens,
Chrissie Kafundu
Source
Funding
Conduct monthly lobby meetings with primary and secondary On going
audience based on the findings of each BNB.
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
Produce BNB in vernacular languages to develop and Quarterly
understanding and mobilize support (Chichewa, tumbuka, yao
etc)
Chrissie Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
Conduct monitoring visits to assess availability of maize on the On going
market as a basic food commodity in the BNB
Chrissie Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
Conduct press conferences on the findings of the maize Quarterly
availability monitoring visits
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
Collect data on impact of cost of living on low income earners Quarterly up to October, 2011
to inform advocacy on the minimum wage
Chrissie Kafundu
Issue press releases on the findings of the data collection On going
exercises
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
Hold press conferences on the importance of a living wage
On going
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
Hold an open forum to discuss the issue of living wage
October, 2010
Jos
Kuppens, - Trocaire
- Cordaid
Chrissie Kafundu
of
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
10
Activity
Timeframe
Organize phone in programmes with Capital Radio and Zodiak April, September, 2009 and 2010
Broadcasting Station twice a year on impact of cost of living
Organize a lobbying meetings with MPs on cost of living
On going
Responsible
person
Chrissie Kafundu
Source
Funding
Chrissie Kafundu
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
of
- Trocaire
- Cordaid
Objective : To advocate for the set up of an interfaith network to address deforestation problems in Malawi by December, 2009.
Conduct meetings with primary audiences to introduce the January – February, 2009
results of a reforestation workshop and propose the set up of a
network.
Jos Kuppens
Conduct a meeting with CST interfaith experts
March, 2009
Jos Kuppens
Hold tree planting exercise and linking it with Sunday Liturgy
January, 2009
Jos Kuppens
Conduct a meeting of heads of mother bodies to initiate the May, 2009
network
Jos Kuppens
Hold a meeting with technical people from the mother bodies July, 2009
on the set up of the network
Jos Kuppens
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MONITORING AND EVALUATION
It is important to periodically reassess the advocacy strategy and evaluate the
effectiveness of its implementation. In monitoring and evaluating the advocacy
strategy, there are some basic questions to ask in order to guide the process as
follows:
What has changed in the short term?
- Has anything changed in the advocacy strategy?
- Are the advocacy objectives still relevant?
- Have the target audiences changed? Has a new audience emerged that is very
important to the issue(s)?
- Have the people and organizations involved in the advocacy initiative developed
new capacities? Have they lost any capacities?
- Has the external environment (social, economic, political, cultural) changed? Are
there new opportunities? Have old ones disappeared?
- What are some of the risks to implementation of the strategy? Social, cultural,
political, economic etc
- Are our target audiences more receptive of the issues now?
- Have the actions from the advocacy strategy been effective? How? Why and why
not?
- What are the next steps? What should continue? What should be done
differently?
What has changed in the long term?
- Have the objectives been achieved? And which ones?
- Has the advocacy strategy achieved something not expected?
- Which of the actions were effective? How? Why or why not?
- Are the CFSC staff members stronger advocates now?
- Is the CFSC a stronger advocacy organizations now? Have we developed new
relationships as a result of our advocacy work?
- Has the strategy helped to raise public awareness and support on economic,
social and political issues advocated by CFSC?
- Has the advocacy strategy helped to open up decision making processes on
issues advocated by CFSC?
- Has the policy and advocacy initiative helped to increase the legitimacy of CFSC?
- What can we learn from the strategy implementation?
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