White Ribbon Alliance Members in Zimbabwe Hold Strategic Planning Workshop

White Ribbon Alliance Members in Zimbabwe Hold Strategic Planning Workshop
Tamara Windau, Alliance Development & Capacity Building Advisor, blogs from Harare

It has really been an exciting week here in Harare.  Betsy McCallon, Deputy Executive Director of the WRA Global Secretariat, and I were welcomed to Zimbabwe by the lush green landscape, the nonstop sunshine and a climate that is beyond lovely.  However, the warm welcome we received from WRA members and the interim Core Committee (who are volunteers that were chosen by the WRA members in Zimbabwe to steer the progress of forming a National Alliance in the country and move through the process of formally affiliating with the Global WRA) was even more special.

The Core Committee of WRA members in Zimbabwe; (from left to right) Chairperson Christina Mudokwenyu-Rawdon, Vice Chairperson Judith Chamisa, Secretary Lilian Dodzo, Member with Financial Portfolio Leo Wamwanduka, Joyce Vongai Musaka, and Public Relations Officer Edhina Chiwawa

The White Ribbon Alliance members here in Zimbabwe have a vision: to see a significant and consistent reduction in maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity; for a Zimbabwe where all women are empowered and have a voice; and all girls, women and newborns have access to quality respectful health services and realize their reproductive rights. 

This week, the Core Committee hosted a strategic planning workshop with members and key stakeholders to develop a shared understanding of the mission and vision of the proposed Alliance in Zimbabwe, to clearly articulate the value-added of having an Alliance in Zimbabwe, to formulate the goal and outputs for the 3-year strategic plan for the proposed Alliance, and to identify next steps and timelines towards completion of the 3-year strategic plan.

It was a lively and fruitful workshop.  In summary, a strategic plan framework was developed with the following:

• Goal: that all girls, women and newborns have access to quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) services.
• Purpose: increased access to and use of quality RMNH services. 
• Output 1: strengthened Alliance capacity;
• Output 2: increased awareness of the right to quality RMNH services; and,
• Output 3: utilization of quality MNH standards at health facilities.  

This strategic plan is a huge step forward for the membership in Zimbabwe – and now is the time for the important next steps.  Core Committee members reflected on their experience of the workshop:

The two days made me reflect on the humble beginnings of when the WRA movement started in Zimbabwe...  [The outcomes of the workshop] gave me a lot of confidence and I realized we had covered a lot in regards to establishing a movement here.  People are very committed despite few resources.  All we need to do is move ahead.  Judith Chamisa, Vice Chairperson

I have learned quite a few things about having a clear focus and specificity – being quite crisp of what we want to do.  There is already so much we can do to create the linkages needed for this work we need to do...there is enormous willingness of partners to work together.  There is a lot of energy and if we can harness it, there is a lot partners can add value to.  I feel that as a Core Committee Member, we must open it up more to those who have new ideas, new ways of doing things – and we can lead from behind.  Leo Wamwanduka, Board Member with Financial Portfolio (Treasurer)

I am pleased of what has happened in these two days. Looking back at the activities of the two days, we laid down a good foundation and are now ready to build the walls and the roof. [Throughout the workshop] we kept talking about the ‘we,’ ‘we,’ ‘we’ – and that brought out the commitment [of the Alliance members].  Individuals also talked about their personal commitments to the Alliance - what each one would do, and this brought us together and gave ownership of the strategic plan.  Christina Mudokwenyu-Rawdon, Chairperson

Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Margaret Nyandoro with Chairperson Christina Mudokwenyu-Rawdon

The path forward is not an easy one; the plan is ambitious.  But it can be done with the support and active engagement and participation of the membership.  Additionally, with the continued support and partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, the Alliance has great potential to make the changes needed to benefit the health and well-being of women and their families in Zimbabwe.  Deputy Director of Reproductive Health Margaret Nyandoro shared her support and bottom line that no woman should die while giving life.  It is with this reminder that WRA members in Zimbabwe have committed themselves to their next steps and in seeing this social change movement grow and develop.