Civil Society Empowerment

SFCG works with local civil society partner groups across eight provinces to build their capacity to design, implement, and monitor local projects, which bring communities together in search of creative solutions to common problems. Members of these groups are drawn from traditional and local leaders, local NGOs and associations, clergy, and local government officials. SFCG-facilitated community dialogues have become an important step in helping community members, and the civil society groups that represent them, to identify and prioritize community needs, and communicate those expectations to the government. At the heart of a successful communication strategy between communities, civil society and government is collaboration. SFCG led dialogues have built community solidarity and created supportive environments in which community members can address issues, including around community development, land rights, and the election process.

SFCG opened the doors of its new office in Cabinda in 2006 with the launch of two linked initiatives in the province. Critical to the project has been SFCG's ability to forge strong relationships with eight local communities in the Cacongo and Cabinda municipalities, organizing community dialogues and conflict resolution trainings, as well as helping them to organize local community committees. This direct community engagement has enabled SFCG to discuss mutual expectations for the project and help the communities begin the transition toward greater engagement in development and the resolution of conflicts within their communities. These efforts use an innovative participatory methodology developed over years of experience in Angola and around the world.

At the level of civil society, SFCG is working with two small-scale fishing associations, Avopesca (the voice of the fishermen) and Tierro. These groups have been long connected to the sea and feel threatened by the rapidly changing context of Cabinda, but lack the skills necessary to advance their interests. SFCG has thus begun providing a series of training and capacity building initiatives in conflict resolution, negotiation and communication to these and other civil society actors to strengthen their ability to productively engage in the decisions that affect their work, including negotiating with government and the private sector and advocating for their interests and the interests of the communities they represent. From these initial trainings the groups will launch their own training initiatives in their home communities.

With a belief that the motivation and skills gained by civil society and community members during the trainings and dialogues will be meaningless without opportunities to put them to use, SFCG is working with the Government of Cabinda to help them create space for civic participation and dialogue. SFCG has focused on the local government of Cacongo municipality, linking them with the participating communities in the area through community dialogues, while providing them with the skills to engage more effectively. The government has shown impressive energy and enthusiasm to work with SFCG and civil society.

SFCG's efforts in Cabinda have already paid dividends. As a result of the community outreach work, traditional leaders in the communities took the initiative, with guidance from SFCG, to move the responsibility for development back into the hands of the people. They developed an education campaign with capacity building activities emphasizing the importance of local potential and initiative as the starting point for socio-economic regeneration and conflict resolution. In addition, after SFCG led community dialogues; there has been an increase in the number of local community initiatives. For instance, after one dialogue, youths from the community of Yabi developed an educational outreach program against violence in the district, in particular to prevent false allegations of witchcraft resulting in expulsions of elder Yabi members from their communities under charges of sorcery.