Angola

Outreach Programs

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.

Supporting Peaceful Elections Education

SFCG's elections strategy in Angola endeavors to increase citizens' knowledge of their rights and responsibilities within a democratic framework and promote greater participation in the upcoming elections in 2008 and 2009. The strategy hinges on participatory training modules organized across the country that educate citizens on local leadership, their rights as voters, as well as the ins and outs of the electoral processes.

As part of the overall strategy, SFCG has organized provincial Electoral Agent Committees in four key provinces to encourage greater participation on the part of political parties, police, civil society representatives and community leaders in free and fair elections and adherence to Angola's electoral code of conduct. These committees participate in workshops with SFCG to facilitate discussions among individuals from different sectors and address the challenges being faced in promoting peaceful elections. Based on these workshops, the Committees organize local community initiatives to further the strategy. Such initiatives have included community roundtables, radio magazines and debates, cultural festivals and soccer tournaments with local youth.

"SFCG's training asked me how I can participate in the elections; this made me think not only about the elections, but how can I be a leader on topics that I care about. I approached a group about working on HIV/AIDS and now they have invited me to speak about gender and HIV/AIDS at a workshop in Mungo in September. I am joining as a leader now, and I think that is part of democracy."
– Sra. Ana Maria José, member of Grupo Linga Tchiwa Ko Manu in Huambo center

Peace and Security

Angola's recent history was marked by cycles of violence and insecurity, and as such presented a post war situation post-conflict situation fraught with many challenges and opportunities transition towards a peaceful society. SFCG works with the Angolan military, police, ex-combatants, and the Civil Defense Forces (local militias), to help them develop the capacity to be a source of security for communities and active promoters of social justice in Angola. Our strategy is based on the following principles:

• Start with what you know: SFCG trainers use tools such as story telling, group theater, and debates to discuss day to day events in the lives of military and police officers where they have opportunities to apply human rights principles and protect their communities.

• Apply what you've learned: Training for trainings sake is meaningless without opportunities for application. Following every police or military training, SFCG co-facilitates a town-hall meeting between security forces and community members. This gives trainees the opportunity to apply lessons learned by engaging directly with the community members they are charged with protecting.

• Spread the word: SFCG has excellent relationships with professionals in TV and radio-broadcasting as well as print media. Through targeted use of these media contacts, SFCG shares lessons learned and applications to a broad audience maximizing impact, reach, and credibility.

• Leverage results: SFCG has built a strong group of police and military trainers within the security forces of several provinces. In the upcoming year, SFCG seeks to leverage these early successes by building a national network of trainers to travel to various provinces to co-facilitate workshops in conflict resolution and human rights.

While some Angolans see their local police forces as important actors for resolving local conflict, many of these officers are among the greatest human rights abusers in their communities. SFCG trainings are designed to help these groups become sources of genuine security for their communities as well as becoming active promoters of human rights and social justice. Over the course of this project, SFCG has found that the most effective approach is one that uses the soldiers' and police officers' own experiences to present human rights principles and demonstrate that these principles can be upheld practically through the application of negotiation, mediation, and active listening techniques.

Security Force Traning Manual
SFCG recently published an innovative new conflict-resolution training manual designed for security forces to be used in post-conflict Angola and beyond. The manual is designed to help these become sources of genuine security for their communities and become active promoters of human rights and social justice.

SFCG's program has been recognized as highly effective by both the police and military. The National Police Division of Civic and Moral Education has requested that SFCG hold a special ‘training for trainers' session for their own national trainers so that they can put the manual to use in provinces not yet touched by SFCG's efforts. In addition, SFCG plans to use this curriculum as a model to help improve security sector reform projects in other countries throughout Africa and the world.

SFCG Angola thanks the following donors for their support