Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) conducted Cascading SOCHAMPs Trainings on Social Accountability and Transparency in Gweru at Mkoba 6 Community Hall on Friday the 11th of May 2018. The training intervention is part and parcel of VISET’s Vendors Initiative for Participation and Accountability (VIPA) Project which was launched early this month in the City of Progress. The project is anchored on the strategic mobilization of the informal sector dominated by vending, and building its capacity to demand constitutionalism by public officials. These Cascading SOCHAMPs Trainings on Social Accountability and Transparency interventions will replicate the Social accountability trainings received by SOCHAMPs to other vendors to allow for the sustainability and ownership of the processes.
It is envisaged that, the SOCHAMPs will conduct four (4) free training workshops (2 in Harare and 2 in Gweru) during the implementation period, each targeting 150 participants. VIPA will group SOCHAMPS into three groups of 10, with each group responsible for specified sets of trainings in Harare and Gweru, and each trained SOCHAMP taking responsibility of providing at least 5 participants per training from their vendor community.
VIPA is premised on the postulation that if the ideals of constitutionalism are adhered to, the livelihoods of street vendors will improve since legislation that pertain to vending will be aligned to the constitution. It will also mean an end to the deliberate attempt by the public officials to ignore livelihood issues, which have become central to the survival of the economy and citizens. VIPA will also ensure that the government welcomes the informal sector as the new employer of young men and women.
Source: VISET
