SIHA and civil society

Strengthening the presence of civil society in the Horn of Africa

This initiative is aimed at supporting civil society in the region to have the necessary capacity to address gender equality and develop programmes against violence against women. Networking between like-minded civil society organizations in the Horn of Africa is structurally and procedurally poor partially resulting from the lack of recognition for strategic, geographical, rational and political linkages within the region. SIHA members need to analyse and share their experiences with other members and partners and to develop greater knowledge and a better understanding of regional and global issues affecting communities and women across the Horn of Africa.

 Through the years and the experience we have accumulated, we believe that the key challenges for civil society groups in the region, particularly those working on women’s rights, women’s development and gender equality, are:

v   Understanding the value of networking and ‘reaching out’ and the realization of the importance of building sub-regional allies.

v   Building their capacity as a community voice and valuing the work they are doing in their local context.

v   Developing an understanding of women’s issues taking into consideration the local regional and global issues that influence gender equality.

In response to these needs SIHA developed and continues to work on a strategy, formulated around building the capacity of civil society across the Horn of Africa, allowing organisations to interact and exchange experiences and lessons learned, which includes offering training and initiating regional networking events.