4. Capacity Building
This is an intervention aimed at building the capacity of policy makers, key populations, CSOs,
communities and community based organisations to comprehend health law and policy and be able to
effectively engage with national policy processes for positive health outcomes. It provides a platform for
citizens to define the ‘health system’ they want. Activities include;
4.1 Capacity Interventions/Enhancement of policy makers, key populations and communities on
health law and policy.
Training sessions on health law and policy are conducted for identified target groups and also upon
request from target communities and civil society organisations. Short sessions like meetings with
parliamentarians are held to capacitate them with knowledge on policy and health issues that relate
to their contemporary law making duties in Parliament. Training of communities and key
populations is aimed at providing the requisite literacy and competencies to allow them to
participate in policy processes including interpreting policy and its impact on their access to quality
health services and other determinants of health. The HLPC has trained advocacy committees of
PLHIV at community level and this has facilitated advocacy for access to health services for PLHIV.
Capacity of target populations and advocates to track development and implementation of
legislation, regulatory and policy documents is emphasized.
4.2 Training of Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) personnel on Human Rights.
The HLPC has assisted with the human rights and law training of health personnel in the ten
provinces of Zimbabwe under the PMTCT programme of the MoHCC through its expert reference
group. MoHCC trainings cover the national validation exercise on the elimination of mother to child
transmission of HIV and Syphilis in new born babies. Beyond law and human rights, expertise has
been provided to the MoHCC on Community Rights and Gender (CRG) capacity building in this
exercise.
4.3 Training of sex workers and LGBTIQ as para-legals
Training of sex workers as para-legals is an access to health justice initiative that seeks to empower
target population with awareness of rights and laws, competency to demand rights and capacity to
identify violations and seek redress. Our training of sex workers in law, policy and human rights as
para-legals or semi para-legals is aimed at building sustainable interventions among sex workers,
equipping them with requisite skills and competencies to promote and defend their rights. The
training of sex workers as para-legals is not just a women empowerment effort for the women
involved in sex work. It looks beyond enhancing rights and law literacy among sex workers to
building best practices for a select sex work cadreship of volunteers who go into communities as
para-legal peer volunteers. The urgent need to address stigma, violence against women (VAW),
access to essential health care, exclusion, legal barriers, access to justice and lack of knowledge on
human rights and law has placed sex worker’s capacity building training as para-legals a key issue
for any meaningful intervention. Trained sex workers (male, female and transgender) will be
equipped with a repertoire of tools including mediation, negotiation, education, advocacy and legal
advice for those accessing both formal and customary law institutions.
©Copyright Health Law and Policy Consortium 2020 (All Rights Reserved)
ABOUT THE HLPC
The HLPC is a health policy advocacy organisation working with a network of health law and policy experts - scientists, social scientists, medical practitioners, economists, legal practitioners, and public health experts working in and involved in the health care policy sector. The HLPC exist to facilitate a rights-based policy formulation, implementation and monitoring in Zimbabwe’s public health system. The HLPC seeks to work for the meaningful enjoyment of the right to health care (including reproductive health).
The HLPC is a health policy advocacy organisation working with a network of health law and policy experts - scientists, social scientists, medical practitioners, economists, legal practitioners, and public health experts working in and involved in the health care policy sector. The HLPC exist to facilitate a rights-based policy formulation, implementation and monitoring in Zimbabwe’s public health system. The HLPC seeks to work for the meaningful enjoyment of the right to health care (including reproductive health).
HLPC NETWORK PARTNERS
We work with LGBTIQ groups, Sex workers and regional and international partners. We have a formal partnership with:
African Jurists and Judges Forum
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team
We work with LGBTIQ groups, Sex workers and regional and international partners. We have a formal partnership with:
African Jurists and Judges Forum
Students and Youth Working on Reproductive Health Action Team
CONTACT
The Administrator
Health Law and Policy Consortium
24 Jefferson Road
Logan Park, Hatfield
Harare
Tel +263 (0) 4 571184 , +263 (0) 4 571190, +263 (0) 772 146 247-9
Email: Contact Form
The Administrator
Health Law and Policy Consortium
24 Jefferson Road
Logan Park, Hatfield
Harare
Tel +263 (0) 4 571184 , +263 (0) 4 571190, +263 (0) 772 146 247-9
Email: Contact Form
Happening now
Health Law and Policy Consortium says deployment of army pre-mature in policy brief ( download attached statement)
Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network policy blue print released early March instructive (download attached statement)
