Civic Education Network Trust
Civic Education Network Trust ZIMCET is a non-profit organisation in Zimbabwe. The organisation focuses on civic education and is an affiliate of ZESN.
Vision
- An empowered, peaceful Zimbabwean society conscious
- of its rights and obligations through full participation
- in the socio-economic, civic and cultural development.
Mission
ZIMCET endeavours to build an empowered, peaceful society, through civic education, advocacy and lobby meetings. As a grassroots-based organisation, ZIMCET works through community volunteers or animators and peace committees Brief history
The Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust (ZIMCET) was founded in the year 2000 and was commissioned, thereafter, by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, to monitor violence while it awaited its registration. ZIMCET identified and trained 240 volunteers who assisted in monitoring violence. When the organisation was eventually registered in August 2001, its immediate activities were influenced by what the report on violence had identified as a problem.
Objectives
ZIMCET spearheaded a peace-building programme after the realisation that there was a need for healing of communities in Zimbabwe following the widespread violence that accompanied the farm invasions and the 2000 Parliamentary elections. Its core business is providing education for peace, rights, justice and development and the organization has made significant strides in achieving this at grassroots level since 2001. The organization has established peace committees who play a pivotal role in efforts to building peace in communities throughout the country.
The Team
ZIMCET also identified volunteers/facilitators known as Animators, who are the ambassadors of peace at the local level in the various communities. Animators operate at constituency level. The Animators are responsible for organising and holding public meetings where communities get the opportunity to speak about their situation and raise issues that affect them. The establishment of peace committees has meant that even political communities can access a platform on which to dialogue and thus work towards the enhancement of tolerance and coexistence through interest group representation.
