Breaking Traditional Barriers: Giving Minoritised Communities in the South of Zimbabwe a Platform to Be Heard, Informed, and Included

"[The ZMD project] enables people to have a voice in their future and to make informed choices for their families and their communities."

This report looks at the results of a mid-term evaluation of the Zimbabwe Media Development (ZMD) Project, which was implemented in the Southern provinces of Zimbabwe by Internews from May 2019 to April 2022. The project sought to equip independent media and civil society with the skills, knowledge, and tools to deliver better coverage of marginalised areas so that people have the information they need and opportunities to have their voices amplified. This research forms part of Internews's 25 x 25 initiative, the organisation's strategic commitment to increase robust evaluation of their work by delivering 25 research studies by 2025.

As explained in the report, "Marginalised communities in Zimbabwe face the challenge of limited or no access to reliable news and information which reflects their realities. This is due to poor network coverage or the fact that national media do not operate in their preferred language. This deprives them of their right to participate in - and contribute to - the socio economic and political agenda of the country, and engage with issues which affect their everyday lives."

The project, therefore, worked to meet the following objectives:

1. Increase the quantity and reach of independent, reliable, and data-driven information in the public sphere, focusing on content production and consumption by women, youth, and rural communities;
2. Strengthen the capacity of media and civil society to inform and elevate citizen voices as key to holding the government accountable on project themes, including governance, human rights, corruption, health, environment, and climate change; and
3. Improve the business and financial sustainability of independent media.

The study was conducted to: (i) assess the extent to which the ZMD project has achieved its objectives; (ii) examine signs of the potential impact of project activities on communities and the sustainability of any results; and (iii) provide solid and evidence-based recommendations on any necessary corrections to the theory of change (outlined at the end of the report) and activities to achieve the project's overall objectives in the longer term. The study used a mixed methods design where both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods were employed with an emphasis on "outcome harvesting".

The following are some of the main findings highlighted in the report:

• 93% of the surveyed journalists reported that their skills and knowledge in digital media production and social media news generation and dissemination improved due to the training they received as part of the project.
• The project has increased the participation of women and youth in content creation and distribution. This change was achieved through strategic partnerships with organisations dedicated to youth and women. The result has been the inclusion and amplification of women and youth voices in economic, social, and governance issues.
• ZMD supported the creation of news content that reached - and that reportedly was of interest to - marginalised communities and stakeholders in Southern Zimbabwe. This content covered a broad range of issues, including COVID-19, development and governance, mining and its effects, environment, health, rural infrastructure, and gender. In addition, members of these communities often approached ZMD-affiliated volunteer journalists with local public service delivery issues so they could be raised with relevant power holders, such as local authorities and government departments.
• ZMD strengthened the capacity of licensed and yet-to-be licensed community-based radio initiatives (CRIs). These CRIs address access to information gaps for communities in the Southern Region and are considered a reliable source of information. They offer localised content in local languages, which, in turn, facilitates localised consumption of news.
• The ZMD structure, consisting of community-based organisations (CBOs), which in turn recruit community journalists, has revolutionised content creation and dissemination in communities. The ability to report in real time on issues affecting communities has resulted in the provision of solutions to some perennial problems, improved accountability amongst duty-bearers, and underscored the power of the media. It should be noted that 44% of ZMD trained journalists were community or citizen journalists. These are unpaid volunteer journalists residing in rural areas that were ZMD project sites. Others were senior and mid-career journalists.

Based on the findings and evidence from the study, the research makes a number of recommendations for the project, including:

• Conduct tailor-made capacity building for boards and secretariats of each CRI. Examples include training on governance, business strategy, and sustainability.
• Identify and support more ward-based citizen journalists to increase coverage and reduce distances travelled by current journalists.
• Facilitate the accreditation of citizen journalists to protect them from victimisation when covering and distributing news.
• Scale-up facilitation of content creation and distribution in local languages.
• Create and continuously update a repository of articles and audio-visual material that help demonstrate the outcomes of the ZMD project.