Evaluation of the Southern and Eastern Africa Regional Centre for ...

8Kenya and Zimbabwe. Another area of impact concerns the deliberations involved incourt judgements, and legal assistance in Zimbabwe. The course had helpedemployees to highlight ‘gaps’ in current legal practice and in using a ‘gender lens’directed at reworking judgments and altering decision making. Institutional impact inZambia is most apparent in the police force, where there are examples of how thegraduates have improved the work on women’s issues, in particular on gender basedviolence. The NGO sector employer respondents indicated how graduates in theiremployment had been highly beneficial in contributing a more proactive andevidence based approach to their work.Limits to impactThough the Centre is described as a key resource, most notably for its graduates,there remains, nonetheless, the assumption that graduates are able to impactinstitutional structures. Not only is this outside of SEARCWL’s control, but it alsounderplays the nested nature of power within institutions. As explained bygraduates, institutional relations were extremely difficult to alter, especially due tohierarchy. One highly relevant avenue was that the findings in dissertations could bemade better known to maximise potential for impact. More accessible and strategicknowledge could be an asset to state and civil society actors.SEARCWL is active mainly if not almost entirely in Zimbabwe and the alumnaegraduates are also relatively well networked in Zimbabwe but networking decreasesthe further one moves to other countries. The need for strategic interventions withalumnae was keenly felt in Zambia and Kenya.SEARCWL responseThe evaluation finds that though there appears to be discussion amongst Centrestaff, there is lack of a strategic document or policy vision for the Centre’s activitiesas a whole (i.e. over and beyond the Masters itself), especially, discussion of outreach.Often this was put down to shear time and human resource constraints that arecertainly important considerations. However, there might be certain issues or areaswhere the Centre could concentrate its efforts year to year more proactively ratherthan appearing to react to situations as they arise. Again, the further away fromZimbabwe, the more rapidly the presence of the SEARCWL diminishes, which alsosuggests the need for higher degree of strategic prioritisation.Financial governanceThe agreement has been adhered to in a timely and efficient manner, as recognisedby all parties. Furthermore, annual audits are up to date with no signs ofirregularities. However, there have been a number of different financial fundingarrangements over the years. These have largely been a creative response tochallenges of financial management in Zimbabwe. Though there is also a graduallymore stable situation in Zimbabwe since dollarization and with the Government ofNational Unity in 2009, the future is still very uncertain.Regional Advisory BoardThe board has provided professional and highly competent advice for steering thecourse related activities in particular. It also appears to have become more vocal on