The community barza
A participatory advocacy process
What is participatory advocacy ? A long-term action that allows groups to make their problems visible and to look for solutions by involving all the actors in a territory : the people concerned, the community, the authorities, other organisations...
At APEF, for example, it was the women at the sewing-cutting training centre who presented their grievances to the authorities about the multiple taxes their businesses are subject to when they become self-employed following training.
After collectively becoming aware of a common problem they faced, they sought allies in their territory : other women entrepreneurs, community leaders and local elected officials.
In a public presentation to local authorities, they got promises and changes ! A great victory that complements the self-confidence they have developed.
Read below to the testimony of Wivine, participant of the last community barza, on the changes generated for her and other women thanks to the barza :
"The barza gave us the opportunity to communicate with the authorities, we who were unable to speak with the upper class. Through the barza we had the opportunity to get together and talk about the problems we face in our lives of vulnerability and entrepreneurship. It also helped us to get the vulnerability certificate. Now we can work for two years without paying taxes and we are more comfortable. It also helped us to know what taxes we have to pay as an entrepreneur and what we don’t have to pay. When the inspectors come to the field to make us pay taxes, we know what answer to give them, what tax we can give them and what tax we can not pay."
For more information, you can download the barza poster from a series of posters produced on the different participatory advocacy activities of the members of Train to Transform.
