Democracy Works Foundation in partnership with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy are the implementing partners in a three-year programme called, Civil Society Participation in Provincial Legislature (CSPPL) and funded by the European Union. The programme is aimed at establishing and strengthening platforms of engagement between selected civil society organisations (CSOs) and Portfolio Committees for Health and Community Safety in Limpopo, Northern Cape and the North West provinces.
To date, the programme has since been on field visits to Limpopo and the Northern Cape to introduce the programme to the provincial legislatures and civil society organisations. From Limpopo, six CSOs agreed to participate in the programme. Using a Governance Capacity Assessment (GCA) tool to analyse the profiles of the CSOs, the most common challenges faced by communities across the five districts in the province were, high levels of gender-based violence (GBV) and multiple incidents of mob justice against criminal elements in the community. Regarding health in the province, healthcare facilities in Limpopo are challenged with providing services for a significant part of the population who mainly rely on the public healthcare system. This is mainly attributed to a failing healthcare system, as well as inadequate communication and weakened relations between CSOs and the Provincial Legislature.
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