Projects
BVTA EXPERIENCE ON ENHANCING CAPACITIES OF INFORMAL TRADERS
The organization is very strong in mobilizing and catalysing informal traders into various actions that have increased their recognition and improved their working conditions. BVTA has seven years’ experience in working with diverse informal traders which include women, men, youths and PwDs in advancing their rights and interests through capacity building, business management, business support and collaboration with line ministries and other key stakeholders. It has cultivated a mutually beneficial relationship between Informal Sector Working Groups and Local Authorities.
The organization has been creating cutting edge Climate mitigation, Green solutions and Safe markets, off grip solar systems, supporting young people with green kits, capacity building on waste repurposing, urban resilience, income diversification and value chains, market aggregation interventions. Developed the Sizimele Mobile Application for linking markets for informal traders and capacity support on business development and regularization.
The organization has been at the forefront in advocating for Bylaw and policy reforms. It has spearheaded access to decent working spaces for instance construction of Nkulumane Fruit and Vegetable Market in Bulawayo under Urban Resilient Safe Markets project through its partnerships. The organisation has strengthened and capacitated vendors and informal traders with business management skills, formalisation processes and innovative resilient survival strategies.
In the past seven years BVTA has been involved in advancing the rights and interests of informal traders through capacity building, research, learning, advocacy, business management skills, business support, coordination and collaboration with local, regional and international organisations. The organization has trained vendors and informal traders on social and economic rights, business management skills and other constitutional rights resulting in traders setting up Market Bailiffs in market places. Informal traders have been trained to be value chain champion Market Bailiffs through conscientising other informal traders in the markets to adhere to COVID19 protocols.
The organization has successfully managed to advocate for the construction of a Wholesale Market at Nkulumane Complex which is near completion.
The organization has experience in mobilisation and coordination of informal traders through informal economy associations, has created cutting edge safe markets interventions, providing market infrastructure, market aggregation interventions, COVID 19 support, capacity support on business management development and regularization.
The organisation has been championing income diversification strategies and building resilience amongst informal traders through disaster managements and value addition trainings contributing to socio economic empowerment. Some informal traders have progressed to resilience building initiatives emanating from the skills gained
The organization has been facilitating the setting up of internal savings and lending and trainings on financial literacy and business management ensuring that young informal traders create their own pool of capital. Conduct Mentorship Skills trainings for women and men to be able to produce their own products like detergents, drinks, and petroleum jelly.
The organisation has also formulated a Bulawayo Youth Model Policy that aimed at bringing out strategies to enhance the livelihoods of young informal traders and submitted to Bulawayo City Council in November 2021. The organization is also very experienced in media advocacy.
BVTA has mobilised informal traders in the formulation of the Model bylaw which was submitted to Bulawayo City Council in 2018. The submissions influenced the review of the outdated informal sector By- law, leading to its amendment gazetting under Statutory Instrument I81 of 2020. Most of the content in the new Bylaw was incorporated from the Model Bylaw which was submitted by the organisation.
The organization has carried out research on understanding patterning and growth of the informal economy, understanding laws governing the informal and probing city planning and designing and this successfully led to the review and gazetting of a New Informal Traders By- Law Statutory Instrument 181 of 2020 in Bulawayo encapsulating the changes that the organization submitted through its Model By- Law.
The organization has also facilitated conflict reduction and resolution in borders between border officials and women ICBTs who have actively participated in the development of the Border Charter.
The organisation is experienced in research and has published, An Informal Economy Assessment of Zimbabwe, Youth Active Citizenship and Decent Jobs and Participation of Young People in Public Policy Issues.
BVTA is also experienced in research, and has published several research papers. The organisation has engaged young women and men from tertiary institutions of higher learning in coming up with modern infrastructure prototypes which enhance safe and inclusive cities enabling young informal traders to trade safely through the Inclusive Cities Planning Project.
BVTA has been involved in the introduction of the Simplified Trade Regime policy to women Informal Cross Border Traders (ICBTs) and the promotion of recognition of women ICBTs by authorities such as immigration authorities in ports of entry. The organization also educated women ICBTs on economic rights as enshrined in the constitution of Zimbabwe and other related SADC regional policies i.e. SADC Protocol on Industry and Trade.
The organization has been doing media advocacy work through its website, social media, using local radio stations and Vendors Voice and Lokshin Pulse Newsletters to spotlight vendors and informal traders’ issues.
BVTA has been involved in Systems Practice streamlining relevant context specific problems through Systems Mapping in Zimbabwe and SADC countries. The Systems Mapping empowered women in Informal Cross Border Trading and has a positive multiplier effect on poverty reduction, economic growth, government revenues and employment creation, among other factors.
BVTA holds mental health and wellness sessions to sensitise young women and men on health-related illnesses which they experienced during the COVID-19 induced lockdown focusing on depression, drug abuse, stress and anxiety and coming up with strategies on how to manage the ills and coming up with diverse informal traders mitigation strategies. The organisation also conducts a breast cancer awareness campaign to sensitise informal traders on the disease and encourage them to go for screening regularly.
The organisation encourages informal traders to report any forms of violence which they encounter in trading areas and borders which include rape and sextortion. The organisation celebrates 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, Workers Day, Decent Work Day and Youth Day amongst others.
BVTA is an implementing partner under the Safe and Inclusive Cities (SAIC) project, supporting young people under the youth economic component that is thriving to enhance young people to have decent income opportunities. In the bid to support to young people, BVTA and other implementing partners working on creating decent work opportunities for youth, is thriving to support young entrepreneurs depending on their stage of business growth, young men and women need different kinds of business knowledge and support.
Through it’s HIVOS funded Urban Futures project run within a consortium of four organisations (BVTA, African Food Revolution, GreenHut Trust and Unemployed and Vulnerable Foundation trust), the organisation has enhanced the capacity of 52 young people in an Advanced Certificate in Urban Food Systems and Green Technologies. This is one activity towards an overall vision of a smart, inclusive and safe city with sustainable youth-led indigenous and evolving modern food systems where citizens are more conscious of their actions.
The organisation has managed diverse funding from partners which include, Plan International Zimbabwe, We Effect, Open Society Foundations (OSF), Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), UNDP, GIZ, IFES, Trust Africa, Danish Church Aid, Centre for International Private Enterprise, USAID, Cultural Information Trust, Zimbabwe Institute, Olofpalme, Dream Town and HIVOS.