Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) Organizational Profile

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Zambia Land Alliance

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

1. BACKGROUND
Zambia Land Alliance (ZLA) is a network of non-governmental organizations advocating for fair land policies, laws and administrative systems that take into consideration the interests of the poor and marginalized. The Alliance was founded in 1997 and operates through a National office, eighti (08) national members, eightii (08) District Land Alliances (DLAs) and twoiii (02) district project offices. Each DLA has its own member network at district level.

ZLA’s vision is to see a Zambia in which the rural, peri-urban and urban poor and vulnerable communities have secured access, ownership and control over land for sustainable development.

The organizations’ mission is to be a platform for collective action committed to promoting equitable access, control and secured ownership of land and related natural resources by the poor and marginalized, through lobbying and advocacy, networking, research and community partnership.

2. ZLA ACTIVITIES
ZLA implements the following activities to meet its strategic and operational objectives:
2.1 Capacity building: ZLA employs capacity building as a strategy for improving performance at all levels of the organisation. Capacity building is also included in developing the capacity of CLACs to be an effective interface between ZLA Branches and communities.

2.2 Sensitization and awareness raising: This strategy employs various approaches such as mass media, study circles and focus group discussions. The basic premise of sensitization and community awareness raising is that there is insufficient knowledge by the citizens to make informed decisions on what to do with respect to security of land tenure, sustainable livelihoods and environmental protection.

2.3 Lobbying and advocacy: Lobbying and advocacy are important strategies for ZLA to ensure laws and policies are appropriate for improved security, ownership and land use for sustainable livelihoods. Evidence based advocacy is a vital strategy in influencing policy changes and information gathered at different levels, through research and implementation of the strategy is used as an evidence base for advocacy activities. Advocacy structures such as CLACs and National Land Advocacy Committees are used for engaging duty bearers and policy makers on policy change. Lobbying and advocacy approaches also involve media advocacy, presentation of advocacy papers, using key and influential persons such as members of parliament, use of social media such as FACEBOOK, and social accountability which include information campaigns and participatory planning.

2.4 Alliance building: This strategy takes into account the fact that an alliance is a relationship among people and/or groups that have come together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure that ZLA as an organisation and the members as individual organisation can achieve their desired social goals and impacts in their own eyes and those of key stakeholders.

2.5 Collaboration with other organisations: ZLA recognises that it cannot achieve its objectives without working with other likeminded organisations, sharing best practises and creating a critical mass needed for lobbying and advocacy. This strategy is applied at the sub-district level through the traditional leadership and the Ward Development Committees, at the district level through the District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) and at the national level through the Sector Advisory Committees (SAC).

2.6 Paralegal services: Paralegals and District Coordinators provide legal awareness on land rights, mediate land-related disputes among community members, follow up cases and make referrals where necessary. The DCs work with CLACs in documentation and field follow ups on the cases. Paralegal support leads to increase in knowledge on land rights, access to conflict resolution points and justice. Documentation of land rights cases also contributes to generation of documentary evidence for advocacy interventions at various levels.

2.7 Information management and dissemination: ZLA develops materials containing land-related information which are distributed in various formats and channels to different stakeholders for decision making and advocacy interventions. These resources are distributed to communities, districts and are accessible on the ZLA website and library.

2.8 Community Land Advocacy Committees (CLACs): These are the basic operational structures of ZLA at community level, where the work is spearheaded by the community members through the CLACs. The CLACs report to district branches, which in turn report to the National Secretariat. CLACs have proved to be an effective link between the communities and ZLA Branches. CLACs also participate in local governance structures (e.g. WDC and village councils). They also support in the documentation/follow up of cases and sensitization of communities. These volunteer-run structures are responsible for mobilizing communities for activities, lobbying and advocacy at community level, overseeing study circle groups, sharing land related information and liaising with district branches on land matters occurring in their communities. The CLACs also follow up community work done by branches. The CLACs have developed the ability to handle minor land disputes with assistance from paralegal officers based at the branches/project offices.

2.9 The issuance of Customary Land Holding Certificates (CLHCs): The need to ensure security of tenure is an important element of the administration of customary land. ZLA promotes Customary Land Holding Certificates in a number of provinces where they are issued through their District Branches and project offices. The Customary Land Holding Certificate (CLHC) is a document which is issued by a Chief. This document certifies possession to a particular piece of land but is not a title deed, and cannot be used as a basis of land tenure conversion. However, these certificates have proved to be effective in reducing land ownership and boundary disputes. Certificates have also helped to secure land for the next of kin such as a spouse in the event of death.

2.10 The Study Circles: Zambia Land Alliance branches have provided the Study Circles with the time and date of radio programmes and this improves their effectiveness. The conclusion from the participants of the Study Circle is that this is good approach but its limitation is that it only involves a few members of the community.
The study circles are used as a means of addressing land issues. Study circles get assistance from paralegals and in this way, they are able to solve minor land disputes. The organisers ensure that the study groups meet to learn and share experiences using the study circle manual a tool developed specifically for this interaction.

i Alliance for Land Development, Caritas Zambia, Disability Rights Watch, Extraction Industry
Transparency Alliance, Green Living Movement, Rural Women Assembly, Women For Change, and Zambia Alliance for Women

ii Chingola, Chipata, Gwembe, Kitwe, Lusaka, Mansa, Monze, and Petauke

iii Nyimba and Solwezi