Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Four Civil Society Organizations have formed a coalition to conduct national civic and voter sensitization campaigns ahead of the 2016 General Election.
Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL), Operation Young Vote (OYV), Anti-Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) and Young Women in Action (YWA) have partnered on a project called ‘Go Out and Vote’ aimed at sensitizing citizens, especially the youth and women about the purpose and importance of voting.
The project which is being funded by Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and HIVOS is aimed at reversing the high prevalence of voter apathy witnessed in previous elections.
Coalition Chairperson on the project OYV Executive Director Guess Nyirenda has disclosed that the project will publicize fundamental stages in the electoral process which include registration, verification and voting.
Mr. Nyirenda states that the campaign will also outline the basics of elections such as who can vote, when the election will be held, where one goes to vote, the hours when polling stations are open, and what the very process of casting a ballot entails.
Guess Nyirenda
He says this is besides the campaign attempting to communicate equally to literate and non-literate voters using non-conventional methods such as ICTs, road shows, music concerts and popular theatre in universities, colleges, during traditional ceremonies and other public events.
Mr. Nyirenda has since expressed hope that through this project, the youth and women will be motivated to go out, register and vote during the 2016 elections.