Strengthening local governance and empowering communities in Benguela.
In a week of intense activity, our Benguela Focal Point, Gabriel Romeu, and Civil Society Assistant, Inácio Tomás, carried out a series of impactful actions, promoting citizen participation and strengthening local communities. With the aim of empowering and involving local leaders, the activities included training, evaluation meetings and support for the development of community projects.
The first action took place in the commune of Catumbela, where the Communal CAC was trained in accordance with Presidential Order 225/18, with the participation of 27 people, including traditional, ecclesiastical and civic leaders. The opening and closing ceremony was led by the Deputy Communal Administrator, Marcelino César, marking an important step towards strengthening local institutions.
Moving on to the municipality of Cubal, Gabriel and Inácio met with the Municipal Administrator, the Secretary General and the CTGOM coordinator to discuss the progress of community actions and future partnerships. The local authorities recognized PASCAL’s fundamental role in developing spaces for dialogue and the active participation of citizens. It was also an opportune moment to interact with the Núcleo Dinamizador de Direitos Humanos, in order to identify other Civil Society Organizations and define lines of joint intervention. At the end of the day, the Focal Point and the assistant attended the “Quintas de Debate” event promoted by the “Te Levando” consortium, as part of the PASCAL grants.
Also in Catumbela commune, the Focal Point and the Assistant met with the President of the Residents’ Committees, António Ferro Candongo, to plan future training sessions, reinforcing PASCAL’s commitment to active and collaborative citizenship. The week ended with a working session with the Director of the Municipal Administration’s Legal Office, where the training carried out was evaluated and new activities planned to consolidate community engagement.
