Nearly two years ago Egyptians called for change. Today, these citizens are still struggling for democracy, freedom and justice. This revolution witnessed a high rate of participation of women and men from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds, and Egyptians remain committed to building a new democratic society. After long decades of corruption and dictatorship, Egyptians are looking for tools and mechanisms to enable them to hold their representatives and executives accountable, and to play a leading role in discussing and drafting the plans and needs of their local communities.
With an emphasis on women and youth, the Civic Engagement for Transparency and Accountability (CETA) currently being implemented by Creative Learning (CL) will help Egyptian citizens to more effectively and sustainably exercise their democratic rights in Egypt’s burgeoning democracy. Despite participation in various elections during the past 18 months, citizens still lack the civic and political knowledge and awareness necessary to enable them to effectively make knowledgeable decisions at the polls, hold those they elect accountable, and work effectively to promote their interests with public officials, particularly on the local level. This is particularly true of women and youth who lack experience on how to join the decision making process.
The goal of the CETA project is to empower a greater number of citizens, especially women and youth, to effectively and sustainably exercise their democratic rights. CETA’s objectives are:
1. Enhance reach and capacity of the Network of Civil Society Organizations: Increase the network of NGOs to cover seven governorates and develop their capacity to conduct effective voter, civic education, and citizen participation and accountability training in traditionally marginalized areas with an emphasis on women and youth.
2. Increase understanding of democratic rights and responsibilities: Enhance target communities’ understanding democratic governance, civic engagement, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, advocacy, citizens’ participation, and accountability, while developing voter and civic education messages that resonate with the target population.
3. Promote active and informed civic engagement and participation: Enhance dialogue between citizens and elected bodies to promote transparency and accountability in governance. (edit)
