Critics say the legislation is aimed at silencing dissent and consolidating power, especially after the government’s intensified clampdown on opposition parties in recent years.

“Essentially they destroyed opposition politics , so now they are moving to civic society,” said Blessing Vava, director of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a network of over 75 civic organisations. “There is no NGO I know of that has been involved in terrorism or money laundering. This is a ploy by the Mnangagwa regime to impose a one-party state,” he told the AFP.

Vava added that civic groups have been playing a critical watchdog role and educating citizens on voting and constitutional rights - functions he believes the government now sees as a threat.

Paidamoyo Saurombe, a human rights law yer, urged affected organisations to challenge the law in court. “The legal remedy for human rights and charity organisations is to take this bill to be tested in our courts and see if it aligns with constitutional provisions,” she said.

The bill's passage comes despite strong warnings from United Nations experts, who earlier this year said the legislation would “severely restrict” the space for civil society in Zimbabwe and urged Mnangagwa not to sign it.

Executive Director of FWBK, Osoya George believes that communities should not focus only on women's empowerment without enlightening men.

"Why do we want to empower women without enlightening men? So men are being left behind and that is why they are not solving problems of women's empowerment. We want them to think the same, to know the problem that the other person is facing and how they can come together to solve this problem," he told GSW.

FWBK is also committed to breaking myths and beliefs in the community and promoting gender equality through sports, he added.

He continued that by establishing a safe space for boys and girls to co-exist and learn more about each other, FWBK creates an opportunity for them to develop together.

However, in recent years, gender-based violence against women in Kenya has been well-documented. Between 2016 and 2023, more than 500 women, mostly below the age of 35, were killed by intimate partners or acquaintances, according to Amnesty International Kenya.

"I think the initiative is enlightening them because they are open to sharing. They are not afraid of boys anymore. They take them as people who can solve their problems because they do everything together. The boys also see the girls as their sisters. So I think openness brings courage to these girls," he shared.

George disclosed that alongside the organisation’s focus on creating self-sustainable agriculture where the children in the programme can fund their education by selling their produce, the organisation also established an initiative to help girls make reusable ‘period panties’ to enable them to attend school during their menstruation period after it was discovered as a reason for low performance among girls within the community.

“When we found out the girls were not performing so well, and each day of the month, they were missing in their classes. We came up with the initiative to help them come to school. We did it locally with the raw materials,” he said.

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"We've implemented initiatives like self-sustainable agriculture, enabling children to finance their education by selling their produce," George mentioned to GSW in an interview.

He explained that the initiative not only teaches children valuable agricultural skills but also empowers them to support themselves and contribute to their communities.

But FWBK's mission doesn't stop at agriculture. The organisation also facilitates volunteer exchange programmes to nurture talents and provide avenues for participants to join professional clubs in the country.

"Many people underestimate the impact of sports on communities. It's a platform for acquiring knowledge and bringing it back to uplift communities. Participants become self-reliant; they don't resort to child labour," George emphasised.

"We currently have four children under 16 who will undergo trials for the national team, a significant achievement for our organisation," he added.

Beyond sports, FWBK partners with local schools to empower youth through education programmes, he disclosed.

Despite their non-reliance on government support, George urged authorities to back nonprofit organisations like FWBK to enhance community education and share knowledge globally.

"I think what affects us in Kenya affects everybody around Africa. We just request that the government can come in and provide maybe online discussions or give us a room to travel around the world to share,” he concluded.

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