Mercy Corps Catalysing Economic Development of Informal Sector CEDIS 2022-2026

The Catalysing Economic Development for the Informal Sector (CEDIS) project's first year of activities were mainly the inception phase that lasted six (6) months that was followed by a pilot phase that will last 12 months, overlapping into year two (2024). The inception report was submitted detailing the activities conducted to roll-out the project implementation. The CEDIS programme was officially launched in Bulawayo in the third quarter of year one. During the reporting period, Mercy Corps Zimbabwe assembled the 19 staff member CEDIS project team where 12 are programme staff (7 female) and 7 are support staff (3 female). The programme staff received two sets of training on market systems development for employment (MSD4E) and programme management delivered by the Mercy Corps technical support unit (TSU) responsible for MSD4E and Programme Management. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between Mercy Corps and 6 different administrative units including Bulawayo City Council, Gwanda Town Council, Gwanda Rural District Council, Matobo Rural District Council in Matabeleland South, Bulawayo Metropolitan province, and Mutasa District Council in Manicaland province. The project conducted a target group segmentation/profiling exercise to better understand the diverse nature of the target group based on their differences in vulnerabilities, capacities, opportunities, and their aspirations. The CEDIS team have segmented the target group into 4 broad groups based on their proximity to economic centres and access to assets and resources. In addition, a sector study was conducted during the reporting period. The exercise selected seven (7) sectors to be investigate further after a secondary study. Based on the findings of the sector study, the CEDIS team shortlisted three (3) sectors for the programme to focus on, based on the relevance, growth opportunity, and feasibility criteria. The selected sectors were waste management, agro-processing, and small-scale manufacturing. Productive use of renewable energy was selected as a key driver of growth in the three selected sectors. The selected sectors presented a great potential and opportunities to improve income, working conditions and resilience of urban women. The CEDIS team ten conducted a market systems assessment (MSA) specific for the three (3) selected sectors, waste management, agro-processing and small-scale manufacturing sectors. This was to identify underlying constraints that prevent these sectors from growing and providing better opportunities for women. The team interviewed target participants who were already engaged in the sector, private sector players, and supporting functions actors who were previously identified in the sector study. A Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis was undertatken during the pilot phase. Some of the findings indicated that women spend a lot of time in non-paid jobs including household chores and the burden of care remains a woman's domain. However, women dominate economic activities where there are less barriers to entry, including vegetable vending, buying, and selling of various products. The findings from the MSA and the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis were used to develop the sector vision, design possible intervention areas, identify potential partners, and develop the systemic change vision. At least twelve (12) interventions were designed by the team to drive the desired changes in waste management, agro-processing and small-scale manufacturing, and to promote a productive use of renewable energy. These pilot interventions are designed to unlock the underlying constraints that have consistently barred women from meaningful participation, growth and benefits in the selected market systems. During the reporting period, the CEDIS team revisited the initial version of the theory of change outlined in the proposal and validated it against the findings from the various. The partner subsequently aligned the theory of change with the waste management, agro-processing, and small-scale manufacturing sectors vision and theories of change. Mercy Corps Zimbabwe also developed the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework based on the refined programme theory of change. The MEL framework consists of key indicators, definitions, and monitoring and learning plans. A part of the pilot phase activities, the CEDIS programme successfully carried out pre-award assessments and a due diligence process for ten (10) selected private sector partners in the different sectors of intervention. The pre-award assessment and the due diligence were done to ascertain the partners capacity for financial responsibility and the partners capacity for programmatic responsibilities and to identify gaps/risks to be able to mitigate against these. actions for CEDIS considerations.

Goal About 30,000 vulnerable mostly young women in the urban and surrounding rural areas of Bulawayo, Mutare and Harare have improved incomes, working conditions and resilience to shocks and stresses through sustainable informal microenterprise livelihoods. Expected Results/Outcomes 1. Increased women's microenterprise access to markets and market services 2. Increased women's empowerment in the informal economy 3. Improved enabling environment for women in the informal economy