Parents and educationists in Zimbabwe have warned that a rise of more than 1,000 percent in school fees will force larger numbers of children to drop out and preclude others from all education. Inflation has hit a new high of 913 percent, bringing a 12-fold rise in the cost of essentials. All schools, including those run by the government, said they would have to enforce the increases, effective from May.

Thanks to Kenya’s free primary education initiative, many children who had dropped out of school are back in class. "I would still be at home, because my aunt who took me in after my parents died could no longer afford to pay for my fees," said Akinyi, a class-seven pupil at Ayany Primary School in Kibera, a sprawling shantytown in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Kibera is said to be one of the largest slums in Africa, with hundreds of thousands of residents.

Participatory modes of governance are increasingly seen as crucial in achieving good governance, citizen empowerment, poverty reduction and human development goals. As one of CIVICUS' key programmatic efforts, the Participatory Governance Programme therefore seeks to enhance the capacity of civil society actors in developing and transitioning countries to participate in, and influence governance processes at the local and national levels.