Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) aims to promote democracy and good governance by strengthening Civil Society Organisations and political representatives’ ability to address service delivery challenges through ongoing and sustainable public participation in democratic institutions.

The South African Civil Society Organisations’ Participation in Provincial Legislatures (CSPPL) project seeks to increase levels of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) activity in public participation and oversight at the provincial legislatures in Limpopo, Northern Cape, and North West. The project is implemented by Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) in partnership with Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), with the financial support from the European Union (EU) and WFD for the period from 2018 to 2020.

The project is implemented through facilitated events with CSOs and Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) and key legislature staff.  These events and ongoing support aim to increase state responsiveness and accountability in the thematic areas of public health and public safety in three provinces.

Specifically, the CSPPL project works with:

• CSOs to enhance their participation in relevant provincial legislative oversight and public participation processes that increase community voice in provincial government;

• MPLs and Portfolio Committee Staff to increase their awareness of the value of public participation and oversight in good governance and strong democracies;

• Both CSOs and MPLs collaboratively to nurture relationships between the legislatures, civil society, and communities to increased engagement and responsiveness on pressing issues.