Searcwl and the Women's Law Collection, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The Southern and Eastern African Regional Centre for Women's Law – SEARCWL - (in daily language just called the Women's Law Centre) is an institute under the Faculty of Law, University of Zimbabwe (UZ). It all started way back in the late 1980'ies when the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD) sponsored diploma courses in women's law for participants from Africa, at the University of Oslo. The first three courses were held in Oslo, but then the venue was moved to the University of Zimbabwe, and through the 1990'ies more than a hundred scholars have passed through the diploma courses. From February 2003, a masters degree program has been running with 28 students from 10 different countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe). From mid-June until the end of August we had an additional 19 students, so-called “upgraders” – i.e. ex-diploma students upgrading their diploma to a Masters degree.