A non-profit organization concerned with equitable development and environmental sustainability, the Mazingira Institute is involved in information, communication and education activities. Its work is based on an interdisciplinary approach to the issues of human settlements and environmental management, gender, health and environmental awareness, peace, cooperation and environment. Through its publications, distance-education program, workshops and seminars, the institute disseminates information on sustainable development to primary schools, grassroots institutions and the population at large. Mazingira’s work, which is inter-disciplinary, comprises: research, information-communication, education and networking.
The Institute’s networking activities include:
- SINA: Settlements Information Network Africa
- HIC: Habitat International Coalition (HIC), the international NGO alliance on human settlements.
- ARNUM: The Institute is the Secretariat of ARNUM (African Research Network of Urban Management) a network of researchers, policymakers, implementors and others interested in advancing research and policy linkages on urban management.
The Institute’s research activities include a contribution to the Management of Social Transformation (MOST) Programme of UNESCO under one of its themes. MOST provided start-up support to the Understanding the New Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Cities: Building a Knowledge-base for Urban Management in the Twenty-first Century Project.
At the regional level, the Institute is carrying out two major research activities in the areas of gender, urbanisation and environment (GUE), and government and non-government cooperation in the field of human settlements (GONGO).
Information on the Institute’s internship programme, study visits and publications (with some full-text material), particularly those relating to gender activities, is available on the Web site.