WOMEN ORGANIZING WOMEN - DOING IT BACKWARDS AND IN HIGH HEELS

This article looks at the formative stages of a Zimbabwean NGO, the Mu sasa Project. The process of arriving at a particular organizational m odel is examined. Particular attention is paid to two aspects of this process i) problems experienced in an organization run by women for wo men, in particular, the issue of gendered 'dis-ease' in the public sph ere of work and how it affects performance, and ii) the impact of incr eased external funding on the organizational model and on the relative importance of members of the organization. The final section of the a rticle poses questions about 'scaling-up' of NGOs, how it can affect o rganizational priorities, and how the accompanying 'professionalizatio n' can marginalize less well-educated staff. A model of scaling-up is proposed which, by setting up structures to enhance the 'voice' of the constituency, ensures that their views continue to be heard.