16/10/2015
Don't have to figure it all out right now
Please note that the next Kubatana newsletter will be out on 27 October.
Next week we’re going East – to Nyanga – there’s a mountain to climb. Have a great weekend!
GoFifty/50
Hey there . . . if, through reading this newsletter or being in touch with Kubatana, you’ve gotten a job, internship, consultancy, scholarship, got inspired, angry, or laughed, met the person of your dreams, got a book deal . . . then please let us know. Not only do we like hearing from you, it’s also way cool in this fairly depressing environment to get some uplifting news, and to know that what we do is helpful. In other words – please cheer us Up! Email: [email protected] with You Add in the subject line (thanking you kindly)
Get active!
The Development of the Borrowdale Wetland
If you are a resident in the following wards: 7 - Avondale; 8 - Highlands; 17 - Mt Pleasant; 18 - Borrowdale please add your voice to the debate about the development of the Borrowdale Wetland on Borrowdale Road. In fact even if you aren’t a resident of these areas you can still share your opinion on protecting Harare’s water sources and open spaces!
Do you need more information on the issue?
Do you already have an opinion on the issue?
Action: You can access the Borrowdale Wetland Survey/Questionnaire Form using this link. Or email the Environmental Management Agency on: [email protected] and copy: [email protected] (who is the Principal Officer - Planning & Monitoring) and ask them to email it to you. Or you can share your comments on the ongoing development of this precious wetland/open space directly via email.
If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!
In your own words . . .
Why China’s model of capitalism is popular in Africa - and America’s isn’t
Your article above refers. I don't mean to be belligerent but to remind us of a difficult truth. History shows us that democracy was never the best model for development. History shows us that authoritarianism and exploitation have always been the backbone of "development". This is true from tribal societies where different ethnic groups warred for ascendancy leading to the establishment of ancient and modern empires, to feudal societies where serfs and peasants were exploited, to the transatlantic slavery era where Africa and her people were exploited for the development of Europe, to the industrial revolution, where workers (including children) were exploited in industrialising countries, to the colonial era where the exploitation of Africa by Europe continued, to the late capitalist era where the markets of developed countries exploits workers in less developed countries. As consumers with much in common with the markets of developed countries, middle and upper class Zimbabweans have to include themselves in the "markets of developed countries" group. I feel bad whenever I go to a certain fruit and vegetable shop and buy a whole case of delicious pineapples for USD2.99. I don't know what to do about it. The least I can do is always speak truth to the power of ideology and this is what I am doing in this response to your article. What democracy does, and we have seen it do this very well even in our own country, is stabilise certain relations of power and production. The tragedy is that the human race has not yet used democracy to stabilise conditions of power and production that intend and ensure a dignified livelihood for all on this planet. It's possible. If democracy can stablise questionable systems of government, it could also be used to stabilise positive systems of government if those who wielded power in the democratic system so wished. This line of argument shows us that the middle class could never been an enduring phenomenon in a democracy based on exploitation. In such a system, a middle class is simply a buffer to allow exploitative democracy to continue with its work. When it ceases to serve this purpose then it is no longer useful and must be done away with. Our global systems are so entrenched that it seems they are natural. It looks as though they are God-given. But human beings have free will and we could change them if those who have the power to make change so wished. - Tsitsi Dangarembga
That photograph
Earlier this week we shared a photograph with you and asked you for your comments/opinions. This is what we've gotten so far:
Under no circumstances whatsoever should a civilian kneel before a police officer, not acceptable at all cost. Police should not torture offenders, if found breaking the law be arrested and face your crime than to be humiliated kneeling before Police officers. In this pic, this person could be pleading that he be freed it could be that he committed a road offence and is now expected to pay a bribe which he does not have. Police no longer issue tickets to pay a fine later but spot fine or bribe.
Yes I am outraged by the continual abuse by the uniformed forces in Zimbabwe, especially the police. They are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the profession.
Interesting positions. One is begging for freedom. He has no $ to give them. They are demanding a lot. He has no ID on him. Or he's been caught in possession of mbanje. Last week I was in court and over 80%of the cases were drug possession including a 64 year old.
The image is heartbreaking! But what hurts me most is that a majority of Zimbabweans have accepted that they see no problem. In fact they will boast about it,"aah ukaona wasangana ne ZRP ma1 ako!" I also think it's simply backward. I picture a 1935 N**i German kind of thing when I see this.
They probably wanted the usual “Bribe” or this poor man would get the beating of his life – happens all the time. The majority of Zimbabweans no longer respect our Police Force, because they are nothing but BULLIES, but they must remember “Karma.”
My husband and staff were once made to lie down when the vehicle they were driving to work in broke down outside the president's office. Zimbabwean authorities use humiliation as a torture tactic.
Good to know
Femi Asu has won the Ecobank Economic & Business Award at CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2015
In his winning story, Small businesses in death throes as power supply worsens, Femi Asu reports on the issue facing many Nigerian entrepreneurs, and exposes a major problem for those struggling to grow their businesses. He explains how enormous expenses associated with electricity; coupled with worsening power from the national grid, eat into profits. He shows how many young Nigerians, whose projects could create jobs for others and whose success is crucial to growing the economy, are crippled by prohibitive costs and are going out of business.
Get out there and do some stuff!
2015 Regional Youth Volunteer Work camp
Deadline: 20 November 2015
Environment Africa in partnership with the Zimbabwe Youth Network will conduct a one-week youth work camp from the 6th to the 13th of December at Chief Mukuni’s village in Livingstone, Zambia. The work camp is for meant for youth to demonstrate and build a sustainable future amongst communities through volunteerism. The work camp whose main objectives are to promote diversity, child and human rights awareness invites participants to apply prior the camp. Please contact: [email protected] and copy: [email protected] regarding the work camp and application forms
Featured weekend reading . . .
On International Day of the Girl (11 October) eight teenagers from around the world talked about the issues they face, from child marriage to the battle to stay in education
Yuma, 15, Nicaragua
I understand the challenges young people face. I am an only child who was raised by my mother, after my father left. I now live with my aunt, as there are more education opportunities in the main town. It’s hard to be a girl where I live, as we are much more disadvantaged than boys. Men have all the power – especially at home – because they are the ones who make the decisions. Acts of violence are common in my community. I’ve seen physical violence, trauma and bullying – much of which has taken place at the hands of gangs. They loiter on the streets, harassing boys and girls and encouraging fights. When they see us girls, they walk towards us and try to touch our hips, our shoulders and our face. Gangs scare us. This kind of behaviour causes confidence issues and leads to a lack of self-esteem, especially for girls my age. If we wear tight trousers, we are harassed. I am keen to continue learning and share my ideas with others. I feel confident that women can achieve all the things that men do. I am determined to keep learning and hopefully go to university one day to study psychology. (Interview facilitated by Plan International)
Awazi Sophia, 15, Uganda
It is challenging being an adolescent girl in Uganda because some people, especially men and boys, tease you: whenever you pass by them, they will whistle at you or shout some words at you. But for me, I don’t mind about them, I continue with my life. Another issue is that maybe parents may not give you enough advice on how to live as an adolescent or how to confront certain issues that may come your way. Some parents are too shy to tell us the realities of life as a girl. I want to study hard and be an accountant. This is because I like mathematics and love to play with numbers. But overall, I have hopes that being an accountant will help me earn money to take care of my three young sisters. I would love it if Uganda worked on girl-child education and introduced programmes to help to make sure girls stay in school. What that means is that we need strict laws to punish those people marrying off young girls. (Interview by Alon Mwesigwa)
Zeinab, 14, Lebanon
My name is Zeinab. I’m 14 years old, from Deir Ezzor. I came to Lebanon at the beginning of the year and on New Year’s Day, I got married. I’ve been married for almost a year now. I wanted to be a painter. It was my dream, but Syria is destroyed and that dream won’t be fulfilled. If I had the choice, I would have delayed it. I wanted to be a painter, but I had to be protected. That’s why I was married. The situation in Syria is not good. All I want is to go home and have peace in Syria. I had everything in Syria, but nothing here. I was comfortable and happy before because our country is heaven. I used to go to school, play, joke … we did everything. And now, I’ve got no food, no house, and no mattresses to sleep on. Here, I’ve met another Syrian girl, who’s a year older. She’s also been married for two years now. We bonded because we both married young. Now that I’m married, I feel like I’m going to be a mother. (World Vision)
Eva, 15, Tanzania
My dream is to be an educated girl because there is nothing we can enjoy without education. I want to see every single girl in the world being educated so we can all achieve our big dreams. This year I finished my primary education. It’s not been easy – my parents have not always been able to pay for my uniform and textbooks – but I did it and I’m really proud. I will do whatever it takes to graduate from any university so that I can achieve my dream to become a policewoman and take care of the community. It is difficult to study at night because we don’t have power and I can’t go through my notes in darkness. I spend almost the whole day at school without having any meals and it makes me lose my concentration. I am worried that it will affect my performance and I won’t be able to pass my exams – but my father is working extremely hard to find more resources for my studies and I won’t let him down. (Restless Development)
Emelin, 15, Guatemala
I live in the rural highlands of Guatemala in a mostly indigenous community. Life for me and other adolescent girls is hard, and we are determined to make things better. Our biggest problems are early pregnancy and childbirth, sexual violence, lack of access to education, and access to healthcare. Approximately half of adolescent girls here have their first baby before the age of 18, and only about 14% finish secondary school. This is because girls are not valued or respected. So two years ago, my friend Elba and I together with other youth decided to do something to try to help girls like us. After attempting to meet our town’s mayor, we met with a Let Girls Lead mentor who taught us about self-esteem, human rights, community organising and public speaking. We used our new skills to make an impression on our village. We were interviewed in the newspaper, and television and radio covered our campaign. Finally the mayor did pay attention to us, and soon signed into legislation a new municipal policy to fund education and healthcare efforts for girls. We adolescents are important because we are the present and future of our country. We have a voice and will use it, because the rights of indigenous women and girls are also human rights. Based on these experiences, I would like to become a leader of my country when I grow up, so that I can help make a difference for girls in Guatemala. (Let Girls Lead)
Fatmata, 15, Sierra Leone
When I finish school I want to be a lawyer because I want to take action for children. Especially for pregnant children. The biggest problem facing adolescent girls in Sierra Leone is pregnancy. If you are 15 years old, you are still a child, and some men want to come and love you. They try to trick you saying that they love you. This is a big problem. They tried with me, but I don’t love them. If someone comes and tells me they love me, I will not accept it because I am going to school and I want to learn and concentrate on my school books. It happened to one of my sisters. She got pregnant, had a child and had to drop out of school. She was in form one and had to stop. The man paid bride price and married her. She is at home now, even though she wants to go to school. She is 18 now, and the baby is two years old. She got pregnant at 15. I did not feel good about my sister. I am angry because she had to drop out of school when she got pregnant. I am angry at the man for getting my sister pregnant. When I see her now I just don’t feel fine because she should be in school, not raising a baby. My biggest challenge is with regard to school fees because my parents can’t afford to pay for me. My uncle pays for my school and supplies. He doesn’t complain, but it is still a challenge because I have to ask. I am worried about the future and how I will pay for college fees and books. That is my biggest worry. (Unicef)
Sharmin, 15, Bangladesh
I want to be a special branch detective so I can catch smugglers. As a teenager I feel I am a part of the future of this country and I have a responsibility towards it. Our country needs a change in mindset so that people can acknowledge that each girl has a right to dream and achieve whatever she wants to. Positive thinking and encouragement from family, school and college can play a pivotal role in enabling girls’ ability to flourish. The major difficulties that girls of my age face are sexual harassment in public places, and child marriage. Both need to be strictly dealt with by the government. Our legislators have to take measures to ensure the safety and security of girls in our country. We need to make men of our country understand these issues. I have participated in discussions arranged within our Beltola Club, one of Brac’s adolescent development clubs, where we have discussed a girl’s right to pursue her dreams. Being a member of the club has helped me develop my own perspective towards life and given me the strength to voice my opinion. I know what I want and I can reason with my parents. I believe confidence and aspiration can take a person a long way. (Brac)
Source: The Guardian
Opportunities . . .
Harvard Offers Media Innovation Fellowship
Deadline: 1 December 2015
Journalists worldwide working for news organizations in a business, technology or leadership capacity can apply for a fellowship at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society will host at least one fellow for an academic year to carry out a research project on journalism innovation. Candidates must propose a project relating to journalism’s digital transformation. Examples might include ideas for new revenue streams to fund journalism, the construction of new tools for reporting or research into news consumption patterns. Most fellows receive a US$65,000 stipend. Fellows receive additional allowances for housing, childcare and health insurance. Please use this link for more information
Coady Institute’s Global Change Leaders Program 2016 for Emerging Women Leaders in Developing Countries
Deadline: 4 December 2015
Coady Institute’s International Centre for Women’s Leadership is currently inviting applications for the Global Change Leaders Program 2016. It is a seven-week education program offered by Coady Institute’s International Centre for Women’s Leadership. This program enables women from developing countries to strengthen their leadership capacities in order to contribute to innovation and change in their organizations and communities. Please use this link for more information
World Bank and SVRI announce new grants of up to US $150,000
Deadline: 9 December 2015
The World Bank Group and Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) have jointly announced a new funding opportunity aimed at preventing gender-based violence in low and middle-income countries. Grants of up to US $150,000 are available to fund innovations to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) - a severe and neglected problem affecting more than one in three women worldwide and a major challenge for global development. Please use this link for more information
Consultancies . . .
Business Development Consultant Terms Of Reference: Restless Development
Deadline: 12 noon 22 October 2015
Restless Development seeks to engage the services of a Business Development Consultant. The Business Development Consultant will work with Restless Development as well as International Youth Foundation to develop a business development curriculum. This curriculum will be used to train and build the business development capacities of young people particularly young women in vocational training institutions as well as out of school youth with the ultimate aim of enhancing their chances of starting their own small-medium scale enterprises. Please use this link for more information
Internships . . .
Finance and Administration Intern: Progressio
Deadline: 23 October 2015
Full time twelve-month placement, based in Harare: The Finance and Administration intern will be assisting the operationalisation of proper finance and administration procedures that are in line with organizational guidelines and internationally recognized standards of accountability in the Country office and between Progressio and its Partners. The Finance Intern will be working under the guidance and supervision of the FAO. Please use this link for more information and to apply
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Vacancies . . .
Please note: these job vacancies come from a variety of sources. They are not Kubatana job vacancies therefore it is up to the applicant to respond to the contact details contained in the advert. If you do not receive any response to your application it is because the organization advertising the job vacancy has not done so. Please bear in mind that there are very high unemployment levels in Zimbabwe, and that the few jobs available have many applicants. We wish you good luck with your quest for employment.
HR Coordinator: Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)
Deadline: as soon as possible
The HR Coordinator will assist in driving a full range of human resources functions such as (recruitment, staffing, learning and development, performance management, culture and change management, staff relations and well-being), ensuring effective and timely delivery of HR services – consistent with CHAI Mission, Values and Policies. To apply please use this link
Finance & Administration Officer: Restless Development
Deadline: 20 October 2015
The Finance & Administration Officer is an integral role in our Country Programme's Finance Unit, which supports the delivery of our Youth Empowerment Programme. Working closely with the Finance and Administration Co-ordinator, the role involves frequent communications with and support for the programmes team on financial matters. Please use this link for more information
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Deadline: 21 October 2015
The MEAL Officer will be responsible for overseeing the operationalization of the MEAL Plans for Country Program, as well as conducting any required assessments and evaluations during project implementation. S/he will work closely with Program Managers and other program staff to ensure inclusion of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning in all programmatic activities. The MEAL officer position requires close communication and coordination with all project staff. S/he will also support MEAL focused capacity building for staff and ensure the use of ICT for development (ICT4D). The MEAL Officer will ensure adherence to CRS' MEAL policies and procedures. Please use this link for more information
Driver/Community Assistant: Organisation for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID)
Deadline: 22 October 2015
With the launching of the ANCP PROJECT, on the 1st of October 2015, OPHID Trust is looking for a suitably qualified and motivated individual to fill a position that has fallen vacant in Mutasa District. The project titled "The Mbereko Model: Tackling barriers to accessing Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Services in Rural Zimbabwe" requires a highly motivated Driver/Community Assistant to work in conjunction with the Provincial Officer in focusing on the implementation and study of the process. The Mbereko Project will seek to address poor maternal and infant outcomes in the first 1000 days in Mutasa District, Manicaland Province by significant uptake of health services and increasing male engagement in maternal newborn and child health. Please use this link for more information
Programmes Manager: Christian Care
Deadline: 430pm 23 October 2015
Christian Care, a registered welfare organization (PVO 79/67) involved in development and relief activities, is inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the post of Programmes Manager. Please use this link for more information
Lawyer: The Legal Resources Foundation
Deadline: 28 October 2015
The Legal Resources Foundation, a local legal service NGO, invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the post of Lawyer that has arisen at its Harare Centre. Please use this link for more information
Disclaimer: Please note that Kubatana receives notifications for inclusion of material for this newsletter from a variety of sources. Whilst we try to verify the authenticity of the information we publish, the final responsibility rests with you to make sure that the advertiser is supplying you with correct information. We encourage you to engage in conversation with the advertiser directly should you have any queries or concerns.
The Kubatana Trust of Zimbabwe and
The NGO Network Alliance Project
PO Box GD 376
Greendale
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel: +263-4-776056 or 776696
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.kubatana.net
Visit www.kubatana.net Zimbabwe's civic and human rights web site incorporating an on line directory for the non-profit sector
