The cholera outbreak of 2008, which claimed the lives of thousands, was devastating. Sadly, as soon as the situation was under control, and fewer and fewer people died of the disease, we all took on an attitude that the crisis had been overcome and that the worst was over. Not much has done to put systems and infrastructures in place to prevent Zimbabwe from ever being riddled with the infectious disease again.

It therefore comes as no surprise that we are now reading news reports about typhoid fever infections. What preventative measures are being taken to ensure that Harare’s cholera-friendly atmosphere, (poor water supply, garbage collection and sanitation facilities), does not contribute to or result in another deadly outbreak? Prevention is better then cure! Is it possible to nip typhoid fever in the bud, as it were, before it becomes cholera?

See the related story in The Zimbabwean.

Traffic across Harare was worse this morning thanks to a city-wide power outage, and it sounds like must of the rest of the country would have also been affected.

The statement issued this morning by the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) helps to explain:

Dear Stakeholder/Customer

It is with regret that I advise of the sudden “shut down”" of both our major sources of generation at 0625 hours this morning (Wednesday 9th November 2011).

This was caused by a major system disturbance (system instability) on the transmission network. Early indications are that this disturbance originated from the transmission line from Mozambique. It would appear that this was a severe shock as it also impacted on the Kariba North Bank station (Zambia)

When the stations are subjected to these exogenous shocks the first step is to look for collateral damage before sequentially bringing units back on line.

It its hoped that units at Kariba can be brought back over the next 24 hours. Hwange takes a  few days and this period may have  be extended due scarcity of diesel in the country.

Thank you

R. Maasdorp
Chairman ZPC

Note: Update from ZPC Chairman 2pm 9 Nov 2011 – Kariba has all units back on the grid – record time, well done to the team there. Hwange now ready to bring the first unit back.

U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Charles A. Ray, gave a talk at the embassy’s public affairs section in commemoration of Veteran’s Day, which falls on the 11th of November annually. A US veteran himself, having served in the military from 1962-1982, and as one who has been making the effort to completely transition from military to civilian life for the past 29 years, the Ambassador’s credibility on the issue was unquestionable.

“They say a leopard can’t change its spots. Well, each year thousands of military veterans change their spots, and they make the transition back into being civilian,” the Ambassador said. He addressed the transition under the following 3 topics:

1. US govt contributions – GI Bill of rights
The government has taken a legislative approach to helping soldiers, especially through the 1944, Serviceman’s Readjustment Act, which sought to make reintegration into civilian life easier for returning soldiers through providing:
Education
Job training
Job location
Low interest home loans – contributing to the housing market boom in the 60s.

2. Return of Vietnam veterans and eventual recognition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
The Ambassador emphasized that the reception a soldier receives on his return home, also has an impact on their readjustment to civilian life. The Vietnam war generated a lot of frustration, protest, anger in American society, which affected the way people treated returning soldiers. This frosty welcome, coupled with PTSD, (mental illness resulting from exposure to combat trauma), meant that these veterans did not do as well at readjusting to civilian society.

Ambassador Charles stated that approximately 20% of the 2,700,000 who served in Vietnam experienced PTSD, which could be very incapacitating flashbacks, extreme anxiety, which affect the soldier’s reintegration. The eventual recognition and establishment of treatment services for PTSD has helped the war vets. Currently, the US Army takes great care to treat and inform soldiers and their families of PTSD in order to combat it.

3.Personal Perspective
“While my story might be easy to read on paper, I can tell you from personal experience, that the transition is something that is accomplished with no small amount of difficulty.” Ambassador Ray said this before explaining some of the things that affected his, not-yet-complete, adjustment to civilian life.

He explained that the military is a highly structured environment where each person has a place with heavy emphasis on discipline, planning, preparation and training. He also explained that there was a sense of camaraderie in the institution, unlike any other in the world and a strong sense of respect for authority and each other. Ambassador Ray expressed his difficulty with the casual way civilians relate to and address each other and even with calling people who are senior to him in the hierarchy by their first name, as this was unheard of in the military.

“In the military, you never have to worry about what to wear”. An everyday task in civilian life, such as, deciding what to wear proved a challenge to the Ambassador for several years. He still maintains a military haircut that he gets cut at a military barber and still wears military shoes.

Many of the skills attained in the military he says have often helped him in his professional career. Though he has come a long way in his transitional journey, the Ambassador admitted that he is still not quite a civilian.

Through his contacts with military and former military people globally, both from regular (military) and irregular forces (rebel forces, child soldiers), the Ambassador says the problem of readjustment are pretty much the same.

It is encouraging that a country as large as Nigeria, which is undoubtedly a big contributor to Africa’s carbon footprint is contributing to environmentally friendly initiative such as this. The seemingly limitless supply plastic bottles, is an encouraging indicator of the longevity of such a project.

In view of Zimbabwe’s hosing shortage, and increasing carbon footprint, due to the growing number of cars on the road, and the use of fossil fuels and firewood, instead of hydro-electrical power, (due to power cuts), and the lack of consistent garbage collection, a scheme like this, even just to provide temporary shelter, could make a huge difference to the housing shortage as well as in cleaning up our increasingly garbage ridden cities. If nothing else, it’s worth a try!

Check out the story ….

What a group of activists did was come up with a plan to build a house using those bottles, providing what they say is an environmentally smart strategy of chipping away at a housing shortage in Africa’s most populous nation.

With the prototype near the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna now well underway, the group wants to extend its efforts and build more, aiming to unleash what they say is some long bottled-up potential.

The project was initiated by the Kaduna-based NGO Development Association for Renewable Energies (DARE), with help from foreign experts from Africa Community Trust, a London-based NGO.

Sitting on 58-square meters (624-square feet), the two-bedroom bungalow looks like an ordinary home, but it differs in many ways. When completed, the house whose construction started in June will be used to train masons in building such structures.

It is made from capped, sand-filled plastic bottles, each weighing three kilograms, or nearly two pounds.

The bottles are stacked into layers and bonded together by mud and cement, with an intricate network of strings holding each bottle by its neck, providing extra support to the structure.
Bottle caps of various colors protrude from the cement-plastered walls, giving them a unique look. Those behind the project claim the sand-filled bottles are stronger than ordinary cinder blocks.

“The structure has the added advantage of being fire proof, bullet proof and earthquake resistant, with the interior maintaining a constant temperature of 18 degrees C (64 degrees F) which is good for tropical climate,” Yahaya Ahmad, the project coordinator said.

With the right adjustments to the supporting pillars the building can be as high as three stories, but can go no higher due to the weight of the sand-filled bottles, Ahmad said.

The house is also designed to produce zero carbon emissions as it will be wholly powered by solar panels and methane gas from recycled human and animal waste.

“Nigeria has a serious waste and energy problem, and this project is one small step towards making positive changes,” said Katrin Macmillan, a British environmental activist involved in the project.

Construction is estimated to require 14,000 bottles. Environmental experts say Nigeria, a country of some 160 million, throws out about three million plastic bottles daily.

Plastic houses are cheap to construct as it costs a quarter of the money required to build a conventional house. Nigeria has been grappling with a deficit of 16 million housing units.

TAIWAN NEWS

Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to info [at] kubatana [dot] net
Please note that the job vacancies we carry are related to the NGO and civil society sectors only.

Zimbabwe Country Consultant: American Jewish World Service (AJWS)
Deadline: 10 November 2011

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization based in New York, motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

American Jewish World Service seeks to hire a country consultant in Zimbabwe to work with the AJWS grants department in New York to support our grant making to grassroots organizations in the country.

Job Description:

-Provide technical support and guidance to AJWS partners in Zimbabwe.
-Facilitate access to capacity building, training and networking opportunities for AJWS partners.
-Facilitate linkages for AJWS partners to other donors and opportunities.
-Organize AJWS partner meetings and peer exchanges to share knowledge and learning.
-Advise AJWS on current social, political and economic trends that might impact our grantees.
-Advise AJWS on private, government, UN and multi-or bi-lateral funding streams in the region.
-Travel in country to monitor and evaluate AJWS grant making, including trips with AJWS program officers.
-Provide logistical support to AJWS program officers visiting the country.

Qualifications:

-Significant work experience in the NGO community
-Minimum 4 years post-secondary education
-Strong writing and analytical skills
-At least one local language and English fluency for report writing and direct communication with US staff
-Expertise in the rights-based approach to development preferred
-Experience with NGO capacity building strongly preferred
-Women are strongly encouraged to apply

Salary:
Send salary requirements.  We are looking for a part-time consultant (approximately 6 days per month, flexible schedule) based in Harare or Bulawayo.  The contract is for six months with the possibility of extension.

How to Apply:
For immediate consideration, please forward your resume or Curriculum Vitae, cover letter and list of references to tmukuka [at] ajws [dot] org and indicate your name and “Zimbabwe consultant” in the subject line.

For more information about AJWS, please visit our website at www.ajws.org

Food Security and Relief Coordinator: CARE Canada
Deadline: 22 November 2011

CARE is looking for a highly experienced Food Security & Relief Coordinator to lead a variety of programmes including those funded under USAID’s Food for Peace (FFP), World Food Programme (WFP), USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and other as directed by the Assistant Country Director – Programmes.

Position summary:

The Food Security and Relief Coordinator directly leads the teams responsible for the final stages of the implementation of the FFP PRIZE program, an OFDA disaster risk reduction project and WFP programs along with other humanitarian response teams as necessary. The position is responsible for the entire spectrum of activities from development, implementation, compliance, budgeting and reporting on humanitarian and food security activities in strict accordance with USAID FFP regulations, WFP & other donor regulations and procedures and CARE Food Security Policies and Strategies.

The Coordinator is the key person responsible for liaising with in-country USAID – FFP, WFP, and other donors and stakeholders, including the government. S/he will also collaborate closely with lead consortium management unit and logistics department and CARE’s logistics co-ordinator. S/he will be responsible for oversight, management, planning, compliance and reporting for all food and non-food items within his/her program portfolio, in concert with the logistic co-ordinator and in keeping with all country office and donor policies/regulations.

S/he will coordinate and cooperate with all other Sector Coordinators and CARE administrative and financial departments at the sub-offices and country office to ensure established CARE procedures and polices are followed and to maximize support for project activities.

Find out more

Centre Director: Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)
Deadline: 25 November 2011

The Legal Resources Foundation a local legal services NGO invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the post of Centre Director within the organisation.

Duties and responsibilities:
-Administering the programmes and activities of the Centre
-Supervision and management of Centre staff
-Preparation of regular reports on Centre activities
-Engaging in fundraising, including drawing up funding proposals and budgeting

Qualifications and experience:
-Applicants must be registered legal practitioners with at least five years’ post-registration experience
-Background in civil society, particularly a legal services NGO, and computer literacy will be great advantages
-Applicants must be self-motivated and have a demonstrable ability to lead a team, and to work with minimal supervision.

How to apply Please send your application letter and CV to:
The National Director
P. O. Box 918
Harare

Or they can be sent by email to: pa [at] lrf [dot] co [dot] zw

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Finance Director: Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)
Deadline: 25 November 2011

The Legal Resources Foundation a local legal services NGO invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the post of Finance Director.

This position is responsible for the overall financial management (planning, budgeting, accounting and reporting). The role will provide strategic leadership and guidance in developing and implementing guidelines and procedures governing finance and support systems. The incumbent must have experience in managing and dealing with donors.

Key responsibilities

-Accurate financial accounting and bank accounts management
-Planning and budgeting on financial aspects of the organisation’s programmes
-Accurate reporting to National Director, Board of Trustees and funding partners
-Overall accountability of organisational finances and compliance with the organisation’s policies and guidelines and donor requirements
-Prepare financial reports in line with organisational and donor reporting requirements
-Co-ordinate and maintain a cash forecasting system to ensure that adequate funds are available to meet the working requirements of the programmes
-Monitor ongoing levels of expenditure on individual programmes as against budget, and provide timely advice of likely over or under-spends
-Manage payroll and income tax payments

Qualifications, experience and competencies

-Accounting or Finance-related Degree, and/or fully qualified member of a recognised Accounting Professional Association such as ACCA and CIS
-Substantial post qualification experience and demonstrable understanding and experience of finance management, preferably within an NGO
-Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English

How to apply Please send your application letter and CV to:
The National Director
P. O. Box 918
Harare

Or they can be sent by email to: pa [at] lrf [dot] co [dot] zw

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Director: Training and Consultancy – Africa Centre for Holistic Management
Deadline: 30 November 2011

Position Summary
The Director of Training and Consultancy is responsible for supporting partner organizations to implement Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) program in communities in Southern Africa. The Director is expected to select appropriate partners, oversee successful workshops and training programs, and ensure effective follow up support and will be based in Victoria Falls.

ACHM is an award-winning organization that is restoring land to health and successfully addressing climate change while enhancing livelihoods and reducing conflict. We seek a mature, dynamic, results-orientated individual with passion who values working in a learning organization.

Supervisor:  Executive Director

Key Challenge
To achieve a working knowledge of Holistic land and Livestock Management in Southern Africa and ensure successful implementation of community land and water restoration efforts through working with other NGOs and government agencies.

Required qualifications and work experience
*Relevant Degree (in Education, Organization Development, Development Studies, Social Science, or equivalent)
*Experience in community mobilization
*Knowledge of experiential learning
*Experience running training programs
*Experience in a management or leadership position
*Knowledge and experience in program evaluation

Required skills
*Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
*Ability to design appropriate training programs
*Able to assess and select appropriate organizations to partner with
*Manage, mentor and lead a consulting team
*Possess excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written
*Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Explorer & Powerpoint

Preferred qualifications, knowledge and skills
*Team player who is able to motivate/build a cohesive team
*Knowledge of Holistic Management a plus
*Fluency in Southern African languages a plus
*Entrepreneurship
*Politically, culturally and religiously neutral in work setting

Responsibilities:
1.Develop and manage the newly formed Training & Consultancy section
2.Select appropriate partners (those likely to succeed) and develop relationship with them

*Assessing and selecting partner organization using ACHM define selection criteria.
*Facilitation in Leaders seminars
*Carry out pre-visits to selected partner organization
*Drafting MOU with selected partner organization.

3.Deliver successful (and appropriate) training program
*Organizing workshops and training programs
*Designing tailor made workshops
*Evaluation of training programs and workshops

4.Follow up coaching and support to implementing organizations
*Provide follow up support to partner organizations
*Management of report writing by consultants
*Negotiating contracts

5.Maintaining relationships
*Over seeing maintenance of relationships
*Constant communication with partners
*Negotiating contracts

Application process: ACHM is an equal opportunity employer. Salary and benefits are commensurate with experience.

Applications will be accepted through 30 November 2011. For consideration, please email a cover letter, C.V. and references to: hmatanga [at] achmonline [dot] org or rbikwa [at] achmonline [dot] org

For more information on the Africa Centre for Holistic Management visit: www.achmonline.org

The ICRC has, since 2009, provided food assistance to prison inmates and supported programmes to improve food security in detention places.

Outgoing head of the ICRC delegation in Zimbabwe, Thomas Merkelbach, said a joint steering committee comprising officials from the ICRC and the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society was closely monitoring the handover process of food assistance to ensure that the welfare of the inmates was not compromised.

“If necessary, the committee can make appropriate adjustments. However, capacity-building activities in the area of food production, and the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and ICRC support for prison health services will continue in 2012,” said Merkelbach.

According to local prisoner’s rights group, Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender, at least two inmates die every day due to hunger and disease at Chikurubi Prison and Harare Central Prison – the country’s two biggest jails.

From The Zimbabwean

How many of us know anyone who is in prison? Even if you don’t, just a take a few minutes to think about the conditions they live in. Prisoners in Zimbabwe deal with a vast array of life threatening conditions while serving time i.e. malnutrition, epidemics (cholera outbreaks), poor health care and poor food security. The work done by the ICRC in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and Zimbabwe Prison Services to improve the lives of those who have essentially wronged others, with some humanity, is inspiring.