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.

Programs Manager: Local NGO
Deadline: 28 June 2012

We are looking to invite interested candidates to apply to fill the post of Programs Manager, which falls vacant soon. This is a senior management position in the organisation, and the incumbent should have a post graduate qualification in Public Health, a proven track record to lead and manage teams, and be conversant in project planning, implementation and evaluation. The incumbent should also be well versed with report writing. The organisation has a very strong Christian ethos, which the incumbent should be aware of and be prepared to fully embrace. If you are interested, please send your current curriculum vitae to: wadziemnax [at] gmail [dot] com

Finance and Administration Officer: Local NGO
Deadline: 29 June 2012

A local NGO would like to fill a vacancy of Finance and Administration Officer that has arisen in the organisation.

Main Responsibilities:
-Supervising the operations of the finance and administration unit
-Preparing periodic Financial Reports for management, donors and audits
-Managing the organization’s financial resources and ensuring effective budget control
-Administering and controlling expenditure in liaison with Management within the approved budgets
-Preparing and administering payroll

Minimum Requirements:
-A university degree in Accounting, CIS, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent
-At least 3 years working experiences in a relevant position
-Good communication and computer skills-Ms Excel
-Sound knowledge of financial operating packages – Pastel
-Experience in the management of financial systems and budgets, financial reporting, financial data analysis, auditing and providing financial advice

How to Apply: Please send your application letter, CV and certificates to finance2012officer [at] gmail [dot] com Only applications with traceable references from relevant organisations will be considered.

Regional Director, Southern Africa: AMREF
Deadline: 29 June 2012

AMREF is the largest health development non-governmental organization based in Africa. Working with and through African communities, health systems and government, AMREF aims to close the gap that prevents people from accessing their basic right to health. With headquarters in Kenya, AMREF has programmes in Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and West Africa. Employing over 800 staff and with an annual operating budget of approximately $70 million, AMREF is a knowledge resource for donors and partners. For more information visit our website www.amref.org

AMREF is recruiting for Regional Director, Southern Africa to provide leadership and strategic direction to the Southern African Regional programme. The incumbent will be in charge of the performance and programme growth. S/he will ensure that adequate monitoring, evaluation and accountability mechanisms are in place. The position is key and part of AMREF’s senior management team, reporting to the Director General with a critical role to play in the accomplishment of AMREF’s mission and strategy.

Please visit the AMREF website www.amref.org to view job specifications and application process.

If you are looking for growth and new challenges and have a passion for improving health of disadvantaged communities in Africa, you are welcome to join us. Complete the online application form attaching your CV. We encourage interested candidates to submit their applications by Friday 29th June 2012 although the search will remain open until the position is filled.

AMREF is an equal opportunity employer and has a non-smoking environment policy.

Two (2) vacancies: GIZ
Deadline: 2 July 2012

Location: SADC Secretariat, Gaborone, Botswana

1. Programme Officer Natural Resources (Ref code: SADC/NR)
2. Programme Officer Climate Change and Biodiversity (Ref code: SADC/CCB)

To support the implementation of the SADC/GIZ project on “Transboundary Use and Protection of Natural Resources.” GIZ is a German federal enterprise assisting the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. The project contributes to the better implementation of regional strategies and programmes in the Member States, and thus to the improvement of the social and economic situation of the people living in and around the forests and protected areas. At regional level the project supports the SADC Secretariat, especially the Environment and Natural Resources Unit of the Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR), as well as other regional organisations; at the sub-regional level it supports various Transfontrier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in the SADC region. The successful applicants will be contracted by GIZ and will work directly with the SADC Senior Programme Officer (SPO) Natural resources and the SADC SPO Environment and Sustainable development, respectively.

Duration of contract: 1 September 2012 – 31 August 2013 with potential extension for two years

Job descriptions: Full job description van be obtained electronically from Dr Wibke Thies: wibke.thies [at] giz [dot] de

Applications with a one page covering letter, comprehensive curriculum vitae, together with the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone of three referees should be sent by email to: Dr Wibke Thies: wibke.thies [at] giz [dot] de

Please use the reference code indicated for each position when sending your application. CVs of applicants who have not requested the Job Description will not be considered.

Receipt of applications sent by email shall be acknowledged promptly. GIZ is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from the SADC region with all religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.

Newsday today reported that some children haven fallen ill after getting vaccinations under the just ended immunization week for children under 5 years. The children received vaccinations for measles and polio and in addition they received vitamin A supplements. In 2009 The Standard also reported that vaccinated children fell ill under such an immunization programme.

Being a parent or a guardian you tend to panic when you learn of such reports or worse still when you experience this actually happening to your child. A child falling ill after being immunized is very frightening and it calls for the Ministry of Health to carry out investigations.

From my personal experience in the first few months I had to take my son for shots, I was very worried and would dread taking him. I would procrastinate but eventually I would find myself at the clinic. And after a few days those side effects, like fever would creep in. As a first time mom it took time for me to learn and really appreciate how immunization and vaccinations work. I would therefore, like to share a few insightful and educative sites with parents and guardians out there.

On the UNICEF website they describe how immunization works:

“Immunization works by tricking the body into believing it is experiencing a full-scale invasion by an infectious agent so that the immune system can fortify its defenses. During vaccination, a harmless version of a germ is introduced to the body and the immune system responds by producing antibodies to attack the intruder. Thereafter, a memory of this “invasion” remains so that the immune system can quickly recognize and neutralize disease-causing agents when they appear.”

Thus a child is likely to fall ill while the vaccine is at work. It is also asserted that some vaccines can even cause symptoms which seem to be very similar to the symptoms of the disease they are supposed to prevent. To get more understanding of how vaccinations are made and how they work in the body you can click on these links below.

How vaccines Prevent Disease – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
How do vaccines work – Healthy Children.org
And to understand more on illnesses that occur after getting shots click here

Don’t forget that even adults need to get shots once in a long while. A tetanus booster is required periodically throughout life!

It’s a big congratulations to Star FM for making it into Zimbabwean history for being the first private radio station after 32 years of independence. But I still feel nothing goes further than passing a congratulatory message at this stage because the station seems to be an extension of the existing state owned broadcaster. The radio station, which was officially launched yesterday, is owned by Zimpapers, which is state run. Initially the radio station got the license under the name Zimbabwe Talk Radio and no explanations have been given on the change of name.

Nhalnhla Ngwenya who heads Misa-Zimbabwe said, “So while it is good for Zimbabwe that we now have another player in the broadcasting industry, we doubt that its content will translate to an alternative platform form of communication. It would have been good if new player was going to bring diversity.”

I see Canaan Banana is back in the news, but it was last night’s Weakest Link on BBC Entertainment that gave me a few chuckles. Ann Robinson asks contestant: “What last name did Zimbabwe’s first President between 1980 and 1987 have, Cucumber or Banana?” “Cucumber,” contest responds! I wondered if Banana’s son was watching.

According to the laws of the country of Zimbabwe, to be found in possession of pornographic material constitutes an offence. So if what was on the front page today of the state weekly H-Metro newspaper doesn’t constitute a crime then maybe that law should be checked again. The tabloid, which publishes events happening on the social scene and nightlife, has developed a habit following people in their private lives and in public places. With the belief that sex sells, the weekly tabloid has been publishing nude pictures of people caught in uncompromising positions.

A couple of months ago in one of its nightlife adventures the tabloid published images of a popular pole dancer entertaining men at a local nightclub through her usual sexually gyrating moves. I guess this was the beginning of a marketing strategy of pushing sales through the use explicit material. Today’s copy of the tabloid was awash with obscene pictures of the same dancer but this time with the addition of bottles to spice up her show. The images, which featured the pole dancer inserting the tip of a bottle of a popular beer brand in her privates, were outrageous. I guess if the tabloid was privately owned we’d be reading of arrests before the end of the day.