When you spend more than five years getting bashed from all sides with election campaign rhetoric it gets difficult to believe every word, which comes out a politician’s mouth. Politicians’ now use every occasion as an opportunity for electioneering. Forgive me for thinking the same on the recent announcement by our out-going Honorable Minister of Tourism who seized the occasion at the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly to show some love for Disneyland.

Just yesterday the President warned of a tit for tat with the West for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe and today we wake up to hear promises of building Disneyland in Victoria Falls. This is just too comical. It’s hardly a month after the harmonized elections and urban dwellers are in a ‘fix’ as they have resorted to shallow wells as sources of water. Who would want to come to a cholera-ridden country? Neither would residents opt for a theme park over service delivery. As highlighted by the Minister yesterday, Mickey Mouse comes with a price tag of US$300 million and if this money can be put to service delivery before Mickey it will go a long way in fulfilling elections promises.

MISA-Zimbabwe in partnership with the Quill Club invites you to a press club discussion  to be held at the Ambassador hotel.

Venue: Quill Club (Ambassador Hotel)
Date: Thursday 29 August 2013
Time: 1800 – 1930hrs

Topic: Setting the service delivery agenda for the newly elected Harare council

Panelists:

• City of Harare Mayor elect, His Worship Obert Gutu
• Harare Residence Trust Director, Precious Shumba
• Representative from Combined Harare Residence Association (CHRA)

Chair: Stanley Kwenda (MISA-Zimbabwe Harare Advocacy Committee Chairperson)

Deadline: 30 August 2013

International Rescue Committee seeks to fill in an immediate position of Environmental Health Coordinator to be based in Harare with frequent travel to the field.

Scope

The Environmental Health (EH) Coordinator will be the focal point for Environmental Health programs in Zimbabwe providing technical oversight to the Environmental Health Team and developing and implementing an Environmental Health Sector Strategic Plan. The EH Coordinator will ensure the implementation of a quality environmental health program in accordance with accepted national and international standards. S/He will be responsible for maintaining regular contact with all partners, including the relevant Government of Zimbabwe authorities, UN agencies and other NGOs. The EH Coordinator will also directly provide leadership to the IRC’s new Disaster Risk Reduction Program.

Responsibilities

Program Quality
-    Oversee, through supervision of the Program Manager(s) all project cycle management processes including: participation and preparation for grants opening/review/closing meetings, reporting, information management and data collection, budget and actual expenditure analysis, and program evaluations
-    Provide technical support to the EH program to ensure that the IRC programs are of high quality and that programs are driven by data and learning, working in conjunction with the Program Coordinator
-    Provide leadership and direction to the EH program on a day-to-day basis, working closely with project managers and officers
-    Oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of program work plans taking into consideration time, quality and budget
-    Design and undertake environmental health assessments.

Program Development and Strategic Planning
-    Work with the EH Program staff, and senior management on the development of new program ideas to inform budgets and proposals; lead technical proposal writing and programmatic budget development
-    Lead the design process of the Country Sector Strategy for EH and ensure the final version is rolled out and adapted by program staff and by the Zimbabwe Country Program
-    Develop and undertake needs assessments to inform program design and strategic direction

Human Resources Management
-    Act as focal point and advocate for training and capacity building for all EH program staff including mentorship, supportive delegation, and staff exchanges where appropriate internally and with other IRC country programs
-    Supervise the EH program department and ensure regular performance evaluations and job description reviews are carried out
-    Participate in recruitment of EH staff
-    Provide leadership, promote professional working relationships, conflict resolution, and encourage EH staff members to manage their staff effectively

Representation and Communication
-    Responsible for liaison with and technical collaboration/communication with the designated technical advisor/ senior technical advisor for the IRC EH unit
-    Maintain relationships with all relevant donors in conjunction with the Program Coordinator and Country Director, informing them of partnership and funding opportunities
-    Oversee the writing of internal and external reports (formal and informal) by the EH Program staff
-    Maintain and enhance IRC’s profile within the Zimbabwe WASH cluster, the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, District Development Fund (DDF) and EH/WASH focused donor agencies
-    Act as the primary focal point for EH program internal/external inquiries

Program Management – Disaster Risk Reduction
-    Manage the IRC’s Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Program, including budget management and oversight, coordination of partners, design of workplans, supervision of implementation, technical oversight, internal and external reporting, project human resource management, etc
-    Leadership of the DRR program will require management of cross-functional teams (economic development, nutrition, WASH) and close collaboration with other sector coordinators and technical advisors.

Other
Perform other duties as directed by the Program Coordinator or as the program changes.

Requirements

-    Degree in Public Health, Civil Engineering or Environmental Sciences (MSc is an advantage)
-    Experience as a water and sanitation professional, preferably in both urban and rural settings
-    Five years experience in developing sector strategies and designing, coordinating, implementing and managing environmental health programs in developing countries
-    Experience in managing Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programs is an added advantage
-    Background in situation analysis, environmental health assessments and program implementation
-    Additional qualities: ability to multitask, ability to handle pressure well, ability to improvise, flexibility, adaptability to transitions, good management and communication skills

This position reports to the Zimbabwe Programs Coordinator.

To apply
Qualified candidates should send their detailed CVs and cover letters to: zimbabwe [at] rescue [dot] org and write the title of the position in the subject line.

Ms. Burns, he added, did not really believe that technical expertise was essential to creativity, partly because technology is continually changing. Another reason, Mr. O’Sullivan said with a laugh, was that “she really had zero technical aptitude.”

“To me, the computer is just another tool,” Ms. Burns once said. “It’s like a pen. You have to have a pen, and to know penmanship, but neither will write the book for you.”

Read the New York Times obituary; Red Burns, an educator who gained wide recognition for pushing for more creative uses of modern communications, helping to lead the movement for public access to cable television and starting a celebrated New York University program to foster Internet wizards.

Sometimes the stuff Zimbabweans believe can blow you away, and some have opined that the nature of our politics has made this the land of wild conspiracy theories.

I was in Mbare over the weekend where I witnessed long queues of people waiting their turn to get water from water points scattered around the area near Rufaro Stadium.

I was told there hadn’t been water since Thursday last week, and one commented, and I am not sure whether it was innocuous banter or he meant it, that the people were being punished for voting for Zanu PF.

I looked him straight in the eye and couldn’t make anything of his expression whether he was “joking” yet in a place where Zanu PF won “resoundingly” I was persuaded take his word for it.

I didn’t ask him who was doing the punishing, but considering what Zanu PF has always peddled, there were no prizes for guessing, yet the fact that someone actually believed it was in itself telling about the kind of people we have become, the kind of politics we have embraced where people are apparently incapable of thinking for themselves and will believe all sorts of canards spun by the revolutionary party.