An estimated figure of 2.2 million people face food insecurity in Zimbabwe. Weather conditions and unavailability of inputs are squarely blamed for this looming disaster. In a nation where almost everyone is now a farmer it’s a sad development to hear reports of imminent starvation whilst tobacco auction floors record high yields of the crop. Funny how our farmers are now opting to invest all their inputs to grow cash crops like tobacco leaving out cereals which make up our staple diet. We can blame inputs and weather for causing hunger to our nation but the fact is simple farming is a business. No farmer is willing to invest in maize when s/he knows that the paycheck will come the next farming season when prices of all inputs have gone up. Late payments and very low producer prices have left farmers with no option but to go for a kill in the golden leaf. Some are now venturing in horticulture where short season crops with a ready market bring in quick returns. Almost every year the nation is now stretching its begging bowl to neighbors to avert starvation on the backdrop of the much-hailed agrarian reform.

Romanian Tourism Campaign

Part-Time Researcher/Writer
Deadline: 13 September 2013

Background
An International organisation working in Zimbabwe is seeking the services of a professional writer with experience in research for documentation purposes. The writer will assist the organisation to document its development work while capturing lived realities of communities. The writer will lead a team of writers for the purposes of this short term project on documentation. Writer and Researchers who are interested in creating work that helps illuminate lived realities of development work and encourage greater public understanding and discussion of these issues and meet the requirements are invited to apply.

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Writer will be required to
-Capture the untold community stories in the country in relation to our work.
-Collect not less than 20 stories that best illustrate community realities.
-Design the framework and outline of the publication.
-All stories submitted should be unpublished.
-By submitting a complete portfolio of stories, the consultant confirms that he/she owns the right to all his/her stories and that the rights of persons included in his/her photographs have not been violated.
-In cases of photographs taken, captions are critical. Each photo must be accompanied with a short conceptualization caption (maximum 600 characters). Well-written captions are needed to understand the image’s context.

Skills, experience and qualifications required
-Five years progressive experience working in the development sector and a writer
-Experience on writing for development related work,
-Availability and willingness to travel,
-Ability to work in close coordination with other team members.

Assignment Duration: The assignment will cover 30 working days.

Application Procedure
Applicants are required to submit the following
-Letter of Interest, stating why you consider yourself suitable for the assignment;
-Personal portfolio showing previous work done, (written work)
-Work references – contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees and telephone numbers
-Financial proposal indicating consultancy fee (lump sum fee) and a breakdown of expenses (unit price together with any other expenses) related to the assignment.

For more information or submission of applications, email: npazim [at] gmail [dot] com