The 29th of October is celebrated the world over as International Internet Day and today Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorations. The sharing of information is now just a click of a button away. A conversation, which used to cost a couple of dollars to make, can now be made with a few cents. The Internet has brought communities closer closing on the gaps created by physical barriers of distance.

The first Internet message was sent in 1969 by Professor Leonard Kleinrock from a computer laboratory at University of California in Los Angeles and from there the world witnessed the invention of electronic mail by Ray Tomlinson in late 1971.

According to Internet World Stats, Africa has 167,335,676 Internet users complemented by a 15.6% penetration rate. Despite the challenges of exorbitant Internet costs and the unavailability of infrastructure in most African countries, Zimbabwe has experienced a huge leap in internet usage from 50,000 users in 2000 to around 1,981,277 internet users in 2012.

As the Internet continues to grow so is the government’s interest in monitoring and eavesdropping on citizens. The Internet is used to perpetrate human right abuses under the guise of the protection of national security. A report by Freedom House notes that internet freedom worldwide is on the decline, with 34 out of 60 countries assessed in the report experiencing a negative trajectory. Growing arrests of social media users and the control of web content can be attributed to the sharp decline in internet freedom in the past year and Zimbabwe is among such countries where the state continues to have the authority to monitor and intercept ICT communications at will.

In the Newlands vlei, I spot a squatter walking towards his grass hut. He’s wearing a Zanu PF 2013 election t-shirt / empower, employ, indigenise, develop.

Along Kew Drive a pedestrian saunters along carrying a Mugabe portrait under each arm. Is there much of a market for door to door sales of RGM I wonder?

Later, I spot Bob unhung.

No idea of the origin of this but a great reminder to encourage change in ourselves and the people around us . . .

Identity is no museum piece sitting stock-still in a display case, but rather the endlessly astonishing synthesis of the contradictions of everyday life.

Where from, this outlandish collection?

one of pink cloth and blue wool,
white string and shiny blue feathers
some soft white fluff torn from the inside of a cushion
and carefully chosen fragments
from a pink and blue British Airways blanket

the other less colour-coordinated
more eclectic

black wool, black plastic string
white plastic string, white knitted plastic thread
a touch of blue wool, red wool, and a darker shade of leaf green
a portion of shoe lace,
gauze from an old forgotten fly trap,
grey wool, grey cloth
brown wool, a short piece of grey-green wool
thick string, thin string
a fragment of sky blue cloth
a piece of bark,
a dash of dead leaf and small portion of old carpet

lovingly collected parental assemblages,
innovative homes
for new born squirrel mice
and a pair of Curricane Thrush fledglings

remember the old days
when nests were built of grass and leaves?

Question everything – including us! Kubatana is undergoing an evaluation to review our work, measure our impact, and look for ways to improve. To do this, we need your help!

Please take 5 minutes and complete our short survey.

Thank you for your time, energy and support during 2013. You add, we multiply!

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Senior Communications Programme Officer: NANGO
Deadline: 30 October 2013

Vacancy Notice: 2013/04CU
Duty Station: Harare, Zimbabwe
Organizational Unit: Directorate
Classification: Officer
Type of Appointment: Fixed-term, with possibility of extension
Estimated starting Date: 20 Nov 2013

General functions
Under the direct supervision of the Directorate in Harare, and in coordination with relevant units at NANGO Headquarters and Regional offices, the successful candidate will work with management for the implementation of the NANGO Communication and Engagement Strategy.

The selected candidate will be expected to work on the full-time basis during the assigned period. In particular he/she will:

-Development and implementation of a NANGO Communications Strategy based on the existing Association’s information and communications policy; providing continuous feedback on the performance of the Strategy
-Providing timely information to the Executive Director and Management Committee for management decision making
-Maintain a continuous dialogue and ensure the internal information flow between the different NANGO-units (Executive Director, programs department, regional offices etc.) in order to harmonize communication activities
-Research about NANGO’s stakeholders and their needs in order to maximize the impact of NANGO’s communication’s
-Facilitate the creation and strengthening of the NANGO Corporate identity (including the Corporate Image) through different measures. The NANGO brand has to be strengthened through the development of appropriate mechanisms (NANGO House Style and Editorial policy)
-Support of current communication platforms: The homepage, Social Network Profiles, etc – Developing ways of creating synergies for knowledge sharing between NANGO departments, Regions and also with members
-Enhancement of visibility and information sharing about all NANGO projects
-Managing content development and maintenance of the Association’s website
-Maintaining media relations through press releases, press conferences, media packages and other measures
-Facilitating the development of advocacy strategies and measures
-Building the capacity of staff and members in communications and media relations
-Organise and manage the NGO Expo as well as other exhibitions
-Publish the CSO magazine and promotional materials
-Publishing the NGO directory
-Editing the Zimbabwe Development Journal
-Developing a communication monitoring and evaluation plan
-Planning and implementation of innovative measures in order to ensure the future self-sustainability of the Unit: Examples are a printing unit at NANGO or the CSO magazine offering chances for income
-Perform any other duties as NANGO may reasonably require commensurate with the post-holder’s abilities and responsibilities

Desired qualifications

Education
The incumbent should possess a Master’s degree in Media, Communication Studies
and/or Journalism

Skills and experience
Substantial work experience of several years in the field of Public Relations; Practical journalistic experience within Media Houses, as Freelancer etc; Working practice in the development context, preferable within NGOs; Strong “story-telling”-skills: Writing of articles, press releases, reports, etc.; Social Media Skills: Facebook, Twitter, Blogging etc; Experience in the administering of Websites; Graphic Design skills with regards to the digital production of newsletters, brochures, magazines etc; Good computer skills e.g. Word for Windows, Excel, PowerPoint; Strong Networking skills according to different groups of stakeholder; High degree of cooperation ability with regards to the NANGO programmes and the regional offices; Previous experience of working with and through partners; Ability to establish good rapport with partner organizations and donors like UN or international NGOs; Ability to manage more than one project at various stages of completion; Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines, resistance against stress; Strong presentation and facilitation skills; Experience in supervising, guiding and training people, individually or in groups; Ability to work in a multicultural environment; Ability to work effectively with limited supervision; Possess experience and training for analytical and research skills; Sound knowledge of the human developmental needs in Zimbabwe; Demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of marginalized populations

Languages: Thorough knowledge of English. Knowledge of both Shona and Ndebele is an advantage

Method of application
All applications should be addressed to: machinda [at] nango [dot] org.zw and copy cephas [at] nango [dot] org [dot] zw as well as bastian.beege [at] giz [dot] de or posted to the CEO, 5 Meredith Drive, Eastlea, quoting the above vacancy notice number.