‘Bikes for Africa’: Bicycles for income generating
Deadline: 18 October 2013

A Dutch NGO, ‘Bikes for Africa,’ is contemplating to supply bicycles to Zimbabwe with the ultimate aim to improve the income generating capacity of families by increasing the mobility of urban commuters and rural (school-going) inhabitants.

Intermediate objectives are to promote road safety for cyclists and to improve the urban cycle infrastructure.

More short-terms objectives are to setup a bicycle distribution and repair centre, create employment by training bicycle repair mechanics and bicycle-and-spare-parts distribution and resale persons and to furnish bicycles to needy charities that can justify their use.

The Dutch organization is looking for registered non-profit making organizations as partners to attain the above stated goals and objectives.

If you represent a non-profit making organization (Trust or Foundation) and share these objectives, you are invited to propose how you can assist by expressing your interest, presenting your organization, its background, aims, objectives and track record of performance and details of how you think you can assist.

Details should include type of organization its (management) structure, number and qualifications of people to be involved, location and infrastructure available, exactly what can be done, costing proposal, etc.

Please submit your contribution of maximum 2 pages (appr. 1000 words) to: bikesforzim@gmail.com

For his project Pretend You’re Actually Alive, Leigh Ledare traced his mother Tina from teenage ballet dancer to mature sexual exhibitionist.

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Volkswagen Foundation’s Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
Deadline: 13 December 2013

Volkswagen Foundation has announced funding initiative “Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The objective of this program is to focus on development and sustainable reinforcement of research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research projects, developed and carried out by African scholars and scientists in close cooperation with their German partners, shall provide junior researchers in Africa with an opportunity to enhance their skills and academic qualifications.

Special emphasis is put on the development, reinforcement, and extension of academic networks inside Africa beyond existing language barriers.

Thematic areas
-Land
-Water
-Biological resources
-Sustainable energy for domestic use

Please use this link for more information

Launch of Openphoto 2013 Competition with US$5,000 First Prize … Victories & Violations – The Struggle for Minority Rights in Africa
Deadline: 30 November 2013

After the success of the inaugural competition in 2012, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is pleased to announce the launch of OPENPhoto 2013 on the theme of Minority Rights in Africa – with the winners being selected by a jury comprised of some of Africa’s and the world’s top documentary photographers, and with a top prize of US$5,000.

Aiming to encourage analytical and critical thinking about society in Africa and support the development of photojournalism across the continent, OPENPhoto 2013 is looking for strong, interpretive documentary work on the theme of Victories and Violations: The Struggle for Minority Rights in Africa.

“Across the continent, many people remain marginalised and socially excluded because they are minorities. People are discriminated against because they are disabled or homosexual or indigenous or sex workers. Or because they are women living with HIV. Or men from a small ethnic group. Or children from a non-state religion. Or families fleeing persecution in another country,” said Richard Lee, OSISA’s Communications Manager. “OPENPhoto 2013 is looking to reward photo essays that depict the reality of life for these marginalised minorities – the good and the bad, their struggles and their successes.”

The competition is open to any photographer based in Africa – professional or amateur. And the prizes are definitely worth winning:

First Prize – US$5,000 plus a commissioned assignment with OSISA in 2014
Second Prize – US$2,000; and
Third Prize – US$1,000

OPENPhoto 2013 will be judged by a prestigious jury of award-winning African and international photographers. Convened by the Pulitzer Prize-winning South African photographer, Greg Marinovich, the jury includes João Silva, Munem Wasif, Patrick Baz, Robin Comley, Yunghi Kim, Enrico Dagnino, Andrew Lichtenstein, David Dare Parker and Janine Haidar.

The competition deadline is November 30th with the winners being announced on December 16th.

For more information and to apply: www.open-photo.org

According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Household Survey of 2010-11 56% of children between the ages of 6 to 59 months are anemic. The National Nutrition Survey which was done in 2010 shows that less than 10% of Zimbabwean children under the age of 2 receive the recommended minimum acceptable diet of eggs, meat, milk products, and legumes are rarely included in the diets of young children. About 35% of child mortality recorded globally are a result of malnutrition. In the past years Zimbabwe has been faced with food insecurity and which has been mainly attributed to the prolonged drought the country has been facing, unsustainable farming practices and also economic challenges.

The World Food Programme recently announced that 2.2 million people are food insecure and are in need of food assistance. Due to high food prices many families can longer afford to have three meals per day, not to mention a balanced diet. Production of small grains and other local varieties, which are huge sources of nutrients, has significantly dropped as farmers now pursue high value crops like tobacco. This has negatively impacted on the nutrition status of the nation, as more people in Zimbabwe are becoming anaemic and obese due to poor diet. Food insecurity is increasing in Zimbabwe especially in dry areas, as more people in these areas are increasingly relying on food assistance from humanitarian organizations to avert malnutrition. The government of Zimbabwe and various development agencies like USAID, Food and Agriculture Orgnization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Progamme of the United Nations (WFP) have been working on ways to promote sustainable diversified agriculture production in the country. Since 2000 through its Humanitarian Assistance Office, USAID has been involved in the funding of food security projects in Zimbabwe which includes the promotion of positive nutrition behaviors aimed at reducing malnutrition among children less than five years of age.

The promotion of new crop varieties, conservation farming and post harvest technologies are some of the methods which can used to improve food security.  FAO representative Mr. David Mfote highlighted that conservation farming can contribute to crop production in Zimbabwe and also there is need for value addition for small grain products in order to increase uptake by people. At a public sensitization meeting for this year’s theme of the 2013 World Food Day commemorations hosted by the US Embassy Public Affairs section representatives from government, FAO, USAID and WFP shared views on Zimbabwe’s Food System.

This year’s World Food Day celebrations will be held in Lupane on the 16th of October under the theme “Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition in Zimbabwe. Supporting messages for the 2013 commemorations include “Good nutrition depends on healthy diets, Healthy diets require healthy food systems – along with education, health, sanitation and other factors and Healthy Food Systems are made possible by appropriate policies, incentives and governance”.