Under the theme “Getting To Zero: Zero new infections. Zero deaths. Zero Discrimination” schools in Zimbabwe kicked off the World AIDS Day School Arts Festival commemorations in Harare last Friday at Allan Wilson High School.

Various schools drawn from several provinces across the nation converged in Harare to raise and strengthen HIV and AIDS awareness through debate, drama, poetry, song and dance. Art is a powerful tool to fight stigma associated with HIV and AIDS especially among children and youths. This year’s commemorations hosted by Let Them Trust saw schools battling it out for top honors in drama and poetry. Students urged society to fight AIDS through seeking early treatment, practicing safe sex, getting tested and abandoning cultural norms like spousal inheritance.

According to the National Aids Council, around 1,242,768 as people are living with HIV of which 941,0241 are AIDS orphans.

AIDS has left many children in Zimbabwe vulnerable. The effect of AIDS has resulted in many children dropping out school to become parents at a tender age. Left with no coping strategies most of these children end up on the streets begging and exposed to sexual abuse, especially young girls. The economic situation in the country has seen an increase in spousal separation as people cross borders to neighbouring countries in search for jobs. As highlighted in one of the plays, the battle to reduce the HIV prevalence rate takes the collective effort of the whole community.

Recently it was reported in the press that the HIV prevalence rate in Zimbabwe is on the up and this has been attributed to the economic challenges we are facing. In addition, the delay by men to visit health institutions, and inconsistent treatment uptake has also been one of the major setbacks in the fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe.

From a Kubatana subscriber:

This is the type of water that the residents of Hatcliffe are subjected to drink. It’s our constitutional right to have clean water. Is it incompetence or it’s just that they don’t care about our health?

If you’d like to get civic and human rights updates + information on internships, awards, conferences and NGO job vacancies, subscribe to our weekly e:zine. Email: join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Vacancies: Africa University
Deadline: 21 December 2013

Africa University, an International Pan African and United Methodist Church Related Institution in Zimbabwe invite applications from suitably qualified and well experienced persons to fill the following positions:

1) Student Recruitment Officer
Main purpose of the position Responsible for the administration and management of national and international student recruitment processes for the university to meet the Pan-African vision.

Minimum qualifications
A Bachelor’s degree in Education with a bias in marketing Fluency in French and / or Portuguese is an added advantage

2) Director Information and Public Affairs

Reports to: The Vice Chancellor

Main purpose of the position
The main purpose of the position is to promote, protect and enhance the mission, goals, image and the development of the institution by information sharing, event management, fund raising, and marketing and effective public relations management.

Requirements
A minimum of a Master’s degree in social sciences (Journalism, Public Relations, Corporate Communications)

Experience
5 Year’s experience in Journalism, Public Relations, Corporate Communications and managerial experience

3) Associate Professor/Senior lecturer/Lecturer

Preferably with a relevant PHD to teach in the following areas:
-Tourism and Hospitality
-Agribusiness
-Agricultural Engineering
-Animal Science
-Natural Resources management
-Soil Science
-Human Rights

To apply
Applications together with CV, copies of certified certificates, academic transcripts and at least three names of referees with their e-mail and postal addresses should be forwarded to:

Assistant Registrar, Personnel and Administration, Africa University, PO Box 1320, Mutare, Zimbabwe

Or email: arpa [at] africau [dot] edu

For more information visit our website at www.africau.edu

This week, the Zimbabwe Standard reports:

There is uproar in Chinhoyi over the forthcoming Zanu PF national people’s conference with some small business people and vendors accusing the local authority of forcibly removing them from their places of operations.

Some residents are also upset about being roped into how they are being used to tidy up the city before the conference. We got this report from a subscriber in Chinhoyi:

Chinhoyi: Cash strapped Zanu PF manifested council forces shop workers to pick up litter with their bare hands and thereafter to burn the refuse causing a scene between a council health worker with residents demanding answers if EMA or the law disallows land pollution in favour of air pollution which is a cause for concern since heresay has spread about climate change.

As noted on Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Agency (EMA) website, there are laws against air pollution in Zimbabwe, and also Chinhoyi Municipality most likely has by-laws to regulate rubbish burning; Harare does.

Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI) Public Seminar

Topic: 2013: The Defining Year for Zimbabwe Going Forward
Venue: New Ambassador Hotel, Harare
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2013
Time: 1730 to 2000 hours

Speakers:

1.    Mr Psychology Maziwisa: ZANU-PF Deputy Director for Information and Publicity
2.    Mr Douglas Mwonzora: MDC-T Spokesperson
3.    Mr Takura Zhangazha: Social Analyst

Chairperson:    Mr. Herbert Ndoma

Admission:    FREE. ALL ARE WELCOME!

For further enquiries please contact: Mass Public Opinion Institute: 771358/758700/ Cell: 0772 100 409

Police clearance has been granted

‘Could it be that public opinion is “the missing link” in the democracy debate in Zimbabwe, and indeed, in Africa today?’

SAPES Trust Public Dialogue Forum

Topic: The IMF and Zimbabwe
Date: Thursday 28 November
Time: 5pm – 7pm
Venue:  SAPES Seminar Room 4 Deary Avenue, Belgravia, Harare

Speakers: Dan Ndlela, Senior Economist

Discussants: Nadia Piffaretti, World Bank Senior Economist
Gibson Chigumira, Executive Director, Zimbabwe Economic Policy And Research Unit (ZEPARU)

Chair: Ibbo Mandaza, Sapes Trust

ALL WELCOME

SAPES Seminar Club Membership Forms available at entrance

Feel free to visit our website at www.sapes.org.zw