Art is not a mirror to reflect society but a hammer with which to shape it.
- Bertolt Brecht

The HIFA opening show was far less spectacular than in previous years but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. Sitting under a starry Zimbabwean sky watching the colour and energy of the performers made me feel very pleased to be alive. Of course a lot of the talk about town is that HIFA have succumbed to pressure and toned down on the political content of the opening show, and its probably true. Some of the people that I’ve spoken to have been disappointed by this. Last night’s show was all about love, harmony, respect and peace. Many Zimbabweans embody these sentiments … if only our politicians did too.

If you don’t catch the media’s attention then your protest is bound to go unrecorded … here two guys demonstrate outside the North Gauteng High Court. In case you were wondering … they don’t like the idea of the government introducing e-tolls.

Photo courtesy of Taurai Maduna/Eyewitness News

Kubatana’s thinking about producing Tsoro Boards and putting them into communities in the hope that messages published on the boards will prompt debate amongst the people playing draughts and those gathered watching the game. Recently we had the pleasure of interacting with art students at the Harare International School whilst they experimented with different ideas and designs for potential Tsoro Boards. Here are a few very colourful examples to share with you.

Request for Proposals: Institutional Consultancy Services for Verification of Child Protection Fund (CPF) Utilization in support of the National Action Plan for Orphans and Vulnerable Children 2011-2015 (NAP II) in Zimbabwe
Deadline: 8 May 2012 (10am)

Request for proposal: ZIM/2012/002-0

The UNICEF Zimbabwe Country Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Services, invites proposals from interested institutions to undertake the verification of CPF utilization in support of the NAP II in Zimbabwe.  The vision of the NAP II is that by 2020 all children in Zimbabwe will live in a safe, secure and supportive environment that is conducive to child growth and development, and the CPF is the funding mechanism created to support NAP II implementation.

The overall scope and objective of the consultancy is to provide the Ministry and UNICEF access to current, quality information regarding the use of CPF resources and the experience of intended NAP II beneficiaries.

The main work assignments and related deliverables are as follows:

1.Develop a work plan to establish the data verification methodology to achieve a verification target of 3 per cent of reported beneficiaries on a monthly basis.
2.Develop a reporting template that includes both quantitative data (on the degree to which intended resources reached the beneficiary) and qualitative data (on the experience of the beneficiary).
3.Prepare an inception report summarizing the agreed methodology and approach to be utilized during this consultancy, including timeline, reporting format, tools for reporting, partnerships in Zimbabwe with Government, civil society and the private sector, etc.
4.Implement the verification plan through the undertaking of monthly household visits, during which beneficiaries and their families will be asked to verify the receipt of CPF funded resources or services, and share their experience relating to their contact with CPF selected contractors.
5.Prepare monthly and quarterly verification reports, based on the agreed reporting template, will be submitted in both a hard and soft copy to the Ministry and UNICEF within seven working days of the end of each month and quarter.
6.Prepare annual consolidated verification reports, drawing on the monthly and quarterly reports, to be presented at an annual stakeholder workshop convened by the Ministry.

Qualifications
UNICEF is seeking experienced institutions that have preferably conducted data verification and reporting exercises in similar contexts previously. Specialist experience in monitoring and evaluation and working with the local community would be expected.  Ideally institutions would have access to networks of trained data collection personnel to administer field visits and conduct interviews with local households.

How to apply
Interested and eligible institutions are invited to request the complete RFP bidding document by sending an email to emaspero [at] unicef [dot] org with copy to nauyeung [at] unicef [dot] org with subject reference: “UNICEF