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NGO job vacancies in Zimbabwe

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Thursday, March 29th, 2012 by Bev Clark

Work in and for Zimbabwe. Help grow our nation. Check out the vacancies below. If you’d like to receive this sort of information, as well as civic and human rights updates, by email each week drop us a note saying “subscribe” to info [at] kubatana [dot] net

Please note that the job vacancies we carry are related to the NGO and civil society sectors only.

Finance Officer: Zimbabwe Aids Prevention And Support Organisation (ZAPSO)
Deadline: 30 March 2012

Location: Harare
Department: Finance and Administration
Immediate Supervisor: Executive Director

Basic Function

Major tasks
-Consolidate all ZAPSO financial statements
-Prepare the administration and consolidated budgets in consultation with relevant departments
-Develop and maintain financial management systems and set all internal control systems
-Prepare monthly cash flow forecasts to adequately plan for future expenditure and present to management and ED for approval
-Monitor, review and report on transactions against budgets on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis. Prepare reports with budget variances for management, board meetings and donors according to donor reporting requirements
-Ensure bank accounts have a positive balance
-Prepare and ensure all relevant purchasing, advances and other requisition forms are available
-Keep all cheque books and other security items in a secure place and make sure all are numbered in sequence
-Ensure all source documents are maintained and recorded in the accounting ledgers
-Ensure there is proper filing system, storage and retention of financial records

Person specifications
-Hold a minimum qualification of a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting/Finance or full CIS and at least 2 years experience
-Experience in managing donor funds
-Excellent computer skills and at least one Accounting Package

Interested applicants should submit their C.V’s and cover letter to: zapso [at] mweb [dot] co [dot] zw


Project Nurse Beitbridge: Medecins Sans Frontiers
Deadline: 30 March 2012

-Qualified Registered General Nurse
-At least 5 years post-qualification experience
-Experience in HIV/AIDS, TB and TB/HIV treatment programmes including ART and PMTCT
-Experience in Pharmacy Management
-Experience in Management of Nutrition/CMAM programmes and/or Data Management/Medical Surveillance is an added value
-Excellent training facilitation skills
-NGO working experience will be an asset
-Fluent in English and local languages
-Computer skills: Word, Excel, Power Point
-Able to work under pressure and in a changing environment
-Responsible and flexible

Send CV to:
HR Admin, MSF-Spain
165 Tower Lane
Beitbridge
Zimbabwe Or Msfe-beitbridge [at] barcelona.msf [dot] org

Administration Assistant/Driver: British Council
Deadline: 4 April 2012

Location of post: Harare
Reports to: Accountant
Department: Resources, Zimbabwe
Pay Band: CA 2 /Grade J
Duration: Indefinite

Purpose of Job: To provide BC Zimbabwe with the administrative support services and driving support as required.

Administrative services specifically relates to processes affecting:
-Procurement
-Supplier & Inventory Management
-Internal transport services

Specific Requirements: The post requires a valid driving permit, generic administrative skills, basic computer literacy and good spoken and written English.

Other important features or requirements of the job:
-Operational work requires occasional (or sometimes regular) work outside conditioned hours, for example in the evenings or at weekends
-Overtime or TOIL should be agreed with the line manager in advance to maintain an adequate work-life balance
-Post holders may be required to travel abroad on BC business and should therefore hold valid travel documents

We are committed to Equal Opportunities and Diversity.

To apply, please complete the application form and email it to glenda.munyukwi [at] britishcouncil [dot] org [dot] zw

AusAID Office Manager: Australian Embassy
Deadline: 5 April 2012

AusAID, the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development, seeks an experienced and dynamic Office Manager to help oversee and implement the corporate functions of their Harare post. Based in the AusAID Office at the Australian Embassy Harare, the successful candidate will be engaged as a non-ongoing employee for two years, with the possibility of an extension.

The Harare Office Manager will be the only full-time corporate position in Harare and will undertake basic administrative, financial, human resources and IT tasks.

Key responsibilities include: implementation and coordination of the office administration function including management of assets, and properties, purchase of office supplies and payment of invoices; management of office budgets and finances; recruitment and contracting of new staff; travel support for all officers; record keeping; and drafting and management of small value contracts.

Selection criteria:
-Experience in an office management and administration role undertaking the tasks outlined in the position profile.
-Excellent standard of written and spoken English including negotiation and representation skills.
-Well developed people and team skills, including the ability to work effectively in a diverse team in dispersed locations (Zimbabwe, Kenya, offices across Africa and Australia)
-Sound judgement, problem solving skills and initiative to achieve results.
-Ability to adapt to change and be responsive to new challenges

An experienced-based salary package will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

How to apply: Further information about the selection process and the application pack can be obtained from the Australian Embassy website at www.zimbabwe.embassy.gov.au

Please note that late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements will not be considered. Applications will not be acknowledged and only short-listed applicants will be contacted. If you have not been contacted by 20 April 2012 for an interview, please consider your application unsuccessful. AusAID reserves the right not to make an appointment.

For further information about AusAID, please visit our website www.ausaid.gov.au

Director General: African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)
Deadline: 31 May 2012

Background
The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) (thereafter referred to as “the Organization’), is an intergovernmental Organization, which was established in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1976 by an Agreement concluded under the auspices of the United National Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The Organization was created, inter alia, to promote the development of Intellectual Property laws appropriate to the needs of its members, establish common services and training schemes, assist its members in the acquisition and development of technology and the evolving of common views on Intellectual Property matters.

Membership of the organisation is open to all member states of the African Union (AU) or of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).  The present members of the Organization are:  Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. (Total: 18 states)

Applications are invited from suitable qualified candidates to be considered for appointment to the post of Director General of the Organization, the full description of which is as follows:

Duty Station: Harare, Zimbabwe
Duration of Appointment: Fixed-term contract of four years
Scheduled Date of Entry on Duty: January 1, 2013

Principal Duties
The Director General of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization is the Chief Executive Officer of the Organization. The duties are specified in the Agreement creating the Organization (the Lusaka Agreement) and among others include:

(a) Managing the Office in accordance with the decisions of the Administrative Council and approval of such decisions by the Council of Ministers, including in particular the appointment of the staff of the Office in accordance with the staff regulations;

(b) Preparing the draft programmes of activities and budgets of the Organization;
(c) Reporting to the Administrative Council on the execution of the tasks of the Office, and controlling the budget and expenditure of the Organization; and
(d) Exercising such other powers and performing such other functions as are vested in, or assigned to by the Councils.

Minimum Qualifications Required
(a) At least a Masters Degree in business administration, engineering, law, public administration, sciences, social sciences or technology. Additional qualifications in any of these fields would be an added advantage;
(b) At least five years of experience of administration in the field of Intellectual Property at a senior level;
(c) At least ten years of experience in administration and corporate governance at a senior level with a demonstrable track record;
(d) Very good communication, negotiation and diplomatic skills in English. A working knowledge of any of the other official languages of the African Union would be an added advantage; and
(e) Respected and empathetic leadership qualities with strong Intellectual Property knowledge.

Age: Minimum 35 years and maximum 60 years at the time of making the application.
Nationality: To be eligible for appointment, candidates must be any of the nationals of a Member State of the Organization and should have support from their respective governments.
Conditions of Employment: Salary and allowances on first appointment shall be those applicable to Grade DG of the ARIPO Salary Scales of the Professional Category.
Base Salary: US$103 170 per annum (fixed)
Post Adjustment: Depending on the cost of living of the host country (Zimbabwe) a post adjustment index, which is presently 20% of the base salary, is applied as a cost of living allowance.
Dependence Allowance: US$960 per year for each dependent child up to a maximum of three children is paid.
Education Allowance: An education allowance of 75% of the cost of attendance at an educational institution up to a maximum of US$6000 is paid for each child per year up to a maximum of three children.
Medical Examination:  The appointment is subject to a satisfactory United Nations type of Medical Examination.

Other Conditions of Service: The Director General is accorded appropriate privileges and immunities for a head of a diplomatic mission by the host country. Other terms and conditions of service shall be subject to the ARIPO Staff Rules and Procedures or be determined by the Administrative Council of the Organization.

Applications
Applicants should submit detailed curriculum vitae indicating pertinent personal data, two-passport size photographs and accompanied by certified copies of relevant certificates and names and addresses of two persons from whom references can be obtained to:

The Director General
African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO)
11 Natal Road, Belgravia
P.O. Box 4228
Harare
Zimbabwe
Fax: (263-4) 794072/3
Email: mail [at] aripo [dot] org

Applicants may also use the online application form which may be downloaded from the ARIPO website and click “vacancies”. If applicants are unable to download the application form, they may send an email or fax requesting for such forms from the Director General at the address indicated above. The original formal application should then be sent to ARIPO using the normal procedures for forwarding such applications through the Registrar General of the national IP Offices of the Member States.

ARIPO is an equal opportunity employer.

Enough of the fluffy breast cancer imagery

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Monday, March 26th, 2012 by Bev Clark

Kristen Tedder, or Tutu as she is known to friends, was never going to react to breast cancer in a conventional way. This is the performance artist whose Doris Day meets Courtney Love routine had the Gallagher brothers whooping for more at a London club in the late 1990s.

Her latest project is Punk Cancer: a visceral, disrespectful and decidedly un-pink approach to fighting breast cancer. “All the pink, fluffy breast cancer imagery didn’t do it for me, so I went down a different road,” Tutu explains. “I learned to love breast cancer because it’s part of my body and it taught me a lot about my life. But I also wanted to kick its ass.”

When we meet, Tutu, 45, is wearing a T-shirt, created with London label Earl of Bedlam. It features a stencil of herself, boldly one-breasted, and, in Never Mind the Bollocks lettering, the phrase: “Cancer Sucks: Fight it, Love it, Live it, Survive it.”

More from the Guardian here

Fix this.please

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Friday, March 23rd, 2012 by Bev Clark

Blocked drains in Glenview; Zimbabweans get involved in Kubatana’s Fix this.please campaign.

Thanks to Priviledge from Glenview.

Do you have the PHD Syndrome?

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Friday, March 23rd, 2012 by Bev Clark

A new report from the Research Advocacy Unit (RAU):

Do you have the PHD Syndrome?
By Kudakwashe Chitsike

“Unless and until we get rid of PHD, women will not go far in any field.” In this context a PHD is not a doctorate degree, it is an acronym that stands for Pull Her Down. The Pull Her Down Syndrome is sadly one that most women suffer from regardless of status in society. Upon hearing the term for the first time I was shocked as it seemed in the group there were a few of us who had never heard of the PHD, I knew what it was but I hadn’t realised that the behaviour had its own acronym! The syndrome is based on an inferiority complex, “We look down upon each other and ourselves by saying we are not able to do it, let the men do it.”

The Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) held 11 focus group discussions with women from different parts of the country to talk about politically motivated violence against women. The focus group discussions also explored what women are likely to face as we draw closer to elections, looking at what happened in past elections and what efforts are being made to protect women from violence.

Inevitably these discussions also brought about the issue of encouraging women to participate in national processes and aspire to hold positions of authority. It is within this context that we established that the PHD is holding women back as women do not support other women to occupy leadership positions. W “We grew up being told that men should be the ones’ to lead so we still have that mentality and letting it go is a bit difficult.” It was stated repeatedly that when a woman is standing for a political position, she has to struggle for acceptance from her peers as petty jealousies based mainly on gossip rear their ugly heads. The main reason for women selling out other women is seldom for their political affiliations but mostly because of the PHD syndrome; politics provides a perfect cover for women to settle scores that have accumulated over years.

Another issue that features in the political PHD syndrome is marital status; if a woman is single, involved in politics and successful the most common misconception is that she used unscrupulous mainly immoral means to get to the top.”A married woman is said to be more honourable than one who is not married so when an unmarried woman runs for office she is judged harshly.” If she is married then she doesn’t have a strong husband who can bring her to order as politics and marriage do not mix, never mind that men have been doing it for time immemorial.

A woman involved in politics, as with women in other male dominated fields has to work twice as hard to gain respect and ironically the people she has to impress the most are other women. Women would rather nominate a man than another woman for a political position, as “men are more educated and politically astute”, but when we asked how the women will ever become educated and astute if we do not give them opportunities, the women had no response.

The women in the focus groups acknowledged that women need to be given the opportunities to learn on the job but stated that there is a need for a total change in mindset, so that we accept that women can do the same as men in politics and any other fields considered to be male domain. The way to address this is by having confidence building sessions for women, which should start with confidence in the home before addressing what happens in the public arena. The inferiority complex results in “women not standing up for what they want so if someone says that we are unable to do something then we start to doubt ourselves and believe that we will fail and thus we fail before we even begin.”

For there to be a change in mindset it is important to look at cultural and religious beliefs that perpetuate the myth that women are below men and they are overstepping their bounds when they participate in politics. It is important to involve the men and older women, as they are the custodians of the beliefs that oppress women. Women’s organisations have to take on a much bigger role and increase visibility particularly in the rural areas where cultural and religious beliefs, which discriminate against women, are deeply rooted.

It has been said often enough by women in high political positions that it is an uphill journey to the top for a woman to stand against a man for a position. They have to contend with sexual harassment and or sexual violence, superiority complexes from their male counterparts without having to deal with the PHD from women. Instead of supporting the efforts of those who are brave enough to say ‘bring it on’ to the men, other women are scheming to find ways to bring her down. The women stated that many times when a woman is elected, she stops behaving and thinking like a woman and takes on a ruthless male persona, where she has forgotten the struggles she endured as a woman to get there, she forgets about the women left behind in the struggle.

Women in these discussions varied in age, geographical locations, backgrounds and political affiliation but their responses were very similar with regard to PHD, “we women are our own worst enemies as we don’t want to see our peers succeed.” The PHD syndrome however is not confined to the political realm it appears in every aspect of every woman’s life. It is about undermining the efforts of another for usually very superficial reasons. As women we should implement programmes that encourage women and girls to grab equal opportunities with men as well as support each other in whatever areas we decide to venture into.

Get there …

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Friday, March 23rd, 2012 by Bev Clark

What’s your position?

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Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 by Bev Clark

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