Just Associates Southern Africa: Programme Manager
Deadline: 25 November 2011

JASS (Just Associates) is an international community of activists, scholars, and popular educators that works to strengthen and leverage the voice, visibility, and collective organising power of women to create a just world.

JASS Southern Africa seeks to appoint a Programme Manager, based in Cape Town. There is, however, an option for candidates to be based in Zimbabwe, Malawi or Zambia where the bulk of its work is located.

This is a great opportunity for an African professional who is deeply committed to strengthening grassroots activist leadership and organising and who brings passion, demonstrated leadership, interpersonal and organisational skills. S/he will offer relevant strategic and programmatic experience as well as some experience with participatory training and grassroots organising.

In Southern Africa (SNA), JASS’ strategy is to strengthen and mobilise women’s activist leadership to retool and rebuild women’s movements to address practical needs and change norms, institutions and policies that perpetuate inequality and violence. The programme involves training, organising, social media, documentation and strategic action in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Now in its fourth year, the programme is driven by a regional team and a unique regional alliance of LGBT activists, progressive religious leaders living with HIV/AIDS, youth organisers and ICT feminist activists to maximise their reach and impact on women’s rights and lives.

While decision-making relating to the overall JASS SNA strategy, planning and organisational development lies with the Regional Coordinator, the Programme Manager will work closely with the Regional Coordinator and part-time organisers and consultants to facilitate country processes and communications, ensuring that relationships, programmes and the regional partnerships are on track and in line with JASS SNA’s mission and strategy.

Responsibilities:
Provide leadership, mentoring and support to the broader JASS SNA community of women activists across the region virtually and in person;
Coordinate and backstop country-level processes in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe, including overseeing the planning, design, facilitation and documentation of activities and events;
Establish/coordinate consultative processes for designing, planning and implementing JASS SNA strategies and programmes in line with JASS’ overall mission and strategic priorities;
Refine and adjust plans as needed in accordance with opportunities and funding;
Develop/consolidate regional systems for documentation, reporting and monitoring in close coordination with the regional team and global JASS;
Maintain regular communication with the regional team and partnership to ensure programmes, relationships and deliverables are on track including regular check-ins with regional staff and partners to ensure continued ownership;
Identify and pursue strategic opportunities to deepen and broaden the impact of the JASS SNA movement-building process;
At times, represent JASS SNA and involve other regional team members and JASS SNA community in representing JASS in the region at important events and among a wide variety of people and organisations who are potential allies and donors.

Requirements:
Minimum of 8-10 years of demonstrated experience with managing programmes and people and administering projects related political activism and/or advocacy on women’s rights, HIV/AIDS young women leadership, social movements and related issues;
Minimum of 8-10 years of demonstrated programme management experience related to political activism, women’s rights and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa;
Experience writing about women’s organisation and social justice issues strongly preferred;
Knowledge on policy issues related to the core themes;
Commitment to facilitative leadership and democratic management principles;
Experience in promoting teamwork and working collaboratively in a multigenerational, multicultural context;
Ability to think critically and politically, and problem-solve with minimal resources;
Ability to operate in a virtual, global organisation where e-mail and phone communication is paramount;
Written and oral communication skills;
Ability to write for a variety of audiences and purposes;
Experience working effectively with limited budgets and a corresponding ability to draft and implement budgets for regional projects and initiatives;
Ability to think through staffing needs and priorities;
Comfortable building and developing organisational processes for a young organisation with a unique and flexible structure that is continually evolving in careful and well thought-out strategic stages;
Excitement about, and commitment to, bringing diverse interests together across boundaries of race, class, gender, sexuality and nationality in collaborative and creative ways;
Sensitivity/awareness of difference, power and privilege as they shape interaction and of multigenerational processes;
Comfortable dealing with and navigating the complex politics between traditional NGOs and women’s rights groups;
Ability to plan on the move and to respond and adjust to shifting constantly priorities;
Experience organising and facilitating events.

To apply, submit a CV and motivation letter to Maggie Mapondera at maggie [at] justassociates [dot] org or fax to: +1 202 232 4715.
NGO Pulse Portal.

No phone calls will be accepted.

JASS is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants with diverse backgrounds and members of the queer/transgender community are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more about the Just Associates, refer to www.justassociates.org

Sour: NGO Pulse Portal

With only two days to go until the beginning of the 16 days of Activism Against Violence Against Women, the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section played host to a presentation on the campaign, led by young Zimbabwean women’s rights activist, Cleopatra Ndlovu. She defined gender-based violence (GBV) as an umbrella term encompassing “any harm that is perpetrated against a person’s will, because of their sex – this violence has a negative impact on the physical, the psychological health, the development and the identity of the person”.

The theme for this year’s campaign is: From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women! Ndlovu said that the focus on militarism last year and this year, is due to the rise in conflicts and political unrest all over the world. In Zimbabwe, election-time has become synonymous with violence (especially rape), and many of our women shudder to think what will happen to them before and during next year’s polls.

“We live in a country that is not concerned about the issues of GBV,” said Ndlovu as she highlighted the lack of progress or significant change in the situation of women, despite the many protocols, treaties and declarations signed by the nations with regards to discrimination against women and the increase of increase of women in decision-making positions – Zimbabwe has failed to reach the 30% by 2005 goal, as female representation in Parliament to date, falls short of this target.

But the situation is not completely dismal, according to Ndlovu, as women have made huge strides already:

- Establishment of Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development
- National Gender Policy
- Domestic Violence Act
- Victim friendly units

Despite this progress Ndlovu says women still have a long way to go. Another problem she highlighted was the fact that the people who are at the forefront of the fight against GBV are mainly women, through the many organisations who are a part of the women’s movement. The involvement and participation can make it much less of a struggle.

In conclusion, Ndlovu said that the media also had huge role to play in accurately informing the nation on the plight of women in reporting on gender-based violence.

The first-prize winner of this year’s International Day to End Impunity poster contest, Jamie Javier from the Philippines.

On Tuesday, Varaidzo blogged about the sexual harassment she witnessed on her way to work on one morning, when she saw a woman in a mini-skirt being tormented by a heckling mob.

We shared this in our email newsletter this week, and received a number of comments from readers about the post – some more sympathetic than others.

We welcome  your comments on the original blog, or on the responses below.

I miss home so much but sometimes being away from all that madness is a good break. I was that girl a few years ago, I remember feeling so terrified as they shook the kombi back and forth thnking they would overturn it. I a full figured, beautiful african woman. I respect myself and those around me. What I wear should be a choice I am allowed to make and live with. If I am comfortable in it why not? The man I date absolutely adores that I dress that way. I am based in Cape Town now and those are some of the little priviledges that I wish I could have back home. The freedom to dress as I please without being named a whore, the freedom to go to a party or a bar for a few drinks with the girls without the men around thinking that I want to be picked up or that I am a prostitute. I am an educated, independant and empowered woman who hopes that one day those men will gain those qualities too. I wish I could attend the march against rape, but they have my support in sisterhood.

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This should stop i remember in the day women had a march in mini skirts and its time we did that again. Actually lets face it if Zimbabwe had a beach like Moz, Durban and Cape Town- will these men be disgusted? Why is it that the men who go to the beach do not ‘attack’ sun bathers are they more civalised than these landlocked’animals. No women do not desrve to be treated like this, afterall most of these women come from homes where their parents( including fathers), husbands and male figures allow them to go out. We need to publise and arrest men who dehumanise women’s bodies and esteem the DV Act surely has a clause, it is like being arrested when mob attacks a victim its time we start seesing arrests.

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I am very much disgruntled by such unruly behaviour. That is barbaric. I feel the long arm of the law should deal with ths hooligans. These are potential rapists. I am a man myself but it realy hurts me. Imagine if that was yo own sista. How would you feel. ZRP should wake up and do something with these rowdy people.

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This is the new world we’re living in . I was not at the scene but I can assure you that most of those men who were hackling the woman are not ‘very ‘educated-they miss the softening influences of morden civilisation. Thats exactly the kind of women we want in our streets-women who know that they are women. We are not from the Arab world so its not a crime to dress the way you like as long as you feel good about it.

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Yes males respond to visual stimuli and we are meant to either court if you like and leave if you don’t. I you like and you know you have NO chance of getting lucky, dont hurl abuse at her or even worse, abuse her physically. I reckon deep down thse chaps like what they see!

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Its ok for women 2 dress comfortably especially in these high temperatures .However there is a line to be drawn ,some dressing leave a lot to be desired,obviously vultures will pounce on such women.I’m also a man,a woman who dresses scantily will obviously attract the opposite sex.Women should dress scantily in their homes not outdoors.

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This hypocritical attitude by men makes me very cross because it is simply not true to tradition. I am old enough to remember what people wore as traditional clothes. I saw them with my own eyes.

In Mashonaland I saw women with narrow flaps of animal skin in the front and at the back that were tied to a string around the waist. Except for the inner part of the thighs there was no covering of the legs from waist to ankle. Admittedly, the flaps of animal skin reached to the knees, but the larger portions of the thighs and buttocks were completely open to view. Women wore nothing on top except a string or two of beads.

In Manicaland, near the Umvumvumvu Bridge, I remember seeing a young woman in about 1961 striding up the main highway as though she owned the universe. She was magnificent! All she was wearing was a miniskirt of knotted inner bark from a tree. I believe that was probably traditional dress for her area, although I don’t know for certain.

I think this persecution of women over clothing styles is fueled by men’s emotional fear of women’s female power. It has no logical reason behind it apart from the desire to control women and prevent us from realising what enormous power we have. Without women there is no life!. This desire is not confined to black males, but is expressed differently in other cultures e.g. lower rates of pay for the same work.

However, having said that, I think it is sensible to protect oneself by wearing less revealing clothes. Keep the miniskirts and tight trousers for home consumption. It’s not really so difficult. In Arab countries they wear their beautiful clothes under their burkas.

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Zimbabwean men need to WAKE UP and move with the times.  This lady was not trying to sell herself to the highest bidder, but wearing what she felt comfotable in and what she wanted to. I’m sure many of the men that were insulting this lady were in fact ogling/admiring her. What about the ‘big bellied’ men wearing baggy, hanging trousers, vests and sandals – now that is disgusting to women, but they never pass comments or insults. Wake up Zimbabwean Men!!

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I think there are things we simply have to treasure. Mahomed Ali once told his daughters that, u never find gold or rubies strawn on the surface, u have to dig deep underground to find the gold. A preacher once said, yo man must find something on you that he is proud of saying, it it only me who has ever seen this. Ladies, lets just be dignified and cover what has to be covered.

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I failed to get the gist of Varaidzo’s narrative on the dress issue.I think sometimes women take their freedom & rights too far or for granted. Women are their worst enemy, as much as we understand their quest for liberty and empowerment,what does nakedness or semi-nakedness got to do with the upliftment of women? We all understand that women have been marginalised but i think it’s stupid really to show us your buttocks and underwear in the same vein. Going the Britney Spears route is a disgrace.Let’s have demarcations on making our voices heard and misinterpretation of western modernity.Imagine men marching with their corks exposed to protest against male ircumcision,fine,we could have got the world’s attention but what about our image as a people.I will definitely support any woman fighting against partriachy but they don’t have to show me their buttocks for me to take them seriously,only the dignity with which they do it will do the trick.

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My sister Varaidzo has a point but in putting it accross had a bias and an element on her tone of demeaning men as barbaric yet it was a sample of few cultural conserved group. To this end, her article become offending to us men. The similar event also happened when i was travelling from Harare to Mutare, I had a stop over in Marondera and I saw a group of women with very few young boys shouting and calling all sorts of names to a lady who was in a min-skirt. I then out of curiosity asked some of the ladies who were doing that why they were doing what they were doing to a lady like them? They said it was all wrong for her to wear such a mini-skirt and was an embarrassment to women hood. Against this backdrop, Sister Varaidzo your tone stigmatised men as unreasonable people and as such your article can not go unchallenged. You took a paralysis of analysis of that event. The fact that she was rescued by a man shows that not all men would love to see ladies harrassed or embrassed because of their choices and taste. Again not all men are enticed by body exposure of ladies.

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I find it so repulsively shameful how the men of this nation behave and perceive women who are liberal enough to exercise their democratic right. Do we have to stage a protest like the one the South African women staged a few years back, clad in mini-skirts so as to shame the men into respecting us?

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Its unfortunate that such events still happen even when woman are aware that some areas are just a no no zone when some what half dressed. I dont blame the blunt crowd. Some woman just offend public decency. Wearing fabrics that they know surely heads will turn. However we cant change society (men) over this behaviour. Because even when you dress nicely and one passer by decides to comment and you dont answer hell can break loose. My advice go to lower density areas when you feel that short skirt is what you are feeling today.leave the other folks to the longs.

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Thanks for the enlightening expose about the way men/women treat women in everyday life. It however, provoked a wild thought about sexual harassment, a term usually used by men and women to highlight harassment of women by men. When and how are men harassed by females? If a man comments about the way a woman is dressed or her body structure it is taken as sexual harassment. But men are daily harassed sexually by women intentionally exhibiting their beautiful bodies in public places. Women boast that if they want something from a man they simply have to show off as much of their legs as possible. Ask taxi drivers, driving licence inspectors, police officers and they can tell you lots of stories of how women use their structure to get bargains. Have you ever seen a prostitute wearing a nun’s attire to solicit? They harass men by putting on mini skirts, scant clothing, etc. So when a woman appears in public scantily clothed, men are obviously harassed and they should be protected against sexual harassment. I am not saying that women should not be allowed to wear whatever they want. But they must in the process know that some men become provoked. No man is sexually provoked when he sees a mother nursing a baby. But when a woman exposes her breasts, then some men are sexually harassed. During the 16 days of gender activism, both sexes should be made aware about what sexual harassment entails, lest we keep bashing innocent people.

In an analysis titled Debating Zimbabwean-ness in Diasporic Internet forums, researchers Wendy Williams and Winston Mano explore the way in which national identity and citizenship were debated in an online discussion forum on the tabloid news site NewZimbabwe. The analysis focuses on an online discussion of Makosi Musambasi, who participated in Big Brother UK 2005, providing an interesting insight into how we as Zimbabweans construct our collective identity.

Like many Zimbabweans of my generation and more in the succeeding ones, all I wanted to do after high school was leave the country. Yet it was when I left and had experienced otherness in another country I wanted nothing more than to come back.  There is nothing that makes you feel more Zimbabwean than leaving Zimbabwe. In my time away, I spent hours on the Internet looking for anything and everything I could find that might possibly bring home to me. Including other Zimbabweans and time and time again I was disappointed. The group that was supposed to create a soft landing for fellow émigrés was mired in infighting and political struggles. Other Zimbabweans would get in touch only when they needed something.  I remember one African Union like gathering that was so overwhelmed by Nigerians that there was nowhere for them to sit. And even though there were several thousand Zimbabweans living in that city, our table for ten could hardly find three people. This is not to imply that that we are an exception among nationalities, but it is peculiar that even Zimbabweans themselves have observed that we are the least united of all the nationalities. There is not a single person living in or who has returned from the Diaspora who cannot recount at least one story of Zimbabweans being taken advantage of, excluded and sometimes even oppressed by fellow countrymen. An example is the news story of the man who was accused of selling the names of undocumented Zimbabweans to the Home Office in the UK.

The report observes that the Internet has provided a means for Zimbabweans both in and out of the country to set up a vibrant media culture, therefore a space for a more robust and inclusive debate regarding Zimbabwean-ness. It also notes that ‘[t]he discussion has shown how diasporic Zimbabwean media culture incorporated and subverted mainstream representations on the British media. The intensity and scope of the debates around the participation of a Zimbabwean nurse, Makosi Musambasi…are a good example of the mobilising aspect of national identity on the Internet.’

Disappointingly, those posting comments on the forum reject Makosi’s authenticity as a Zimbabwean because her parents were not born in the country.  Reflecting on this, Williams and Mano write:

Although Makosi had lived her whole life in Zimbabwe, forum participants excluded her from the nation in similar ways as the Zimbabwean Government sought to disenfranchise Zimbabweans of Malawian, Zambian and Mozambican descent from their citizenship. In this way highly exclusionary notions of the nation were thus reproduced on the New Zimbabwe forum.

I can see why the state chooses to broadcast propaganda, it works. And ironically it has worked on the very people who by virtue of their location outside Zimbabwe are economically if not politically opposed to the party’s authoritarian grip on everything Zimbabwean, including identity. But regardless of where they live, their political affiliation and even skin colour, for many people being Zimbabwean is no longer defined in terms of what country you were born and grew up in or common experiences. As Zimbabweans we define our Zimbabwean-ness in terms of what it is not, rather than in terms of what it is. We are just as guilty as ZANU-PF of perpetuating a nationalistic misconstruction of our common identity. Individually, we divide and create an ‘other’ based on what is perceived as mis-culture or acculturaltion. This becomes personally unacceptable, and instead of uniting and embracing the diversity within our culture we reject each other for petty small-minded reasons. It’s no wonder then that there are people in Matebeleland who believe in creating a separate Ndebele state, or that Zimbabweans of European descent are first white then Zimbabwean. In fact depending on where and how we grew up, we are all Zimbabwean second.

I am disappointed by Zimbabweans. Even as we create conversations and actions about rebuilding Zimbabwe, the same breath is used to exclude other equally capable Zimbabweans, be they ZANU-PF or MDC-x members, Diasporans, white farmers, or Angolan/Malawian/Mozambican/Zambian-Zimbabweans. Surely this is a process that will require every Zimbabwean, regardless of location, language preference, political affiliation and most especially ethnic origin.

I was having a tough time and needed to clear my mind and fill myself up again with what I care about. I have learned over the years how to look after myself and my work, and know that at a certain point it’s good to go off and find a different road. It is a matter of stopping and refuelling, filling yourself up again before you lose all feeling. Bringing yourself back.

Sound familiar?

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