Consultant: Livestock Project Baseline / ActionAid
Deadline: 1 May 2013 at 1700 hours

Location: Harare/Mbire
To Start: 6 May 2013
Contract: 1 – 2 weeks

Purpose of the Position
To carryout baseline for proposed livestock development project in Mbire district

Key Strategic Performance Areas
-Quantitative and qualitative benchmarks for the    indicators outlined in the log frame.
-Provide business plans for sale pens, abattoir and the tannery.
-Review current practices that contribute to livestock production and marketing looking at the policy/legal framework governing this sector.

A detailed Terms of Reference will be made available to shortlisted candidates.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications
Minimum MSC in the following areas Social science , Agriculture, Veterinary science, with experience in livestock and social science research.

Other Essential Requirements
-Substantial experience in livestock issues, policy analysis and development programming in Southern Africa. .
-Experience working in rural areas in areas of livelihoods.
-Proven experience in livestock business, development, policy analysis and value addition initiatives.
-Experience in conducting reviews employing participatory methodologies
-At least 5 years relevant experience in livestock development issues
-Research companies and organizations that might be interested should have the required personnel with requisite skills.

Applications
To apply submit your updated CVs, work plan and detailed budget and at least three referees to The Human Resources and Organizational Development Manager, Action Aid International, 16 York Avenue, Newlands, Harare

Or email: jobs.zimbabwe [at] actionaid [dot] org

NB: Whilst all applicants will be assessed strictly on their individual merits, qualified women are especially encouraged to apply.

Please note: Although we value all applications, we can only respond to short listed candidates.

Zimbabweans want to come home. The Government of Zimbabwe needs to resuscitate our local industry and create jobs. If you need a chef, maybe Obvious is your man … let us know and we’ll put you in touch.

Hi guys please am looking for a chef position. Am here in Cape Town, South Africa but I really need a chef job in my home country and I need to make a difference in hospitality industry. I believe I do have all it takes to make a change for our country. Am ready to come down to my home country as soon as you guys got something for me.

Helpdesk Engineer: Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)
Deadline: 25 June 2013

Location: NAIROBI, KENYA

Salary: 30k-40k

Overview
The Helpdesk Engineer is part of a small, high-performing IT team supporting 800 users in over 25 countries. Our goal is to ensure that our systems are reliable, secure, and robust to support CHAI staff, volunteers, and partners fulfill their mission of expanding access and care to health care services in underserved areas. Located at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) office in Nairobi, Kenya the Helpdesk Engineer will play a key role on the IT team supporting our worldwide staff.  The person in this position is focused on Microsoft Windows-based technologies, with a heavy emphasis on WindowsXP/7, creating and maintaining user accounts in Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, and Blackberry Enterprise Server and providing remote support to our worldwide staff. This position requires a self-starter who is knowledgeable, meticulous, and resourceful to be successful and effective in a fast-moving and entrepreneurial environment.  Must be excited by the challenge of tackling projects in new areas, quickly building knowledge and skills and effectively applying them.

Responsibilities
-Maintain Exchange 2010, BES and AD user accounts
-Proactively support staff in field offices.
-Provide end-user support with SharePoint 2010
-Provide training and assistance to users as needed
-Interface with vendors to place orders for new equipment and software
-Ability to design and install systems on a limited budget
-Create and maintain updated documentation
-Must be excited about learning new things, patient in dealing with staff in complex and sometimes high-pressure situations
-Must have excellent attention to detail
-Providing hardware and software support for local users in person, and coordinating and providing support, via phone and email, for our users worldwide through our helpdesk system
-Collaborate well in a small team environment

Qualifications
-Three or more years of experience supporting users in WindowsXP/7 using Office 2007/2010 in a Windows 2008 environment
-Experience with supporting remote staff across slow or unreliable Internet connections
-Three or more years experience supporting Outlook in an Exchange 2007/2010 environment
-Bachelor (4-year) degree with a technical major such as engineering or computer science, or equivalent demonstrated work experience and proficiency in technical analysis and written technical reports
-Strong analytical ability and problem solving skills are very important
-Comfort with, and patience for, users of varying levels of expertise
-Basic understanding of networking technologies such as LAN, CAT5e, patch panels, switches, routers and firewalls
-Experience in hardware/software troubleshooting and in providing hands-on training
-Experience supporting users across multiple sites, countries and time zones
-SharePoint 2010 experience a plus
-Microsoft Access or SQL experience a plus
-Proficiency with a scripting tool such as VBScript or PowerShell a plus
Some international travel is required

Apply
Email the CHAI Recruitment Team on: recruitment [at] clintonhealthaccessinitiative [dot] org

The US Embassy Public Affairs Section held a discussion on the problem of waste and the challenges of disposing of it, particularly in urban areas. The discussion, lead by Environment Africa, explored various ways of preventing littering and cleaning up the environment, using the expression “the carrot or the stick” to described how people can either be encouraged to not litter through incentives or through punishment.

An incentive could be offered as is done in Botswana, where people are paid to clean the streets around their area. Or a punishment could be enforced, as is enacted in the Environmental Management Act – Any person found littering should be fined no more than a level 3 fine (about $20). Another suggestion was creating a situation like in Rwanda, where once a month everyone is required to spend a few hours on a designated day, cleaning the area around where they live. While it has encouraged a cleaner environment, it has also helped bring people together after the atrocities of the Genocide 19 years ago through collective acts of community service.

However, all suggestions have their disadvantages, as incentives would be expensive, the fine of no more than $20 could have little impact on people and finding one day where everyone can drop everything and spend a few hours doing community service would be difficult. An ideal situation would be a combination of different approaches, as is suggested by Environment Africa. They bring awareness to the importance of a clean environment and the dangers of pollution, leading campaigns and outreaches to educate communities on the issues.

Environment Africa also has a focus on “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, looking towards innovative ways in which waste can be put to use. Several examples were shown; from recycled paper, which was turned into playing cards, and art made out of old cans. There was a strong emphasis on the need for innovation, looking towards young people to find new and creative ways to deal with the increasing build up of waste in both rural and urban areas.

However, the main message was this is our environment, which is everyone’s responsibility. To protect Zimbabwe and all the beauty, we all need to take responsibility and make an effort.

Photo: Environment Africa

‘Aliens’ to vote” was a catchy headline in a daily paper today. I think these so-called Aliens would rejoice if the headline would read “Aliens exempted from paying tax in Zimbabwe.” After 33 years of independence as a nation should we continue to classify other people under the banner of aliens? Who are these aliens? Are they black or white? Having parents of foreign origin or being born in a foreign land automatically puts one in the bracket of  “aliens”. These are people who have been labeled to have no totem at one point and who lived in the squashed urban settlements of Zimbabwe. An operations was launched a couple of years ago to cleanse the urban settlements from  “aliens”, but almost 8 years on “aliens” have developed a mentality of resisting in order to exist and to be recognized.

Also if you speak a foreign language with no fixed abode moving from one mine or farm to another looking for menial jobs your ID reflecting “A” you are not spared from the branding either. This alien brand went as far as making those with British roots join the renouncing queue at Registrar General’s Offices. After the economic meltdown of 2008 the even to the so-called original Zimbabweans ran for cover in foreign countries and they became bitter after being treated to the Alien brand which forced them back home. Imagine if you cannot stand to be called alien for four years how about someone who had to endure it for 33 years.

With the referendum over and expectations of new constitution it seems like “aliens” have all of a sudden become a special group which every politician is giving special mention so that their right to vote which was stolen some time back can be restored.  For the past 33 years “aliens” have been contributing to Zimbabwe’s economic growth under harsh working conditions in mines, farms, industries, now most these aliens’ children have become educated professionals and are now part of the systems running this great nation. Some of these “aliens” have gone to represent the nation in sports and some have become successful business people and all we have been hearing were praises for Zimbabwe and not “aliens”. These are our brothers and sisters who have been used for so many years to toyi toyi in the street campaigning for various political parties only to be denied that right to vote in an election because they are “aliens”. Even to get travel documents is still a hassle for them because they have to go through a rigorous process of renouncing some foreign citizenship. Election time is the only time when “aliens” get recognition and this time if they are allowed to vote those hopes are high that they will be recognized as Zimbabweans, not space invaders like what some people think.