A tightly contested battle for the presidential seat is currently underway as vote counting begins in Kenya.  Just like Zimbabwe the previous elections held in Kenya saw over a thousand people killed and hundred of thousands displaced by disputed poll results. One of the presidential candidates, Uhuru Kenyatta was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his alleged role in the ethnic clashes in 2007. Over a third of results counted so far show a lead for Kenyatta and if the outcome remains like that one wonders whether the ICC will come after him and will his supporters allow that to happen.

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

OVC Specialist: USAID
Deadline: 15 March 2013 (1pm Harare time)

Basic function of the position
The incumbent will serve as the second Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC) technical and program specialist for the USAID HIV and AIDS Team.  The incumbent’s primary tasks include (1) providing technical guidance on issues around reaching OVC in Zimbabwe with appropriate services and (2) managing the USAID/Zimbabwe’s OVC programs as well as other key elements of the USG’s HIV and AIDS strategy, as assigned.  The OVC Program Specialist reports to and is supervised by the HPN Team Leader.

Selection factors
Education: Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in relevant field including Public Health or other social science field.
Prior Work Experience: The position calls for a highly experienced OVC specialist with a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a donor environment managing OVC, or closely related activities. Prior work with international bilateral or local private voluntary, non-government, donor organization, will be given preference. (30 points)
Language Proficiency: Fluency in spoken and written English is essential, as well as the ability to communicate effectively (20 points)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The following are required
-Demonstrated knowledge of donor-funded project design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation
-General knowledge of health issues, practices and OVC in Zimbabwe
-The ability to acquire quickly knowledge of laws, customs and constraints in Zimbabwean society
-A thorough knowledge of HIV and AIDS, public health or related programs
-Experience in working with OVC Households in Economic Strengthening activities
-Familiarity with or ability to acquire or learn OVC legislation, strategic priorities, and technical management as well as administrative and procurement requirements. (50 points)

Application Process
Applicants who fail to follow all application requirements will not be short listed.  Interested applicants must address all the above qualifications in their application.  An application should be addressed to the Human Resources Office and include:

1.  An application letter, detailing how the applicant meets the above minimum qualifications. Please type in the letter your response to each item, e.g. Education, and state how you meet the requirement. Failure to do this will result in you not being shortlisted.  Your letter must address each of the qualifications listed above.

2.   A current resume relevant to the position (no more than 2 pages)

Selection Process
After an initial application screening, the best qualified applicants may be invited to a testing process, which may include an oral interview and a written exercise. The final phase of the selection process is the probationary period of one year. Medical and security clearances are also required before employment can begin.

Please note: Only short listed candidates will be contacted with the results of the final selection. Due to the great number of applicants, if you do not hear from us by April 30, 2013, you were not short listed.

Instructions for application submission
1.Both email and hand delivered applications are accepted. Please submit email applications via email to: zimrecruit [at] usaid [dot] gov (Please note: Applications should not be more than 1MB in size if emailed.)
2.Please indicate Reference: 13-11 OVC Specialist in the subject line of the application email and in the subject line of your application letter.

Hand delivered applications should be addressed to the Human Resources Office and submitted to 1 Pascoe Avenue, Belgravia, Harare, no later than the due date March 15, 2013 at 1pm Harare time.

On Friday morning as people were rushing to work I paid a visit to the barbershop. After spending almost a month without getting my hair cut, and also missing the city gossip from my barber man, I made my booking early.

As I was sitting on the bench waiting my turn I could hear whispering coming from two men sitting next to me. So I moved closer so that I could hear their discussion. I remember when I was growing up my mom used to tell me that men should not gossip but here I was eavesdropping and pretending to be reading the newspaper. I was staring at the COPAC draft Constitution summary published in the state-controlled newspaper.  Still trying to position my ears like a satellite receiver, my turn arrived and I grabbed the chair with my ears still attached to the conversation.

“Haa unonyepa haihwine” meaning you lie its not going to win. At first I thought it was a soccer match but later I heard names of political parties being mentioned. Why are these men whispering I asked my barber man?  He replied with a smile and said they are talking politics. They are arguing over the draft constitution, he added. The two gentlemen were in a debate on who will claim victory if the ‘YES” vote prevails in the referendum and does it also mean a certain party can triumph in the coming elections based on the referendum outcome. All I could hear were arguments – not many facts – maybe this was due to self-censorship, or maybe they hadn’t read a copy of the draft constitution.

Since this barbershop is also frequented by Members of Parliament (MPs),  I was told the debate started a week ago when one MP was saying that after the “YES” he predicts a win for his party in the harmonized elections in July. I asked for an opinion from my barber man and all he could say was that it depends on the situation.

Since it was a public place he was self-censoring his opinion.

Critics of regimes where hardships thrive are quickly labelled anti-revolutionary, pro-white capital and every epithet from the lexicon of rabid nationalists who have doubled their resolve to right past economic wrongs but in the process lost sight of their goals.

I recalled this when I watched on TV young fellows walking in celebration of the President’s birthday where the spokesperson of the young patriots parroted the kind of language that has come to define Zanu PF.

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

You have on one hand youth NGOs being harassed by the repressive state apparatus, while many more others such as those who have emerged from academic hallways as student activists being hounded by men in dark glasses.

On the other extreme you have fellow youths adopting the lexicon of hate speech and you have to ask why the circumstances of this demographic can elicit such radically polar interpretations.

Are these young people from the same planet, you wonder.

Surely one’s political beliefs are a democratic right, yet when such differences are extant, you have to view this as a typical case of privilege pitted against deprivation.

And when you look at it like that, you obviously conclude that these people who would be saddled with the same post-independence “born-free” epithet from the usual suspects have different access to state resources when in fact that wealth ought to be universal.

And that is the tragedy of present day Zimbabwe.

Those “eating” from the trough of patronage imagine a perpetuation of the status quo, while the laggards aspiring for a piece of the national cake seek its end.

With elections approaching, it is no wonder then to see young people fighting each other, and the political elites who many agree long lost their relevance find these young mouths to reclaim that relevance.

It is Benjamin Disraeli who wrote in the political novel Sybil back in 1846 that: “The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity.”

You have to ask yourself if this at all holds true here.

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

Economic Recovery & Development Officer – Marketing: International Rescue Committee
Deadline: 15 March 2013

Location: Mutare

Job Summary
The ERD Officer will assist in the overall design of the IRC value chain program and in collaboration with the Economic Recovery and Development Co-ordinator, to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers and SMEs to access markets and diversify their livelihood options.

Responsibilities
Technical responsibilities / Program Implementation
1. Work with ERD coordinator in identifying agricultural market chains that can benefit local communities and the specific information gaps that can be addressed
2. Facilitation of participatory market chain workshops
3. Facilitate linkages between smallholder farmers, SMEs and markets for high value chains.
4. Assist the ERD coordinator in the development of the IRC Zimbabwe value chain training materials.
5. Coordinate the production of training reports to track performance and progress, according to M & E templates
6. Assist the M&E Technical Advisor and the ERD Coordinator to identify appropriate value chain related indicators and carry out M & E activities for the program.

Representation and Coordination
1. Participate in the development of standards, guidelines and other context-specific tools for economic activities with other partners as well as inter-sector IRC meetings and coordination, as required
2. Liaise and coordinate with the local authorities, relevant ministries, local partners, community leaders and other key stakeholders in areas of operation regarding agricultural value chain assistance.

Skills and Qualifications
-Diploma or University degree in marketing. Specific qualification in agricultural marketing would be an added advantage
-A post graduate diploma in business management would be an added advantage
-At least 2 years working in the private sector on agricultural value chains in Zimbabwe
-Experience in contract negotiation and management of agricultural commodities
-Strong understanding of small holder agricultural and SMEs economy and value chains
-Excellent organizational, project planning, communication and time management skills
-Fluent written and spoken English and Shona

Interested candidates from the private sector are strongly encouraged to apply. Qualified candidates should send their detailed CVs and cover letters to: Zimbabwe [at] rescue [dot] org and write ERD-Marketing Officer in the subject line.

What do Odinga and Tsvangirai have in common? They both promise a million jobs if they’re elected. More here and here