‘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.

Hey! Need a job? Want to work in the NGO/development sector in Zimbabwe? Check out the job vacancies below and apply today. If you want to receive regular civic and human rights information, together with NGO job vacancies and other opportunities like scholarships by getting our regular email newsletter, please email join [at] kubatana [dot] net

Twelve (12) vacancies: Africare
Deadline: 26 April 2013

Opportunities have arisen within our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Programme. A new rural-based project requires the services of Sanitation, Monitoring and Evaluation and WASH Officers. Project districts are Gokwe North and South, Mhondoro-Ngezi and Bikita. Suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

1) Sanitation Officers (x 2)

Person Specification
Required to fill in this position is a mature person, with all-round knowledge in WASH programming; especially demand-creation of sanitation services in rural settings, a satisfactory track record in working under the auspices of the District Water and Sanitation sub-Committees as well as leading WASH teams.

Summary of Expected Duties
Reporting to the WASH Coordinator, the incumbent will be expected to support the DWSSCs to:
-Create demand for sanitation services among communities in the districts of operation, which include promoting the construction of up-gradable Blair Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines, construction of institutional Blair Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines and hand-washing infrastructure
-Utilise participatory approaches to promote Zero Open Defecation (ODF) among the participating communities
-Promote public-private partnerships in improving community sanitation standards
-Provide leadership and supervision to the district based WASH officers
-Present project reports at various for ums as requested by DWSSC and management
-Contribute towards monitoring and evaluating project elements
-Compile quality periodic project reports.

Qualifications
-A minimum of a first degree in a WASH-related discipline such as Environmental Sciences, Health Promotion or Water and Sanitation, with at least an upper second degree class
-A minimum of 5 years experience in WASH-related programming either in the public service, NGOs or within a local authority, of which 3 years MUST be at Coordinator or Team Leader. Experience in sanitation demand-creation will be an added advantage
-A clean Class 4 driver’s licence with not less than 3 years driving experience is a MUST.

2) Monitoring and Evaluation Officers (x 2)

Person Specification
The candidate must demonstrate a high degree of competence in the development of M & E plans and tools, situational analyses, operational research, data analysis, database creation, amongst other areas of expertise.

Summary of Expected Duties

Reporting, in a matrix structure, to both the Team Leader and the Coordinator, the incumbent will be expected to support the project and DWSSCs to:
-Prepare/revise monitoring guidelines, tools and reporting formats, conducting monitoring training to the WASH team and ensure quality control
-Track project indicators regularly and provide timely feedback to the WASH team. • Create project databases and inventories
-Set-up system for joint organisational and donor monitoring (i.e. joint field trips, databases and reports)
-Facilitate and document case studies, success stories, Most Significant Change Stories and articles for publication in peer reviewed journal articles
-Participate in programme-wide M&E activities with external stakeholders

Qualifications
-A minimum of a first degree in the social sciences/humanities/economic sciences/statistics plus 3 years progressive experience in programme design, monitoring and evaluation and statistical analysis, e.g. using EpiInfo or SPSS
-A clean Class 4 driver’s licence with a minimum of 3 years driving experience would be a clear advantage.

3) WASH Officers (x 8)

Person Specification
Reporting to the District Team Leader, the WASH Officer is expected to carry out the day-to-day activities of the project working with the communities and steer it towards meeting the set objectives.

Summary of Expected Duties

Working with DWSSCs, the incumbent will be expected to:
-Provide support towards the drilling and rehabilitation of new water points, including GIS mapping
-Facilitate the rehabilitation of identified water schemes in partnership with the service providers
-Promote the development of new institutional and community sanitation infrastructure
-Promote public-private partnerships in the promotion of WASH, including facilitating internal savings and Loans for WASH
-Utilise community-centred approaches to water, sanitation and hygiene, culminating in the formation and training of school-based and community health clubs
-Facilitate the strengthening of water governance and operation and maintenance structures, such as the water point user committees and village pump mechanics.

Qualifications
-A minimum of a first degree in health sciences such as environmental studies or health promotion, with a postgraduate certificate or diploma in Water and Sanitation an added advantage
-A clean class with more than 3 years driving experience is a requirement.

Apply
Applications with detailed curriculum vitae and names of 3 contactable referees should be addressed to: The Administration Officer, 4A Hugh Fraser Drive, Greendale, Harare, or email lmlotshwa [at] africare [dot] org copying tkamusewu [at] africare [dot] org

Due to the expected overwhelming response, only short-listed candidates will be responded to.

You will hear thunder and remember me, and think: she wanted storms.
- Anna Akhmatova

Via http://larmoyante.com/

One question from a bullet
John Agard

I want to give up being a bullet
I’ve been a bullet too long.

I want to be an innocent coin
In the hand of a child
And be squeezed through the slot
Of a chewing gum machine.

I want to give up being a bullet
I’ve been a bullet too long.

I want to be a good luck seed
Doing nothing in somebody’s pocket.
Or some ordinary little stone
On the way to becoming an earring.
Or just lying there unknown
Among a crowd of other ordinary stones.

I want to give up being a bullet
I’ve been a bullet too long.

The question is
Can you give up being a killer?

Walking the streets, it is easy to see how absorbed everyone is in their own lives. Very few people look up from what they are wrapped up in to look at what’s happening around them. This seems to be a result of the capitalist world we live in, where people are judged in terms of wealth and success, creating the competitive standards that disregard sympathy and concern. The result is that we become self absorbed and resistant to helping others.

Before the use of money there was a sense that everyone needed everyone else, since no one could sustain himself or herself entirely. The butcher needed someone to make his clothes, while the tailor needed someone to make his needles. A system of bartering created a need to support other people, otherwise a service would disappear. However, with the use of money there is no longer a direct link between the things we need and where it comes from. After all, as long as we have money we can buy it in the shops right? But people seem to miss, in their rush to become rich, the importance of different jobs in society.

It is important not to take for granted what money can buy for us, but in a capitalist world it can be very difficult not to get absorbed in the money making game. Sometimes it is good to take a step back and remember what you want rather than what everyone else expects of you.

A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world. – John le Carre