One of my pet peeves in Harare is water leaks. I hate seeing a burst pipe sending precious water into the verge or down the road – particularly when just meters away you can see people queuing to get water from a neighbour’s borehole, struggling to push a wheelbarrow full of water drums up the road, or straining with a container full of water on their heads.

Many Harare suburbs rarely or never receive municipal water supplies, and it is likely to be a very long time before the city supplies all households with water regularly. In the meantime, help make sure that what little municipal water there is makes it into your and your neigbhours’ taps.

Report water leaks and burst pipes to Harare water:  Phone 04-700087 / 791101 / 772453 & ask them to fix it.

Towards deeper regional economic integration: What does the (Mozambican) Northern Corridor mean for Botswana, Malwai, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique itself?

Southern African Political Economy Series: Policy Dialogue Forum

Date: Thursday  17th October 2013
Time:  5pm – 7pm
Venue:  SAPES Seminar Room, 4 Deary Avenue, Belgravia, Harare

Speaker: Hon. Christopher Mutsvangwa, Deputy Minister,  Foreign Affairs, Republic of Zimbabwe
Discussant: Gilbert Mudenda, Sapes Trust,  Zambia
Chairperson: Ibbo Mandaza, Sapes Trust

ALL WELCOME

SAPES TRUST Policy Dialogue Forum Membership forms available at entrance

Feel free to visit our website at www.sapes.org.zw

‘Bikes for Africa’: Bicycles for income generating
Deadline: 18 October 2013

A Dutch NGO, ‘Bikes for Africa,’ is contemplating to supply bicycles to Zimbabwe with the ultimate aim to improve the income generating capacity of families by increasing the mobility of urban commuters and rural (school-going) inhabitants.

Intermediate objectives are to promote road safety for cyclists and to improve the urban cycle infrastructure.

More short-terms objectives are to setup a bicycle distribution and repair centre, create employment by training bicycle repair mechanics and bicycle-and-spare-parts distribution and resale persons and to furnish bicycles to needy charities that can justify their use.

The Dutch organization is looking for registered non-profit making organizations as partners to attain the above stated goals and objectives.

If you represent a non-profit making organization (Trust or Foundation) and share these objectives, you are invited to propose how you can assist by expressing your interest, presenting your organization, its background, aims, objectives and track record of performance and details of how you think you can assist.

Details should include type of organization its (management) structure, number and qualifications of people to be involved, location and infrastructure available, exactly what can be done, costing proposal, etc.

Please submit your contribution of maximum 2 pages (appr. 1000 words) to: bikesforzim@gmail.com

Volkswagen Foundation’s Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
Deadline: 13 December 2013

Volkswagen Foundation has announced funding initiative “Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The objective of this program is to focus on development and sustainable reinforcement of research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research projects, developed and carried out by African scholars and scientists in close cooperation with their German partners, shall provide junior researchers in Africa with an opportunity to enhance their skills and academic qualifications.

Special emphasis is put on the development, reinforcement, and extension of academic networks inside Africa beyond existing language barriers.

Thematic areas
-Land
-Water
-Biological resources
-Sustainable energy for domestic use

Please use this link for more information

Launch of Openphoto 2013 Competition with US$5,000 First Prize … Victories & Violations – The Struggle for Minority Rights in Africa
Deadline: 30 November 2013

After the success of the inaugural competition in 2012, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is pleased to announce the launch of OPENPhoto 2013 on the theme of Minority Rights in Africa – with the winners being selected by a jury comprised of some of Africa’s and the world’s top documentary photographers, and with a top prize of US$5,000.

Aiming to encourage analytical and critical thinking about society in Africa and support the development of photojournalism across the continent, OPENPhoto 2013 is looking for strong, interpretive documentary work on the theme of Victories and Violations: The Struggle for Minority Rights in Africa.

“Across the continent, many people remain marginalised and socially excluded because they are minorities. People are discriminated against because they are disabled or homosexual or indigenous or sex workers. Or because they are women living with HIV. Or men from a small ethnic group. Or children from a non-state religion. Or families fleeing persecution in another country,” said Richard Lee, OSISA’s Communications Manager. “OPENPhoto 2013 is looking to reward photo essays that depict the reality of life for these marginalised minorities – the good and the bad, their struggles and their successes.”

The competition is open to any photographer based in Africa – professional or amateur. And the prizes are definitely worth winning:

First Prize – US$5,000 plus a commissioned assignment with OSISA in 2014
Second Prize – US$2,000; and
Third Prize – US$1,000

OPENPhoto 2013 will be judged by a prestigious jury of award-winning African and international photographers. Convened by the Pulitzer Prize-winning South African photographer, Greg Marinovich, the jury includes João Silva, Munem Wasif, Patrick Baz, Robin Comley, Yunghi Kim, Enrico Dagnino, Andrew Lichtenstein, David Dare Parker and Janine Haidar.

The competition deadline is November 30th with the winners being announced on December 16th.

For more information and to apply: www.open-photo.org