OSISA launches Journalism Summer School – applications now open
Deadline: 28 September 2012

OSISA is launching a Journalism Summer School this year for mid-career journalists and media managers. The inaugural JSS will run from the 5th-23rd November and will be hosted by the Polytechnic of Namibia.

The JSS, which is affiliated with UNESCO, was created in response to the multiple challenges confronting journalism and the media in southern Africa today – with the overall objective of improving and strengthening journalism so that it enhances democracy in the region. Targeted at mid-career journalists and media managers in the region, the annual three-week JSS will offer cutting edge courses on a range of topics from ethics to investigative reporting to gender in the newsroom.

The JSS will bring together around 25 journalists and 10 media managers from 10 southern African countries – Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe – for an intensive course that seeks to:
- Strengthen the quality of journalism and contribute toward a more professional media by training journalists and media managers on key thematic areas
-Deepen participants understanding of journalism theory and practice to enable them to critically reflect on the role and implications of their work
-Promote experiential learning when journalists are placed on attachment during the training
-Improve the quality of media management to ensure the viability and sustainability of media organisations; and
-Promote collaboration and joint research among journalism training institutions across the region.

The journalists will attend the full three weeks, while managers will only come in during the final week for specific media management courses. JSS participants should be able to demonstrate:
-Improved knowledge of particular issues examined/taught in each module
-Applied competence in journalism research, including skills in investigative reporting
-Ability to write complex, multi-sourced stories
-Understanding of journalism ethics
-Improved gender awareness and ability to write stories with gender sensitivity
-Critical analysis of news and the newsgathering process; and
-Better understanding of the commercial environment in which the media operates.

The JSS courses will be run by highly experienced journalism educators from across the region and abroad as well as a range of guest lecturers from Namibia. Lectures, group discussions and practical assignments will be key teaching methods. Journalists will be placed on attachment in media houses in the host country for a limited number of days during the course.

Applications are now open. Anyone interested can apply either online 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

Please note that the job vacancies we carry are related to the NGO and civil society sectors only.

Sixteen (16) vacancies: United Methodist Committee on Relief
Deadline: 20 September 2012 (close of business)

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is recruiting for a food aid project in UMP District (Mashonaland East). We require staff with experience in food aid projects and relevant qualifications for the following positions being advertised:

Harare Office
-Human Resources Manager
-Senior Program Manager

Harare Warehouse
-Warehouse Manager

UMP District Office
-Food Security Manager
-Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
-Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant (2)
-Logistics Officer
-Compliance Officer
-Field Officer (6)
-Finance, HR and Admin Officer

How to apply
Interested candidates can request for job description and cover letter format by emailing: adminasst [at] umcor-zimbabwe [dot] org then send the UMCOR cover letter and comprehensive curriculum vitae, together with the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three referees to: umpapplications [at] gmail [dot] com

Candidates may apply for a maximum of 2 positions.  Kindly state the position applied for in the subject box.

Information, Campaigns and Advocacy Officer: Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU)
Deadline: 21 September 2012

Specific duties
-Ensure that documentation is continuously up-dated regularly and dissemination of information done efficiently and effectively. The documentation section includes the library, and mass media monitoring
-Writing and designing of the WiPSU newsletter, Face book page, twitter and blogs
-Establish a media personnel data base
-Ensure adverts and press statements are sent to the relevant print media houses on time
-Plan and implement the Campaigns of the organization
-To carry out all advocacy initiatives in the organization
-To ensure media presence at all organization’s function and for the beneficiaries
-To assist the Programmes Manager in proposal writing for the Information, Campaigns and advocacy programme
-To plan and budget for the programme
-To prepare and present an annual work plan, monthly work plan and weekly plan to ensure the effective and efficient smooth running of the programme
-To identify relevant and efficient services providers for all necessary color printing jobs
-To compile monthly reports on the programme to submit to the Programmes Manager
-To coordinate and up-date the website regularly
-To network and collaborate with relevant women’s groups/organizations, NGOs and work closely with them in connection with Information sharing and documentation
-Any other duties delegated by the Programmes Manager and the  Director

Qualifications and skills
-A Diploma or Degree in ICT/Journalism
-Experience in journalism a must
-Must be well conversant in gender and feminist issues
-Good communication skills and well conversant in Shona/Ndebele
-Good Computer skills a must
-Must be familiar with the contents of BPFA, CEDAW, AU Protocol, SADC declaration on Gender and Development of 1997, Section 23 of the Zimbabwe Constitution.

Interested applicants must submit a motivational letter and current CV to the Women in Politics Support Unit, at no. 43 Dan Judson Road, Milton Park or email to: wipsuadmin [at] gmail [dot] com or wipsudirector [at] gmail [dot] com

Qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.

Branch Secretary: Zimbabwe National Council of YMCA
Deadline: 21 September 2012

Work Base: Harare

Zimbabwe National Council of the Young Men’s Christian association looking for Harare Branch General Secretary. A relevant Bachelors’ Degree /Diploma from a recognized institution preferably majored in Social Sciences, Qualification in Youth Work, Business Studies, Project Management, Counselling and Gender Studies will boost the candidate’s chances. The candidate should be between the ages of 24 – 30 years with experience.

The purpose of the job is to manage day-to-day activities of the branch in consultation with the Branch Executive Committee paying attention to recruitment of new members and project proposals (fund raising activities).

Applicants from suitably qualified candidates should be sent to:
The National General Secretary
Zimbabwe National Council of YMCA
21-1st Avenue
P.O. Box M160
Mabelreign
Harare

Remuneration will be disclosed to short listed candidates.

Or email to jacob [at] africaymca [dot] org or administrator [at] zymca [dot] co [dot] zw

Please note that our organization comprises of staff and volunteers.

Zimbabwe’s youth getting active … from Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) latest newsletter:

A group of about 30 young people from Gweru have painted potholes white in protest of council’s slow pace in fixing them.

“We have painted the potholes white as they have become an eyesore and it helps to ensure their visibility so that at least if they are not fixed then drivers can be able to see their presence from a distance so that accidents are minimized,” said Nyaradzo Madzikura, one of the participants in the exercise.

“It gave me a great pleasure when I went into town the following morning and heard a number of rank marshals talking about it and council officials were debating the motive of the exercise as I could feel that people had noticed hence such activities should be carried out regularly,” she added.

The Zimbabwe urban transport system has had touts for the past donkey years and all these years the authorities have known of their existence as well as the fact that they are illegal elements of society but they did not take any action against them. The authorities wake up one September morning and the touts are beaten like hell and rounded up in army vans and it’s headlines everywhere. It’s like these touts are aliens that have just landed in Zimbabwe from some far away planet and we are all amazed about them. The Harare City Council says it now wants to control kombis and one wonders why they have, for all these years, let touts control the kombi ranks.

There hasn’t been any water at our office block since Wednesday last week, and the toilets are beyond disgusting.

On Friday, the building manager organised for a bowser of water to come, and everyone filled up as many tanks, drums, bins and buckets as we could find.

For a few days, things were clean and hygienic again, but now that water has run out and the situation is worse than before.

Now, we’re being asked to bring in water from home – not just for office use, but to donate for the toilets which are shared across all tenants. This is because the bowser contacts the building manager has been phoning are too busy to come and deliver.

In other words, all over Harare, water is so scarce that so many companies are placing so many orders for water deliveries that the water companies can’t keep up. This is without even getting into the bigger question of where these water companies get their water from (sometimes residential boreholes and by pumping directly out of city rivers and streams). In the rural areas, the problem is even worse.

September has only just begun, and it’s another two months until the rains start to recharge the city boreholes and water table.

If water is already scarce, how will offices and high density areas in particular weather the water crisis that will only worsen?

Women are considered to win every argument especially in relationships because they raise their voice the loudest. Personally, at the back of mind right now I can hear the echoes of my voice of my last argument. This is one characteristic that I associate WOZA with. To me they strike me as women who will surely raise their voice. The kind of Zimbabwe that we now live in leaves no room for smooth talk, one has got to be aggressive and speak loud to be heard. I remember last year when WOZA took to the streets in a demonstration against ZESA. The women were chanting “Tinoda magetsi” (We need electricity). Everyone was so fed up with ZESA and we still are but it took the guts and bravery of WOZA to march outside ZESA’s office along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare. There has been a lot of other strikes and demonstrations by WOZA but yesterday’s demonstration is among one of the major highlights in the constitution making process in Zimbabwe.

As we are aware, COPAC produced a second draft constitution, which had been approved by all parties. Soon after its release Zanu PF’s politburo made a u-turn and made amendments to the draft constitution. The MDC stood by the second draft constitution and the party launched a ‘Yes’ campaign for the draft constitution. But back to WOZA, the brave women demonstrated yesterday outside the Parliament of Zimbabwe, to remind Zanu PF and MDC that they have gone several steps ahead of the COPAC constitution making process itself. This is so in the sense that Zanu PF has made amendments to the second draft released by COPAC and MDC is close to launching a Yes Campaign. Initially, COPAC had planned that when a second draft constitution was released, an All Stakeholders Conference was to be held to discuss the draft constitution and the way forward would be mapped from the outcome of the conference. Meaning if Zanu PF had amendments to make they had to table them during the conference and the MDC voting for or against the constitution should be made after the conference.

During this demonstration WOZA reminded the political parties that neither of them owns the constitution. The constitution is made by the people and it’s for the people. It should not in any way favour a political party but should always be found abiding by the interests of the citizens.