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.

National Programmes Coordinator: Zimbabwe YMCA
Deadline: 7 September 2012 (4pm)

Work Base: Harare, Zimbabwe with travel nationally and internationally
Contract type: Fixed Term Contract

The National Executive Committee of the Zimbabwe YMCA seeks to recruit a National Programmes Coordinator to design and implement innovative youth development and empowerment programmes in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe YMCA is a registered NGO and exists to enhance the mind, body and spirit of young people in Zimbabwe for the holistic transformation of their communities, Nation and the African continent.
The National Programmes Coordinator will report to the National General Secretary of Zimbabwe YMCA and will provide leadership, strategic direction and be responsible for resource mobilization, effective coordination, management and implementation of programmes nationally.

Specific roles

1.Technical Management
-Oversight and management of technical projects including planning, implementation, undertake field visits, and reporting
-Develop project proposals, create budgets and planning for new activities
-Liaison with donors and potential funders to identify and pursue potential programme and funding opportunities
-Coordinate project activities with activities of governmental agencies
-Working knowledge of social investment (CSR) programmes by the private sector in Zimbabwe

2. Reporting and Representation
-Primary programme representative to donors, relevant government entities, partners, other implementation and stakeholders
-Responsible for narrative programmatic reports, in line with grant agreements
-Responsible for submission of quarterly status reports on all projects countrywide for the information of the NGS and AAYMCA
-Impact documentation of projects and programmes countrywide, with focus on analysis and dissemination of lessons learnt and best practice models
-Support strengthening of communication strategy to make YMCA more visible to development actors in the country especially through project and programme brochures, case studies and press releases.

3. Team Management
-Responsible for recruitment and supervision of key project staff, interns, student on attachment, and other short term programme consultants
-Responsible for team building of project staff at national and regional level, conduct performance appraisal in line with operational procedures

4. Administration/Finance
-Assure proper budget follow up for all funded project activities, monitor budget allocation is correct and respect proposal grant guidelines
-Ensure all projects follow financial and administrative procedures of the Zimbabwe YMCA
- Prepare regular financial expenditure reports, in consultation with the Finance Department

Qualifications
-Bachelors Degree from a credible university in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Social Work, Development Planning, Community Development or a related field. A Masters Degree and the ability to speak French would be an added advantage.
-3 – 5 years professional experience at project management level with a youth serving organization, national NGO, or governmental agency.
-Result oriented with demonstrated ability to manage a team and work independently.
-Proven ability in programme management, including planning, implementation, community mobilization, monitoring and evaluation.
-Excellent communication skills oral, written and presentation skills and demonstrate ability to meet strict and high quality implementation and reporting deadlines.
-Ability to work with no supervision and under pressure.
-Willingness to travel within Zimbabwe and internationally.
-Computer literate

Applications with a cover letter, up-to-date 4-page CV with names of 3 referees and day time telephone contact and working email address, copies of relevant documents should be sent by email to: applicants [at] africaymca [dot] org

Late applications will not be considered. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.

Six (6) Research Programme Assistants: NANGO
Deadline: 12 September 2012

Vacancy Notice: 2012/07AU

Duty Station: Harare (2), Bulawayo (1), Mutare (1), Gweru (1), Masvingo (1)
Organizational Unit: Advocacy Unit (AU)
Position title: Research Programme Assistants (6)
Classification: Assistant
Type of Appointment: Three months, fixed-term, with possibility of extension
Estimated starting Date: 1 October 2012

General Functions
Under the direct supervision of the Senior Human Rights and Governance Programmes Officer in Harare, and in coordination with relevant units at NANGO Headquarters and Regional offices, the successful candidates will work with the Advocacy Unit for the implementation of the NANGO Human Rights and Governance Programme. The selected candidates, with the technical backstopping of the lead consultant and the Senior Human Rights and Governance Officer, will be expected to work on a full-time basis during the assigned period. In particular he/she will:

1. Assist in researching, designing and develop of the Human Rights and Governance programmes/projects in close coordination with the relevant units at NANGO
2. Assist in the development of study implementation plan and development of research tools
3. Review relevant literature and information on capacity gaps within civil society
4. Participate in field for data collection, data analysis and reporting on research findings
5. Conduct data collection from the field on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) profiles for the purposes of coming up with organizational profiles, identifying gaps and capacity weaknesses within NGOs
6. Assist in designing an electronic online database profiling all organizations that would have participated in the study
7. Assist in the production of reports at various stages in the implementation of the baseline study
8. Assist in the development of recommendations regarding capacity gaps, weaknesses and other identified challenges within CSO sector.
9. Perform any other duties as NANGO may reasonably require commensurate with the post holder’s abilities and responsibilities.

Desired Qualifications

Education
-The incumbent should possess a Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics with a major in economic modeling, or Development Studies
-Sound knowledge of the human developmental needs in Zimbabwe
-Extensive geographic knowledge of Zimbabwe
-Knowledge of and sensitivity to gender issues
-Experience and training for analytical and research skills will be an added advantage

Skills and Experience
-At least 1 years working within the NGO sector focusing on social research
-Strong report writing skills
-Strong presentation and facilitation skills
-Ability to cooperate with other NANGO programmes and regional offices
-Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
-Ability to establish good rapport with colleagues from partner organizations
-Ability to work in a multicultural environment
-Good computer skills e.g. Word for Windows, Excel, Email & Internet
-Ability to work effectively with limited supervision
-Demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of marginalized populations
-Ability to network, especially within NGO and governmental contexts

Languages
Thorough knowledge of English. Knowledge of both Shona and Ndebele is an advantage

Method of application
All applications should be addressed to: anyway [at] nango [dot] org [dot] zw and copy machinda [at] nango [dot] org [dot] zw or posted to the Senior Human Rights and Governance Officer, 5 Meredith Drive, Eastlea, quoting the above vacancy notice number.

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.

Paralegal: Legal Resources Foundation (LRF)
Deadline: 14 September 2012

The Legal Resources Foundation, a local legal services NGO invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced persons for the post of Paralegal based in KweKwe.

Primary duties and responsibilities
-Giving legal advice to the vulnerable and marginalized members of our community
-Conducting education outreach meetings
-Conducting community workshops; and
-Report writing and networking

Qualifications and experience
-Applicant must have at least 5 “O” Levels, including English Language
-Applicant must be a mature and reliable individual of at least 25 years of age
-Applicant must be self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision
-Applicant must have experience with community work and be a team player
-Applicant must have the commitment to assist the disadvantaged and marginalized
-Applicant must have strong ties in Kwe Kwe
-The ability to communicate in Shona & Ndebele would be an added advantage.

How to apply
Please send your application letter and CV to:
The Centre Director
P. O. Box 1470
Gweru

Or they can be sent by email to: myglpc [at] gmail [dot] com

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Senior Poverty Reduction and Development Programme Officer: NANGO
Deadline: 14 September 2012

Duty Station: Harare, Zimbabwe
Type of Appointment: One-year, fixed-term, with possibility of extension
Estimated starting Date: 1 Oct 2012
Vacancy Number: 2012/05AU

General Functions

Under the direct supervision of the Programmes Director in Harare, and in coordination with relevant units at NANGO Headquarters and Regional offices, the successful candidate will work with the Advocacy Unit for the implementation of the NANGO Poverty Reduction, Development and Government Engagement Strategy. The selected candidate will be expected to work on the full-time basis during the assigned period. In particular he/she will:
-Assist in researching, designing and develop Poverty Reduction and Developmental programmes/projects in close coordination with the relevant units at NANGO;
-Draft project documents, logframes and budgets for submission to donors in coordination with the Directorate;
-Implement and oversee the existing Poverty Reduction and Developmental projects within the Association. (monitoring, reporting and evaluation)
-Provide key support to the Association and its members on strengthening the coordination of Civil Society Initiative in the area of Poverty Reduction, Human Development and Government Engagement Strategies.
-Participate in coordination meetings with partner NGOs, Government and the UN Country Team, as may be required;
-Represent the Association at high-level dialogue and engagement fora and meetings with the Government of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders from the public sector, private sector and civil society.
-Establish and maintain partnerships with relevant UN, NGO and government focal points in order to facilitate the work of NGOs in Zimbabwe
-Prepare and submit timely, quality routine, special reports and briefings as required.
-Assist in developing and implementing appropriate capacity building programmes in Poverty Reduction and Human Development for Associate Implementing Partners and NANGO Regional staff.
-Perform any other duties as NANGO may reasonably require commensurate with the postholder’s abilities and responsibilities.

Desired Qualifications

Education:
-The incumbent should possess a Master’s degree in Economics or Statistics with a major in economic modeling
-Possess experience and training for analytical and research skills, including monitoring and evaluation
-Sound knowledge of the human developmental needs in Zimbabwe;
-Extensive geographic knowledge of Zimbabwe
-Experience of emergency work in Zimbabwe
-Knowledge of and sensitivity to gender issues

Skills and Experience:
-At least 4 years working within the development context, with a focus on poverty reduction (MDGs), child friendly budgeting, child rights programming, and social research.
-Strong report writing skills
-Strong presentation and facilitation skills
-Ability to cooperate with other NANGO programmes and regional offices
-Previous experience of working with and through partners
-Ability to prioritise and work to deadlines
-Experience in supervising, guiding and training people, individually or in groups
-Ability to establish good rapport with colleagues from partner organizations
-Ability to work in a multicultural environment
-Good computer skills e.g. Word for Windows, Excel, email & Internet
-Ability to work effectively with limited supervision
-Familiarity with working with international NGOs, UN and donors
-Ability to manage more than one project at various stages of completion
-Demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of marginalized populations
-Ability to network, especially within NGO and governmental contexts

Languages: Thorough knowledge of English. Knowledge of both Shona and Ndebele is an advantage

Method of application: All applications should be addressed to machinda [at] nango [dot] org [dot] zw and copy cephas [at] nango [dot] org [dot] zw or posted to the CEO, 5 Meredith Drive, Eastlea, quoting the above vacancy notice number.

Trouble Brewing in Zimbabwe – Constitution-Making in Crisis

Everyone knew that the constitution-making process in Zimbabwe would be fraught with tension as the two MDC formations and ZANU-PF battle out the terms of the country’s new Constitution. Much has been said about the futility of this process since ZANU-PF repeatedly indicated its eagerness to go into elections under its current Constitution. But much can be said for the clever shenanigans of the ZANU-PF negotiating team which appears ‘hell bent’ on creating a deadlock in the process.

Below are some of the less well-known aspects of ZANU-PF’s constitutional-drafting endeavours that came to light this week.

Some background first – in July 2012, the official constitution-drafting body, COPAC, published the second draft Constitution – something that can best be described as a negotiated settlement between the key parties after a politically motivated community consultation process. The draft Constitution did not bode well for the interests of ZANU-PF officials, so with a good dose of confidence, they rewrote the document to their liking and presented it with fanfare to COPAC and the nation. Of course this flouted the entire purpose of democratic constitution-drafting and lead to the MDC formations declaring a deadlock – thereby strengthening ZANU-PF’s argument for the need to go into elections under the current constitution, exactly what they wanted.

ZANU-PF‘s constitutional drafting is an absolutely fascinating read, revealing much of the inner psyche and paranoia of the party, and also their political skill and determination to hold on to power.

The first strategy of the Party focused on amending the draft Constitution to afford more power to the President – essentially, the amendments limits executive power to the President allowing him to do anything he wants without the need for consultation or accountability. According to ZANU-PF, Vice-Presidents should not be elected, but appointed by the President and they should be accountable to the President and not parliament. The amendments have removed any purpose in having a Cabinet or Speaker of Parliament. If ZANU-PF had their way, the President would also effectively be able to veto all Bills which they do not agree with. And when the President dies, or becomes incapacitated, his party can decide which of the Vice-Presidents should take over.

Giving the President more power is in direct contrast to the previously discussed proposal of devolution of power to lower structures and communities. This concept was widely supported by communities during the constitution-drafting process and included in the draft Constitution. Needless to say, devolution of power is not supported by ZANU-PF and was accordingly not included in their amended draft version of the Constitution.

The second strategy seems a calculated move to show their benevolence. ZANU-PF has inserted deliberate points aimed at appeasing communities who might be upset by the increased authoritarianism of ZANU-PF’s draft Constitution, for example:
• A new section has been inserted providing for the economic empowerment of war veterans;
• Youth between the ages of 15 and 35 are entitled to various rights in the amended version, including education and training (in addition to the rights already provided for children up the 18 years of age) and a separate right to sport and recreation has also been added to the Constitution;
• ZANU-PF’s amendments reduce the age of elderly from 70 years to 65 years and include access to free health care for the elderly.

The third strategy appears to be to limit international influence over ZANU-PF’s vision of an autocratic state. ZANU-PF has sought to delete, or ‘water down’ provisions aimed at applying international law to Zimbabwe. They deleted the provision providing for domestication of international instruments. To ensure that constitutional provisions cannot be given a broad interpretation, the party removed every phrase in the draft Constitution which referred to an “open, just and democratic society”. ZANU-PF also included a phrase allowing rights to be restricted based on “national security”.

The fourth strategy looks like typical electioneering politics, trying to appease conservative, traditional and religious sectors, and force the opposition to come out in support of minority groups. If ZANU-PF had their way, freedom to demonstrate and broadcast would be restricted to citizens and permanent residents. Dual citizenship is prohibited, and a foreigner married to a Zimbabwean can only obtain permanent residency after ten years, as opposed to the current requirement of five. The broad right to make decisions on reproduction included in the draft Constitution has been deliberately limited in ZANU-PF’s amended version to decisions on contraceptives, child-spacing and family-size. From the right to privacy, ZANU-PF has deleted the right not to have one’s health condition disclosed. Similarly, from freedom of the press, they have removed the protection of confidentiality of journalists’ sources. Finally, the status of traditional leaders is further strengthened. Specifically, ZANU-PF’s amendments remove the clause in the draft Constitution which prohibited traditional leaders from acting in a partisan manner, participating in political parties or violating the fundamental rights of persons.

As part of their fourth strategy, to present themselves as a ‘morally pure’ party, ZANU-PF has gone on an all-out attack on gays and lesbians. The organisation Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) has been experiencing increased harassment for the past two weeks, with disruption of their meetings, assaults on their members, repeated arrests of members and staff, and raids on their offices. As part of this move, ZANU-PF’s draft amendments to the Constitution explicitly ban same-sex marriage and prohibit “homosexuality, gays and lesbian practices”. Whatever this unwieldy clause might mean, it suggests a full onslaught on people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity in the run-up to the elections.

As everyone holds their breath to see what will happen, the deadlock is an ominous sign of a party in crisis, holding on to their power with determination.

Written by Anneke Meerkotter, lawyer at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre
www.southernafricalawcenter.org

Over the five years since inception Sistaz Open Mic has witnessed many success stories of Zimbabwean women artists who have come out of their shell to share their art with the world.  It has largely become a scouting ground for corporate and civic organisations who seek to engage young and upcoming women artists in their programming.  Pictured above is Nancy ‘Blackheat’ Mkondyo on trumpet, a spoken word artist who now fronts the band Blackheat, they play a fusion of poetry with mbira and other traditional sounds.

Sistaz Open Mic happening this Sat 8 Sept, Book Cafe from 2-5pm.

Hot from the press, this short but gripping novel Running with Mother by Chris Mlalazi. Told through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Rudo, whose mother is Shona and father is Ndebele, it chronicles her flight from home with her mother and aunt, as her village is subjected to the forces of darkness. While we are conscious of the horror that follows, we are also touched by the humour, resilience and courage of the characters who are devoid of self-pity.

A must read for all Zimbabweans, it is not a book one can quickly forget.

Price: US$14 (inc. VAT)

AVAILABLE now from WEAVER PRESS

www.weaverpresszimbabwe.com

According to preliminary research findings carried out in 2011by the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers (ANCL) some Zimbabweans showed ignorance on the right of access to information.  This ignorance isn’t helped by the Access to Information and Protection of Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which has no clear request and appeals procedures. This legislation has been blamed for focusing on media regulation rather than the promotion of access to information. Access to information should not be a preserve of the ministry of information and publicity and the media, as what was noted in the survey. Also access to information is not only about democracy and the media but also about the survival of the people. For example, information on health issues such as the current typhoid outbreak, which the country is experiencing at the moment, has not been made available to the public making it difficulty to hold the government accountable.

Today ANCL presented its findings at a meeting held in Harare highlighting that some of the objectives of the survey were to identify the existing legal framework for access to information in Zimbabwe, also assessing government responsiveness to access to information and recommendations for advancing the agenda of access to information.
Though these findings may be subject to debate, with some people arguing that politicization of public institutions has resulted in many people failing to access information of public interest in nature, and this information has not been made available due to bureaucracy and the culture of secrecy in government departments. In neighboring South Africa the government has the South Africa Government Services, which makes information of public interest available as stipulated under its Promotion of Access to Information Act. The department was created so that citizens can exercise their constitutional right to access any information held by the state.

Under AIPPA access to information from government institutions by members of the public has not been easy due to the arbitrary classification of state held information which some people have recommended that government should come up with a manual on what kind of information can be accessed from each department. The current constitution reform process presents opportunities for promoting access to information through the enhancement of state-citizen engagement.

Members of civil society and journalists in Zimbabwe have not been spared by AIPPA as many have been arrested for participating in civic education, and publishing stories that contain public interest information. The continued infringement on the right to access to information has resulted in many Zimbabweans losing interest in information coming from state run newspapers and broadcasters due to politicization of the content, preferring foreign and independent newspapers, TV and radio stations.