Quote of the week
For me, the toughest thing for kids to deal with is when the parents are fighting. It's not violence on them - it's the feeling of violence in the family.
- Avi Arad.
Comment of the week
I believe in simplicity. I want to live in a world where women and children feel safe. I want to live in a world in which men respect women as equals.
- Butjwana Seokoma, SANGONeT.
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Prodder Directory
Prodder is the most comprehensive directory of NGOs and development organisations in South Africa. To view the directory, click here. Order your copy of Prodder - NGOs and Development in South Africa 2008, here.
SANGOTeCH
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BackaBuddy
SANGONeT supports BackaBuddy, an online fundraising website which combines the power of sport and the reach of the Internet in support of NGOs in South Africa. For more information contact David Barnard or Matthew de Gale on +27 11 403-4935 or e-mail: info@sangonet.org.za
NGO Pulse Archives
Back issues of the NGO Pulse can be accessed from this link. |
16 Days, Housing Policy, Vacancies
Over the past few weeks we have been fielding numerous calls from the media about the 16 Days of Activism to end Violence Against Women and Children which kicked off yesterday and runs until 10 December. Interviews with NGOs working in the gender violence, men’s and women’s sector broadly, have been high on the agenda of journalists. There has also been an increase in the ‘demand’ for the voices of ‘survivors’.
“I’m looking for someone who would speak about her experience; about how she got out.” “Do you have someone who is in an emotionally abusive relationship?” “Do you know any perpetrators who would be willing to speak to us?” These are the types of queries we have fielded over the past weeks.
Personally I am a bit concerned that the imperative of hearing ‘authentic voices of people’ is starting to border on the exploitation of people’s experience through the commercial value attached to ‘first hand’ accounts. What happens after people have ‘shared their experiences’? What mechanisms are in place to ensure the safety of women who do ‘speak out’ as they are called to do, after the hype of the 16 Days Campaign? I know that these concerns are high up on the agenda of women’s rights and gender activists. We hope that journalists provide coverage of gender violence during this year’s campaign and beyond which respond to these concerns.
Sharing his views on the 16 Days Campaign, in this week’s edition of NGO Pulse, SANGONeT information coordinator, Butjwana Seokoma writes that after having participated in the campaign for the past seven years, he is ready to “move from talking, marching, meeting and reflecting, to action.” Like many including myself, Seokoma questions whether his response to the campaign is informed by cynicism or frustration. Click here to read the full article.
We also publish an article from Becky Hamlin, executive director of Planact who writes about the approval of a new policy – the Enhanced People’s Housing Process (ePHP). The new policy is a victory for a handful of NGOs who have been engaging with the National Department of Housing since 2004. The new policy “enables/encourages communities to actively contribute and participate in the housing development process so that communities take ownership of the process and not just act as passive recipients of housing.” Click here to read the full article.
The 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women and Children highlight the concerns of women’s rights and gender activists in South Africa. At the recent Association of Women’s Rights in Development conference held in Cape Town, South African feminists met and issued a statement that has relevance as we embark on the 16 Days Campaign. We republish it here, as a reminder that all our struggles are connected.
“We are South African Feminist Women gathered at the Association of Women Rights in Development International Conference in Cape Town from all regions in the country.
Although we have come a long way, for many women conditions remain unacceptable with endemic violence, a feminized HIV epidemic and worsening food security.
We are outraged, fearful and feel betrayed. We opposed ex-President Mbeki’s position on HIV/AIDS, neo-liberal economic policies, the arms-deal and Zimbabwe. We are appalled at the current context of political intolerance, misogyny, and the language of violence by the President of the ANC, the leader of the ANC Youth League and other political leaders.
We call for an end to all the wars in Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, Congo and Darfur where women and children are experiencing the brunt of delayed resolution of conflict. This cannot be allowed to continue as normal.
With the upcoming election we will be wary of empty promises to women. We will not be used as voting fodder.
Together today we have experienced hope and excitement at the power that a critical independent women’s movement can achieve. We call on women to unite and defend women’s human rights.
Those of us who sign this statement respect the fact that there are women whose lives would be endangered if they did so.”
As always, we invite your comments and thoughts.
Editor, editor@sangonet.org.za
New Jobs, Proposals & Events
Employment Opportunities
- Open Africa, a NGO that facilitates the development of tourist routes in communities throughout Africa, invites applications for the position of Finance and Administration Manager to be based in Claremont, Cape Town. The application deadline is 30 November 2008. For more information, click here.
- The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa, a national network of organisations working with refugees and migrants in South Africa, seeks to employ an Administrator/Information Officer to be based in Johannesburg. The application deadline is 3 December 2008. For more information, click here.
- The Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) is recruiting a Coordinator for a new Youth Employability Project which will start in early 2009.The application deadline is 5 December 2008. For more information, click here.
- Community Connections, a community development NGO whose mission is to support community-led development by strengthening the capacity of community workers and CBOs, seeks to appoint a Development Practitioner. The application deadline is 7 December 2008. For more information, click here.
Proposals, Grants & Awards
- The Health Economic and HIV/AIDS Research Division, in partnership with the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is offering PhD Research Scholarships in the social and economic aspects of HIV/AIDS, beginning 2009. The submission deadline is 18 December 2008. For more information, click here.
- The Africa-America Institute invites applications for the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Programme for the 2009/10 Masters Awards. The submission deadline is 27 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- Entries are invited for the Tech Museum of Innovation Awards. The awards honour innovators from around the world using technology to benefit humanity in the categories of education, equality, economic development, environment and health. The submission deadline is 27 March 2009. For more information, click here.
New Events
- The Society of Midwives South Africa is hosting the 8th Annual Congress of Midwives of South Africa from 2-5 December 2008 in Polokwane. For more information and to attend, click here.
- The members of Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies and the Institute of African Studies at the University of Leipzig are hosting the 3rd European Conference on African Studies from 4-7 June 2009 in Germany. For more information, click here.
- The Wessex Institute of Technology is hosting a conference entitled “Sustainable Development 2009” from 13-15 May 2009 in Cyprus. For more information, click here.
Training
- The Cape Peninsula University of Technology invites applications for its two-year research-based M.Tech Degree in Information Management. The application deadline is 15 January 2009. For more information, click here.
- The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, an international institute for water education established in 2003, is conducting a course on Groundwater Resources and Treatment from 2-20 March 2009 in the Netherlands. The application deadline is 2 February 2009. For more information, click here.
- The Community Development Resource Centre is conducting a five-day course on Developmental Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting from 2-6 March 2009 in Cape Town. For more information, click here.
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