Amir Mai and her family have camped under the trees on this sand dune for more than a week in order to let their surviving livestock access water and fodder. Photo credit: World Vision

PAKISTAN – Evacuation is not easy for the poor. Amir Mai, a young mother of four children, walked miles with her seven-year-old daughter in tow, trying to find food for her family of eight after the floods destroyed her family home.

Everyone in Amir Mai’s town had been aware of the flood risk, but they thought the canal embankment would hold.

As the waters started to rise, volunteers strengthened dykes with sand bags and stone. But additional flood waters from the Ghazi Ghat area finally breached the canal.

The town’s residents had barely 15 minutes to run for their lives.

“There was no time to think of valuables. We had livestock and a lot of household goods but no money to pay for transportation,” said Amir Mai’s husband Muneer. “Everyone left everything behind. We just hoped that the disaster would spare us.”

For Amir Mai and Munner, their cattle were the only possession they were able to save as they fled raging flood waters more than 14 feet high. The couple has four children and they owned two cows, six sheep and two goats. Amir Mai’s most prized possessions were her five chickens and 11 chicks.

Fortunately, Amir Mai had taken her children to stay with her cousins in Muzaffargarrh before the floods ravaged her town so Muneer was able to collect the animals and evacuate the area as fast as the livestock would move. The whole town ran in tandem with animals and children in tow and the water following on their heels.

They headed to a building owned by one of their relatives some eight kilometres away. Amir Mai also joined her family there. The place was quickly over-crowded as more and more people came seeking refuge.

Eventually Amir Mai and Muneer decided to move to an abandoned building situated on sand dunes, which is now ‘home’ for her family. Amir Mai has been responsible for finding relief supplies, and her husband looks after the cattle.

World Vision has carried out a rapid needs assessment in the area. Food distributions will begin shortly to provide relief to the victims of the biggest flood disaster in Pakistan’s history. Longer-term interventions for rehabilitation and livelihood support are also being planned.

Depending on need and access issues across flood-affected areas of the country, World Vision also aims to provide cash-for-work activities to 1,000 people, open health posts, set up 20 child-friendly spaces and 20 women-friendly spaces to provide a safe and comfortable environment for children and women in which they can interact with peers and receive support.

By Khalid Hussain

For those wanting to donate to World Vision’s Pakistan flood response:

•Call 1-800-268-5528 (English) or 1-800-363-5021 (French)

•Text the word WORLD to 45678 to make a $5 donation

•Visit www.worldvision.ca

Canadian aid being delivered to Pakistan.

Ottawa (Ontario) ─ A shipment of Canadian supplies has arrived in Pakistan, bringing 1,000 all-weather tents, 7,060 jerry cans, 1,000 tarps and 3,840 mosquito nets in support of ongoing emergency relief operations by the International Federation of Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

“Canada was one of the first countries to respond to this devastating flood, and our relief efforts are helping save the lives of thousands of people,” said the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation. “Canadians can be extremely proud of the ongoing work we are doing to help alleviate the suffering created by this humanitarian disaster.”

The relief supplies, which arrived in Pakistan on August 17, have been transported to Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for distribution to flood-ravaged areas. Canada’s contribution will help meet priority needs, which include food, water and sanitation, emergency medical care and shelter, essential household goods, and logistics and coordination efforts.

The flooding in Pakistan has worsened considerably since the monsoon rains began. On August 14, the Government of Canada announced that it was increasing its response to up to $33 million to respond to the most urgent needs of people hit hardest by the floods

The shipment is part of the Government of Canada’s response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the worst flooding in at least 80 years in Pakistan, which has left millions in need of emergency assistance.

“Canada continues to monitor the situation closely and our total contribution of $33 million will go a long way to meeting the needs of the affected populations,” added Minister Oda.

Canada’s contribution builds on more than $69 million in CIDA funding for Pakistan since 2009. This includes bilateral aid programming, as well as $37 million for humanitarian assistance, for initiatives such as food assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation facilities, and basic health care for conflict-affected people in Pakistan.

Develop an e-Government

By Josiah Dimbo in Harare, Zimbabwe The Afro News International

ICT is a powerful tool for improving the quality and efficiency of government services such as education and health. A senior Zimbabwe Government official has said when opening a workshop to develop an e-Government framework and implementation plan for the Government of Zimbabwe recently in Harare.

Chief Secretary to The President and Cabinet, Dr. Misheck Sibanda said, holistically and ultimately, e-Government aims at enhancing access to and delivery of government and other services to benefit the citizens.

“e-Government helps to strengthen the government’s drive towards effective governance, increased transparency and accountability so as to better manage a country’s political, social, technological, economic policies and resources for rapid and accelerated development.” said Sibanda.

The Chief Secretary urged government to make bold moves to ensure that citizens are enlightened in ICTs at every level of development. He further added that the implementation of e-Government requires strong visionary leadership.

“It also requires a comprehensive strategy that is not only benchmarked on global best practices, but also sensitive to existing political and economic realities” Sibanda added.

According to Sibanda the Government of Zimbabwe is prepared to vigorously pursue the implementation of e-Government in e-Administration, e-Services and e-Society.

“In all these initiatives, the Government will be endeavoring to endanger the spirit and a culture of taming bureaucracy, cost effectiveness, strengthening governance, transparency, accountability, enhanced and uninhibited supply of anonymous information on corruption related issues by the public and improved interface between citizens and politicians”, said Sibanda.

Furthermore, Sibanda noted that e-Government is a means to accomplish broader social goals. Goals that move beyond mere efficiency of government processes to that of overall reform and development. “However the implementation of a national e-Government program has its challenges, with the issue of Cyber Security being one of the most prominent,” The Chief Secretary noted.

“In bridging the great digital divide, attention should be given to individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic development levels with regard to their opportunities to access ICTs.” Said Sibanda.

Contributing at the same workshop Dato’ Dr. Raja Malik Mohamed from Malaysia, advised the Government of Zimbabwe to fully embrace e-Government for the benefit of its citizens.

“For e-Government top work, commitment from the top is needed. People and technology must be both involved in tandem, as to share with the rest of the world.” said Mohamed, the Managing Director of Global IT Services.

Mohamed told the gathering that e-Government, reduces queuing, improves services, operations and it’s a tool for wealth creation.

“In Malaysia e-government started in 1997 mainly focusing on human resources, project management, e-procurement, general office environment and e-services. Malaysia started with five flagship operations but today on can access My Government with 3 075 downloadable forms online, 913 online services and 110 000 downloadable forms. In addition there are 1 000 websites /portals with

20,5 million hits per month and 48 000 people are using online services per month.” Said Mohamed.

He warned the Government of Zimbabwe not to think of everything but to focus on few deliverables as to achieve optimum results. “The Government of Zimbabwe should focus on things that citizens are not happy with like energy, health and education.

He further noted that for e-Government to be appreciated by the citizens, the government must first raise awareness among its citizenry. “Citizens must see the benefits of any programme first before participating change must be promoted on daily basis.” Said Mohamed.

Speaking at the same workshop, the Chief Executive Officer of Twenty Third Century Systems Mr. Ellman Chanakira said Zimbabwe has the potential to become the hub and highway of ICT excellence if the government put its priorities right.

“Zimbabwe is blessed with a solid base of high literacy rate, waiting to be triggered into action. Let’s identify young people who have appetite for success in the ICT field and further train them. Our key performance indicators must be economic and financial growth, provision for housing and health, citizen satisfaction and new tax collection channels.” Said Chanakira.

Participants at the workshop agreed to focus on quick wins rather than to spread e-Government on all fields. The workshop attracted participants from key line ministries and the private sector.

House in Zimbabwe

By Wallace Mawire

The Zimbabwe Property Developers Association (ZIPRODA) is concerned with the mushrooming of bogus property developers in Zimbabwe and says that it is advocating for a property developers bill to regulate the industry.

According to the association composed of organised property developers who want to see sanity in their industry, there is a proliferation of fly by night property developers who are giving a bad name to genuine property developers in the industry.

ZIPRODA Chairperson, Mr Kudzai Chirima says that the objectives of his association are to encourage and to ensure that property developers achieve the highest standards in performance of their duties be they servicing of virgin land,construction of units,pricing and delivery of the product in the shortest possible time.

“Once the above is achieved, consumer confidence will be restored by our clients, the land providers and the financiers,” Chirima says.

Membership to ZIPRODA is open to a person,company,association that can provide serviced stands,housing units from virgin land.Services provided include layout plans,surveying,designing plans for roads,sewer and water,the laying of pipes for sewer lines with the correct main holes and gradients including outflow connections to the main trunk.

Chirima says that if one can provide a serviced stand he or she qualifies to be a genuine developer.He added that bogus property developers have mushroomed everywhere in Zimbabwe to the detriment of genuine developers.He adds that this has resulted in unfinished projects,the public or clients losing their money to bogus developers,clients being overcharged,poor services being provided to clients and loss of confidence by clients in developers,loss of confidence by municipalities who supply land and lack of professionalism.

Mr Chirima says that the property developers bill is currently with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities awaiting to undergo through parliament in-order to regulate the industry.

ZIPRODA Deputy Chairperson, Ms Nancy Saungweme says that her association is in a position to conduct an audit of its membership and keep a current membership roster which can readily be made available for inspection by prospective landowners.

Saungweme says that the association plans to act on issues of indiscipline in the property and housing development market.She added that ZIPRODA is advocating for public institutions to work with registered membership than just any developer.She says that public institutions only regret after dealing with unscrupulous developers.

At a recent meeting conducted by ZIPRODA, bogus property developers have been identified as people who take people’s money and not being able to deliver.People who sell one stand to many clients.Fly by night businessmen of no fixed abode,no traceable references,who provide wrong information about themselves,who cannot be located when wanted by clients, including those who illegally cancel agreements.Also businesspeople who engage in unfair play in their dealings are classified as bogus.

Congo la tragédie des enfants sorciers

By Billy Mongole The Afro News Kinshasa

Nous sommes au cœur du continent noir, en République Démocratique du Congo. Ce pays grand à la taille d’un sous continent vient de connaître l’une des périodes le plus sombres de son histoire et peut être celle de l’humanité contemporaine. Maintenant ce ne sont pas les armes qui parlent, moins encore les cris des femmes et filles victimes du viol ; maintenant c’est une tragédie muette des enfants accusés de la sorcellerie dans une société en pleine dérive. Un véritable drame fondé sur base des simples croyances qui prennent pour proie l’enfant « sorcier », dont on impute la responsabilité de tous les malheurs qui secouent la famille.

A Kinshasa la capitale, jonchent ici et là des mineurs forcés à consacrer leurs vies dans la rue, à la merci du hasard. Organisés en bande urbaine, ils ne sont pas moins de 35.000 enfants à errer chaque jour dans différents quartiers de «Kin La Belle » et à y passer chaque nuit à la belle étoile. Ici on les appelle les « Schegués ». Ils survivent grâce à la mendicité, au vol et à des travaux médiocres. La plupart parmi eux sont les rescapés du drame des enfants sorciers et ont connu tous presque la même histoire : torture, brûlure, châtiment, injure, rejet…

Au Congo la tragédie des enfants sorciers est une réalité inavouable pour ces milliers d’enfants qui ne savent pas à quel Saint se vouer. Face à eux, une société largement inondée des croyances et des mythes profitant de leur ignorance. Ils sont plusieurs de ces parents qui ont rejeté leurs propres enfants du simple fait qu’ils sont accusés de sorcellerie.

Depuis l’indépendance une pluie des crises s’abat de manière intermittente en République Démocratique du Congo. Chômages, inflations, guerres répétées, problèmes sociaux, crises économiques et politiques ont étés au rendez-vous de l’histoire de ce pays potentiellement riche et dont sa population demeure l’une des plus pauvres de la planète. La pauvreté et la misère ont coïncidé au début des années 90 avec la prolifération des « églises de réveil » qui ont vue le jour Les patrons de ces églises, les pasteurs et prophètes, se déclaraient ne pas appartenir à l’église catholique, ni à celle protestante. Ils ont recueillit beaucoup des adeptes dans tout le pays et ont rependu des prédications faisant croire que seuls les sorciers étaient à la base de leurs misères. C‘est en ce moment là que le concept de l’enfant « sorcier » est né ! La démarche était simple : une prophétie ou une vision du pasteur suffisait pour accuser un enfant de sorcier. Une forme de sacralisation de ce que dit le pasteur. Et ce sont des familles généralement pauvres qui ont cultivé la crainte liée à l’enfant sorcier. Résultat : l’enfant est soumis, en guise des représailles, à des sévices et voire même au rejet.

Au centre de Kinshasa, dans un orphelinat où certains enfants accusés de la sorcellerie ont pris refuge, l’une d’entre eux nous confie son histoire : « Je m’appelle Jackie. Mes parents se sont divorcés à l’âge où l’on ne se souvient de rien. A l’âge de dix ans maman, a confié mon éducation à la responsabilité de ma tante. Au début tout était en harmonie. Mais quand ma tante et son mari ont perdu leurs emplois, nos relations ont commencé à se dégrader. Un jour à l’église, le pasteur leur a dit que j’étais sorcier et que j’étais à la base du chômage qui leur frappé. C’était le commencement de mon calvaire… » .

Chaque semaine ces églises se voient bombées par des personnes qui viennent chercher un remède à leur malheur. Ils ont des problèmes divers : voyage, chômage, mariage, etc. Accablés de douleur, la plupart des personnes s’accrochent à des préjugés et désignent le plus souvent à tort ou à raison un enfant, parfois à l’âge des nourrissons, d’en être le responsable. Les pasteurs n’hésitent pas un instant de défendre la vision de « Dieu » contre les sorciers.

« La sorcellerie est une réalité » a lâché un pasteur. « Nous avons déjà connu des enfants qui ont accepté leur état de sorcellerie et nous procédons à des séances d’exorcisme pour délivrer l’enfant des esprits diaboliques» a-t-il poursuivit. Des enfants facilement manipulables, sans armes de défense et qui subissent par ignorance les règles des « grands ». Une fois traîné à l’église par sa famille, l’enfant « sorcier » passe contre son gré par des exorcismes aussi étonnant, qui impliquent des jeûnes forcés et des pressions psychologiques.

Vers la moitié des années 90, la capitale congolaise a connu une large diffusion des films chrétiens montrant les aveux des enfants accusés de la sorcellerie, des exorcismes étranges et de la victoire de « l’esprits saint » face aux petits sorciers. Ces films appelés en langue urbain « Karachika », qui veut dire film des sorciers, sont venus exacerbés des croyances et des mythes au milieu de la population congolaise. Au final, la superstition et les mauvais songes ont gagné d’intensité dans la plupart des familles. « Quand ma mère est morte, mon père s’est remarié. Avec ma marâtre tout n‘allait pas mieux. Elle ne cessait de m’accuser d’être sorcière et se défendait de m’avoir vu dans un songe en train de la menaçait de mort et que chaque soir elle voyait un chat noir défilé autour de sa chambre. Papa était convaincu par ses accusations. Elle me battait chaque jour dans l’indifférence absurde de mon père. J’ai décidé de rejoindre la rue par après… » m’a dit Hervé, un jeune enfant à l’Ouest de Kinshasa. Ces témoignages ne sont pas uniques à Kinshasa comme partout ailleurs au Congo, ils sont des milliers à vivre le même calvaire au quotidien. Les uns dans le silence, les autres dans l’indifférence de ceux qui pourraient leur apporter secours. Pour beaucoup des Kinois cette tragédie constitue une réalité ordinaire. « C’est presque chaque jour qu’on entend parler de l’enfant sorcier. Si rien ne marche, il y a quelque chose de mécanique qui pousse les gens à taxer un enfant de sorcier » Affirmait un habitant de Kinshasa. « C’est dommage que les gens s’habituent avec ce rythme, même en cas des petits problèmes » A-t-il renchérit. En cas de maladie, d’un décès, d’un accident ou de tout autre malheur, c’est l’enfant malade, l’enfant handicapé, l’enfant orphelin et l’enfant issu de divorce qui est souvent visé.

Outre cela, les traditions congolaises ont apporté une contribution importante à cette tragédie. Le Congo est un pays peuplé essentiellement des Bantous, un peuple fermement lié à sa tribu, à son clan et à ses traditions. Dans sa philosophie, le bantou considère qu’à l’exception de l’extrême vieillesse, la mort est toujours imputable à des facteurs externes tels que la sorcellerie, le fétichisme et la malédiction. Dans les temps anciens, le chef du clan convoquait la consultation du village si jamais une personne jeune mourait. Certes beaucoup des choses ont changé au fil du temps, mais les croyances liées à la sorcellerie reste encore présent dans la pensée et l’imagination des beaucoup des personnes. Apres la colonisation, il fallait attendre trois décennies pour entendre parler de « l’enfant sorcier ». Trois décennies pour voir le début de l’exode rural massif vers Kinshasa la capitale. L’exode n‘a pas

emmené que des personnes dans la capitale congolaise, mais aussi des croyances dont il était rare de découvrir autrefois dans cette ville civilisée. Aujourd’hui Kinshasa compte près de 10 millions d’habitants, dont la majorité vit à la débrouille, et constitue par l’occasion la deuxième ville la plus peuplée d’Afrique noire après celle de Lagos, au Nigeria. La pauvreté et la misère ont fait resurgir des croyances qu’on croyait bien disparues dans cet ancien bastion des colonisateurs belges.

Dans un pays déjà dépassé par plusieurs drames, la tragédie des enfants sorciers n’attire pas une attention particulière chez les dirigeants congolais. « La loi congolaise prévoit des sanctions à quiconque accuserait un enfant de sorcier, me déclarait un fonctionnaire d’une des municipalités de Kinshasa, mais vous comprenez qu’il est assez difficile d’avoir accès à ce genre de situation. Tout se passe entre la famille et l’église… »

Derrière cette tragédie, ce sont des milliers d’enfants qui voient leurs avenirs compromis, dans un pays où il n’existe pas de système de protection de l’enfance. Même des organisations non gouvernementales sont débordées par le nombre croissant de ces enfants accusés de la sorcellerie. Ceux qui choisissent la rue pour se protéger savent qu’ils n’auront pas ce qu’un enfant devrait avoir. Une fois dans la rue, c’est l’alcool, la drogue et une vie de jungle qui les attendent. Certains y laissent leur peau. Le mystère dans cette histoire, est qu’on ne saura jamais prouver que ces enfants accusés de la sorcellerie sont réellement des sorciers. Mais entre-temps, ils continuent à connaître un sort qu’ils n’ont pas choisi, parce que tout simplement les croyances dictent la majorité des familles. Des droits bafoués intermittemment et des atteintes à l’intégrité morale et physique sous silence dans une société qui s’écroule sous nos yeux.

Air Pollution

Wallace Mawire Harare : Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is now set to start monitoring motor vehicles in the country to ensure that they meet the standards for emissions as set out in the atmospheric control regulations, according to EMA Education and Awareness Manager Steady Kangata.

Kangata says that at the beginning of April 2010, EMA deployed a team to South Africa to source necessary equipment such as 20 gas analysers to be used in the control of vehicular air pollution emissions.

“We have got an EMA office in every district and every province in the country, so each of these offices is going to be provided with such equipment,”says Kangata.

He adds that the mobile equipment to be used on the vehicles will be fitted on the exhaust of one’s vehicle and the driver will be asked to rev his vehicle which will eventually show the emissions count,whether it exceeds the required threshold or not.

Mr Kangata says that major vehicle manufacturers now encourage that a reasonable following distance be kept on such instances as the health effects of the products of incomplete combustion have all been documented not to mention the effect on the environment.

“Such situations are however, unacceptable as the EMA Act Cap 20.27 clearly articulates that each and every citizen of the country has the right to a clean,safe and wholesome environment free of any materials that may have deleterious effects on human health,” says Kangata.

He adds that it is against such a background that the EMA which is the chief actor in the implementation of the act has set up a point source monitoring programme which allows for the monitoring of emissions into the atmosphere.

The programme has two facets which are stationery source monitoring and mobile source monitoring.The stationery source monitoring focuses on fixed sources such as industrial emissions which eminate from factory chimneys and ducts.

Such stationery discharge points are obligated under the EMA act Cap 20.27 and atmospheric pollution control regulations S.I.72 of 2009 to undertake comprehensive surveys of the type of gases that they produce and their concentrations subsequent to which the discharge points will be licensed.

Kangata says that the provisions of the license should be adhered to and failure of which his agency may impose a fine, an order to the license holder to undertake a specific course of action or close down the operation.

Issuing of licenses is currently being undertaken nationwide and so far 64 stationery emission points have been registered.

The mobile source aspect of the programme involves the monitoring of motor vehicles to ensure that they meet the standards for emissions as set out in the atmospheric control regulations.Unlike the point source monitoring programme, regulations do not require that motor vehicles be licensed.

Kangata says that nevertheless, vehicles may be stopped at roadblocks for the purposes of testing these emissions.If a vehicle is found to be excessively emitting , a fine may be levied and or the vehicle may be impounded.Repeat offenders may also be prosecuted and may face imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months.

According to Kangata, the control of emissions has come in the wake of the rising concerns about the impacts of global warming and climate change.He adds that vehicular emissions have remained prevalent for a long time now as a major source of pollution in Zimbabwe.

He says that this has seen countries with tight enforcement of these emissions dumping used vehicles on Zimbabwe’s markets and increasing the levels of air pollution.”The EMA is now out in full force to make sure that vehicular emissions are reduced,” says Kangata.

He further says that air pollution through vehicular and industrial emissions must be reduced whilst the burning of worn out tyres to recover wire for mesh wire production should stop forthwith.He adds that the activity is prevalent in the Sunningdale and Willowvale areas where thick clouds of heavy smoke from the burning tyres is a common sight.

“Every citizen has a responsibility to act in a manner that protects the environment for the benefit of the present and future generations.It can thus be appreciated that the maintenance of one’s vehicle may not only result in personal savings in terms of fuel but may also have a positive impact on the environment.It is in this regard that every Zimbabwean has a role to play in the sustainable management of our environment,” Kangata says.

WATER SYMPOSIUM IN ZIMBABWE

By Wallace  Mawire  Harare

Zimbabwe will on 27 to 29 October 2010 host the 11the regional water symposium in Victoria Falls to promote interaction among

policymakers,academics,practitioners from water and related sectors including key cooperating partners.

The symposia have been held annually by Waternet,Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARSA) and Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA) in the Eastern and Southern Africa region for the past ten years. The 11the symposium is being held in association with the International Commission on Water Resources Systems to identify regional issues,gaps and priorities that require further research and support. Great emphasis will be placed on integration of knowledge,particularly involving scholars from the natural,medical and social sciences.

The Institute of Water and Sanitation Development (IWSD) is the lead host of the planned symposium and is working with a local organising committee of stakeholders drawn from the water sector in preparation for the regional event.

The symposium is being held under the theme:Integrated water resource management (IWRM) for national and regional integration:where science,policy and practice meet. According to a statement released by the secretariat to the local organising committe of the 11th symposium at IWSD, progress in developing and implementing water resources management and water efficiency plans have so far been varied across countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Countries like South Africa,Kenya,Uganda,Zimbabwe,Mozambique,Malawi,Zambia and Swaziland to name a few have all had some water reforms aimed at addressing water resource management.

The lessons are valuable to share according to the symposium organisers.The secretariat says that the way that regional governments helped to resolve the 2008-2009 cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe shows the power that regional integration can provide. Presentations at the symposium will focus on addressing sustainable water supply and sanitation and linkages to public health livelihoods and climate change.Subthemes of the symposium will include:hydrology,water and environment,water and land,water and society,water supply and sanitation including water resources management. The symposium is being held at a time when the overall leadership and coordination of the WASH sector in Zimbabwe is currently weak and the institutional arrangements are fragmented,unclear and unnecessarily complex, according to a report released by the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Management as major outcomes of the Ministers of Water and Sanitation retreat held at Nyanga in February this year.

The report says that roles and responsibilities and coordination mechanisms for the urban water and sanitation sub-sector are not

clear.Currently there are six government agencies playing key roles in the WASH sector namely Ministry of Water Resource Management and Development,Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA),Ministry of Transport,Communications and Infrastructural Development,District Development Fund,Ministry of Local Government,Rural and Urban Development and the Minstry of Health and Child Welfare. “There is no clearly designated lead ministry for the sector with various ministries claiming to lead the sector.The national coordination mechanism for the rural sub-sector has become weak and currently operates at too low a level in the civil service.Roles and responsibilties,leadership and coordination mechanisms are not clear.The Ministers and Permanent Secretaries of the responsible ministries agreed to jointly address these issues,” the Nyanga report says.

Community Health Clubs

By Wallace Mawire  ,Harare A Community Health Clubs (CHC) initiative which is being implemented by Zimbabwe Ahead, a non-profit health and development organisation in the country’s urban and rural set-ups is helping to impart much needed awareness and education on sanitation issues to communities who have just recently emerged from a 2008-2009 devastating cholera epidemic.

The 2008 – 2009 Zimbabwean cholera outbreak is an ongoing cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe that began in August 2008, swept across the country and spread to Botswana,Mozambique,South Africa and Zambia. By 10 January 2010 there had been 98,741 reported cases and 4,293 deaths making it the deadliest African cholera outbreak in the last 15 years.(I suggest you use statistics as of June 2009, when the Zimbabwe government officially declared the end of the outbreak). The Zimbabwean government declared the outbreak a national emergency and requested international aid.

According to Regis Matimati, Programme Manager for Zimbabwe Ahead, Community Health Clubs are the way to go in public health interventions as they are about investing in social capital and consequently communities take responsibility over their own health as the concept empowers and capacitates them into health seeking mode.

Matimati says that Zimbabwe Ahead started operations in Zimbabwe in 1994 in Makoni district piloting the methodology of using community health clubs to empower communities with knowledge and awareness covering water, sanitation and health issues. The organization has since gone regional forming, Africa-Ahead based in South Africa.

A community health club is usually constituted by 75 to 100 people and membership is on a voluntary basis and not compulsory. In Zimbabwe, the clubs, according to Matimati are helping to incalculate community common-unity, realising social capital, ownership and responsibility over community development. Matimati says that they encourage community self reliance and self supply particularly around water and sanitation infrastructure.

Successful initiatives are being implemented at Chiredzi rural district council wards 11, 19, 20 and 29. Matimati says that 246 self supply toilets have been constructed by the local community after 3 months of community health clubs participatory health and hygiene education training.

Matimati says that communities need to realise that their health is their responsibility. They can and should do something about it themselves other than waiting for central or local authorities to clean up after them. He adds that a visit to the cemetery has never shown a tombstone written RIP-City Council or government. He says that it is the people who die so complaining, demanding and paying for a service does not take away the need to re-look at the services and do a bit more about it when things are not running normally or people die complaining.

Matimati says that in Makoni district, Manicaland club communities regroup and galvanise efforts in the face of a health or other developmental threat, self reliance resulting in high water, sanitation and health coverage.

He says that in Mutare city as old as many urban communities in Zimbabwe in Sakubva communities warded cholera through the involvement of 37 community health clubs. This involved massive clean ups that spread to non-club areas as the other residents organised themselves emulating the club location to clean up.

The local city council in Mutare is reported to have been relieved as money was not enough for effective waste management and it took the time to recapitalise on waste management.

According to Matimati, community health clubs are community driven, owned and sustained. They need training of community based and school based facilitators who steer the programme. They need community management committees and training for sustainability. They also involve very low cost tool kits and picture codes for training session delivery as well as a membership card for structured participation.

Asked on the humanitarian impact of community health clubs, Matimati said: “They have un-paralled community capacity building and provide home grown solutions to local challenges as people constructively dialogue over issues.”

Their emphasis is on local social capital and timely interventions due to high community organisational levels. They are also reported to have an increased sense of social responsibility as community assesses, identifies and prioritises own social issues for correction.

Zimbabwe Ahead also notes that community health clubs are the entry point to sustainable water and sanitation development by the people, with the people for the people. Matimati notes that they involve very little investment results in a very big impact and ownership and responsibility. He adds that knowledge is power and spurs people to act for common good.

The cost of initiating community health clubs is calculated at US$2 per beneficiary per annum and the project has a critical path of 8 months, according to Matimati. The concept has been successfully implemented in South Africa’s Kwazulu Natal province, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Sierra-Leonne.

Federation of African Journalists, FAJ, Congress

By Wallace Mawire Harare  : All is set for the Second Federation of African Journalists, FAJ, Congress to be held on March 27 and 28, 2010 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Journalism trade unions and associations from Africa are expected to start arriving in Zimbabwe this week for the Second Congress. Senior officials from the inclusive government will play key roles, including officiating or attending some of the sessions of the two day congress hosted by The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, according to ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi. Delegates have been drawn from the African continent’s sub regional groups of Southern Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa and North Africa.

The President of the International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, Jim Boumelha and the General Secretary, Aidan White have confirmed their participation at the congress as have some sister trade unions from other parts of the world.

Some of the key figures at the Second Federation of African Journalists, FAJ, congress will include Madam Habiba Mejri- Cheikh from the African Union, AU,Madam Pansy Tlakula, the African Commission’s Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and representatives from UNESCO.

FAJ’s observer status within the African Union is being finalised at the continental body’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Representatives from the diplomatic and donor communities, together with Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression and media advocacy partners will be in attendance. The inaugural FAJ congress was held in Nairobi, Kenya, 2008 and was officially opened by Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The body was formed after extensive consultations among African journalists on the need to form a Pan African continental federation for trade unions and associations for journalists.

Under the International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, family, other regions have continental federations for their unions and associations. Consultations were held in Moscow, Russia, Morrocco’s Rabat and Abuja in Nigeria with the last meeting agreeing on the formation of FAJ. The Harare congress will be running under the theme: Beyond 2010: Shaping Our Future- Stronger Unions, Decent Work and Quality Journalism in Africa.

Panel discussions will cover, ethical journalism, media accountability and climate change, Press Freedom and Media Development, safety for journalists, Gender Mainstreaming and equity in unions and media organisations.

Union organising and fighting for better working conditions for journalists in Africa will also be discussed.

The FAJ congress is being held ahead of the International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, congress which will be held in May, Spain.

Climat Change

BY Wallace  Mawire Harare : The British Council in Zimbabwe has initiated a climate change challenge for school children to increase their understanding and awareness of climate change issues. According to the British Council, the challenge is targeting school children between 12 and 18 years and they have to submit a short essay on what climate change means to them.Winners of the challenge will be presented with prizes which include text books and I-Pods.

The challenge is also meant to lead to consensus building about climate actions and solutions.The council notes that climate change is the biggest challenge currently facing mankind and its impact will affect all, but inevitably some more than others. It also notes that unless emissions of greenhouse gases are limited within the next decade or so, the economic and social impacts will escalate with catastrophic outcomes.