There were 140 violations of the right to freedom of expression, association or movement in Zimbabwe during the month of June. The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum also recorded 15 cases of torture and 12 of unlawful detention. For the period January-June 2004, the Forum has recorded 417 freedom of expression violations, 389 cases of political discrimination, 232 of assault and 148 of torture. Visit the website provided to access reports from the Forum.

The Supreme Council of the Izala sect, a Muslim organisation founded by Sheikh Ismaila Idris, has approved the establishment of an Islamic University and the school of Nursing and Midwifery in the Bauchi, Bauchi State.

The Angolan ruling party’s infant wing (OPA) and the Ministry of Education (MED) are going to design a ten-point code of conduct to be distributed to all of the primary and secondary schools in Angola. According to OPA, this code of conduct is aimed to enhance Angolan children’s sentiment of love for the motherland and to rescue socio-cultural values to preserve national identity.

According to a speech made by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Kiraitu Murungi, the quality of legal education has declined due to overcrowded schools. In order to deal with this problem, the government must invest in the current law schools by reducing the number of students, approving law examiners, and elevating the school standards.

There will be large celebrations this weekend in the Tigerkloof community, near Vryburg in the North West, as it will mark the 100-year anniversary of the Tigerkloof Educational Institution, as well as the return of land to its rightful owners.

Since Ghana received independence in 1957, student revolutionary movements have made significant changes within Ghanaian political, social and economic spheres. Separate interviews with the former and current presidents of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) show how difficult it has become for NUGS to take independent stances on important issues when everything has become politically divided.

There are some places still available at the writers workshop called "Living to tell the Tale", to be held over the long weekend in September in a small town in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains on the Lesotho Border. The question to be work-shopped is, "Does life invent our stories, or are our stories invented on paper?"

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders) will be hosting their annual African Student Conference on October 2nd 2004, atThe Hague in The Netherlands. Designed for African students studying in the Netherlands, African Youth Diaspora and Dutch students interested in Africa, the theme this year is Youth Building Peace in Africa: Inclusion, Empowerment, Action.

The 2004 AFRICA'S BRAIN GAIN Nairobi Conference: "Facilitating Return of Talents to Africa through Project Collaboration", a conference for the Diaspora, Universities, Governments, NGOs, Development Partners, and the Private Sector to be held at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya, 19th - 22nd December 2004.

The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) and Open Knowledge Network (OKN) invites applications for the Yeomans Award for local content. Four Awards of US$2500 each will be made under the Yeomans Award in 2004. The decision on the winners of the Award will be made by an international panel of judges.

In Nigeria where abortion is illegal and the criminal code strictly prohibits any form of procurement of abortion except in saving the life of a woman, there are indications that induced abortion is still widely practiced. The absence of legal backing to willingly support any woman's desire to undergo abortion without being punished or victimized by society, has, to a great extent, contributed to the continuation of unsafe abortion with the resultant increase in maternal mortality.

Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olu Adeniji has said that due to the current trend in the implementation of poverty and employment programmes, Africa may not achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal to eradicate poverty, fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and reduce illiteracy. When looking at the current level of development in relation to socio-economic plans, the disparity between developed countries and underdeveloped countries is likely to experience a further increase.

The San people of Southern Africa have requested regional authorities to help to develop and promote their languages through the implementation of multi-lingual educational programs which places an emphasis on San languages and the other mother tongues. After a three-day workshop in Windhoek, Namibia on reclaiming San languages in school, San from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa requested their governments to make efforts towards this goal.

International Literacy Day is celebrated each year on 8 September. The aim: to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. The theme of this year's celebration is Literacy and Gender. Today almost one in every seven people is illiterate, and out of a total of 860 million illiterate adults more than 500 million are women. Visit Unesco's website for more information.

Opportunity for a pro-active innovator who is passionately committed to social development. The purpose of this low-profile philanthropic foundation is to enrich lives within communities through supporting those who provide resources, services and related research that meet practical human needs and shift the quality of relationships between people.

Stand Up For Africa (SUFA) is a UK-based African-led organisation dedicated to work towards the eradication of poverty and suffering in Africa. SUFA’s current area of focus is in the Child Slave Trade (a desperate measure, born out of poverty) in various parts of Africa. The Charity was set up in August 2003. Please find out more about SUFA at www.standupforafrica.org.uk.

The Nederlands Institute for Southern Africa (NiZA) is planning an assessment of human rights defender activities in Southern Africa. Consultants are required who are familiar with this work in the region, and extensive experience with analysis and assessments with human rights organisations in Zimbabwe, Angola or South Africa. The assessment is planned to be implemented over three weeks, and to begin at the end of September.

The IREX Small Grants Fund supports civil society organisations, education professionals, media, and journalists in the Middle East and North Africa. Grants will be awarded to individuals and institutions to promote the engagement of civil society in public life, the professionalism and independence of the media, and the professional development of education, media, and civil society professionals.

South Africa's largest teachers' union welcomed a decision by Commonwealth countries last Thursday to clamp down on the poaching of educators from developing countries. Education ministers of 23 Commonwealth states agreed to a series of measures that will guide the process of international teacher recruitment. The Commonwealth protocol does not ban recruitment from developing countries altogether, but is intended to end the organised targeting of poorer countries by wealthier ones seeking teaching staff.

Mr. Methaetsile Leepile was awarded the prestigious MISA Press Freedom Award for 2004 for his involvement in the establishment of the first vernacular Setswana newspaper in Botswana. His achievement was celebrated for its contribution to the promotion of indigenous language systems in the media in the sub region. At the same time, MISA paid tribute to Mr. Leepile's illustrious career in media development in the region - a career which spans over more than 20 years.