Amnesty International’s (AI) Combating torture: a manual for action is a comprehensive reference guide for advocates working to prevent and end torture. It begins with an overview of the principal achievements and emerging framework for action against torture since World War II. In-depth case studies of efforts against torture and ill treatment in the Israeli Occupied Territories, Peru, United States, Austria and South Africa provide concrete examples of the challenges and opportunities human rights defenders face. The manual contains a detailed chapter on evolving international legal standards and initiatives to prevent and end torture. Another chapter examines national legislation to prohibit torture and bring perpetrators to account, while the work of international tribunals in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia is also covered. Useful sections on torture and ill treatment in institutions such as prisons, schools and mental institutions, as well as in situations of armed conflict highlight the many circumstances in which these abuses should be prevented.

The donor’s focus is children affected by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The donor believes that grassroots programs arising in direct response to real needs within the local community are often the most effective. Firelight supports this vital work with initial one-year grants and re-grants based on funding needs and opportunities for shared learning. Because the donor has limited funds, they support organisations that raise resources from within their local community.

The Civil Society Budget Initiative (CSBI) is a small grant making project that aims to promote civil society budget work in low-income countries. To this end, CSBI will provide financial and technical support to 10 organisations for a two-year period. The Initiative is led by a steering committee of civil society groups working on public budgets and is coordinated by the IBP.

Aang Serian, which means "House of Peace" in the Kiarusha language, is a non-profit cultural organisation founded by a group of Tanzanian youth in Arusha town. Their purpose is to promote and protect indigenous knowledge. Aang Serian focuses on education in an effort to raise the self-esteem of young people, to empower them to work together for a peaceful future, and to promote environmentally and socially sustainable development. A key undertaking has been the establishment of a community college.

More than 25 percent of individuals worldwide now live a lifestyle once limited to rich nations, according to Worldwatch Institute. Rising consumption has helped more of the world meet basic needs, the U.S. research group says, but this growing consumer class is gobbling the world's resources at an unsustainable rate and is putting added pressure on humanity's poorest individuals.

The Commonwealth Association of NGOs (CANGO) has announced their forth coming conference billed for Johannesburg 2004. CANGO is a civil society initiative geared towards uniting NGOs in the 54 Commonwealth Countries for peace, development and human progress. Details about CANGO and the CANGO Social Platform 2004 billed for Johannesburg South Africa are available online at the website provided.

Merlin has been in Sierra Leone since 1996. Throughout the most severe parts of the civil conflict, Merlin continued to deliver uninterrupted emergency health and nutrition services to the most vulnerable populations in Kenema and in Freetown. At the height of the emergency phase Merlin was employing in excess of 400 health staff and dealing with a beneficiary population of 1.5 million people. The conflict in Sierra Leone is now officially over, with the country disarmed and under the control of the UN. Merlin currently has programmes in Kenema District, Kono District, Bo District and Tonkolili District.

If you are looking for an opportunity to use your communications and IT skills within an Africa/international development environment, we are committed to helping you to gain experience and to develop a role that will assist your own career path. Interims for Development is a London-based organisation that matches professionals who volunteer their skills through projects, Human Resources strategic assistance and in-house training to companies, organisations and projects based in Africa.

The Regional Coordinator will have overall responsibility to implement the Coalition's campaign on the continent. Under the supervision of the CICC Program Director and Regional Program Director he/she will work in collaboration with the CICC Outreach Liaisons for Africa to advance the Coalition's campaign goals of ensuring universal ratification, effective domestic legislation, international support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), stronger ICC networks, and support for the integrity of the Rome Statute.

In November 2003, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), in partnership with the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) and the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), held a conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to discuss the democratic movements of the past ten years as well as the future of democracy in the Southern Africa region. Discussion topics range from the fragility of democracies in places like Lesotho and Zambia to the challenges of dominant party rule in the countries of South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. The conference served as a forum to evaluate lessons learned from the liberation movements and the democratization process that has swept over the region in recent years. Participants also shared ideas on civil society strengthening, conflict resolution, and multi-lateral partnerships.

The sustainable future of southern African nations was a key issue at the symposium held from 15 to 17 September in Windhoek, Namibia. The symposium's papers are now available for download from the URL provided. Civil society activists, church groups, academics, and policy-makers gathered at the 'Futures for Southern Africa' conference to assess the status of the region and analyse developments after almost 10 years of post-apartheid rule. "We hoped to promote greater inter-regional understanding, strengthen southern African and North-South civil society and non-governmental organisation links and activities, and ensure that policy is directed at understanding and responding to the major challenges in this region," said the organisers.

As Kenya enters 2004, it appears likely that the country's education system will come under increased scrutiny. Many teachers want the current syllabus to be overhauled, saying it places undue pressure on staff and children alike. At present, students undergo eight years of primary education, four years in secondary school and an additional four years at university. This constitutes the so-called ”8-4-4” system, which has been in place for nearly 15 years.

A nationwide campaign to vaccinate 750,000 children against measles in The Gambia has been a resounding success, health officials said on Wednesday. "We are very glad with the response we got. We are still compiling the figures, but at least 90 percent of our target was attained," Robert Nimson, deputy manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), told IRIN.

Zimbabwe's only private newspaper, shut down at home by President Robert Mugabe's government, issued a defiant one-off edition in the Nigerian capital Abuja for the opening of the Commonwealth summit. You can read the full edition by visiting the page: http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID=8164

Children in Zimbabwe are to become the latest victims of President Robert Mugabe's destruction of the economy, with fees at state schools about to go up at least 10 times. When the new school year begins next month many families will be faced with paying nearly half their income to send just one child to school.

The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) has allowed its branches to negotiate with their university councils over a pay stand-off but insisted only national officials would call off the strike. The union said the strike - now in its second month - could only be called off after members were satisfied over "new salaries the Government will offer".

Only about seven per cent of Grade 6 pupils in Namibia's schools are literate, according to a newly released United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) report on girls' education and development in Namibia. The goal of providing education for all in Namibia has not yet been achieved, the report states. Despite sizeable investment by Government and its partners, Unicef found the quality of Namibian education to be low.

A legion of volunteer community activists in Swaziland are identifying orphans and vulnerable children - many of them affected by AIDS - and seeing to their nutritional, medical, educational and psychological needs. "The community worker is called 'lihlombe lekukhalela', which means 'shoulder to cry on'. They are the person who children know they can go to for assistance.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that Zimbabwe's humanitarian and economic crises could dramatically reverse its impressive post-independence education gains. To mark the launch this week of the global report, "State of the World's Children", UNICEF Zimbabwe on Friday called for urgent attention to be paid to keeping children, especially girl children, in school.

Almost half a million children in Ethiopia are dying each year from easily preventable diseases, international health officials revealed on Tuesday. Ethiopia has the sixth largest number of children dying annually – with only India, Nigeria, China, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo faring worse.