About five million South Africans live in the 1066 informal settlements spread across the country. Answering a question in Parliament, Housing Minister Bridgitte Mabandla said 1,376,706 households reside in the settlements. The highest concentration of informal settlements was found in Gauteng which has 181 settlements containing 448,393 households.

The main purpose of this position is to manage GOAL's programme activities in Abyei County, Bahr El Ghazal (BEG) Region. The project activities include Primary Health Care (PHC) and nutrition but the programme is entering a period of expansion where additional medical and non-medical programme activities will become part of the role.

Save the Children UK is looking for an experienced, innovative and supportive person to play a key role in our Angolan programme. As Deputy Programme Director you will be responsible for supporting the management and development of the health and social welfare and policy development programmes; human resources and logistics.

The Chris Hani Institute (CHI) is looking for a Project Coordinator to be based at its Head Office in Johannesburg. The CHI is an independent NGO set up through a joint initiative of COSATU and the SACP. The CHI was launched on 15 April 2003 as part of the Chris Hani 10th Anniversary Commemorations.

This article discusses the commonly stated belief that teachers in Africa are among the groups most affected by HIV/AIDS and that their death rate is disproportionately high compared with the populations as a whole. Reasons given for this include the relative youth of teachers and the high number of women in the profession, since young people and women show higher prevalence as groups than others.

PATH Kenya (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is seeking to fill a Program Officer position to fill a minimum of a one-year position based in Asmara, Eritrea with 30% travel within Eritrea. The Program Officer will be involved in a variety of HIV and AIDS interventions and responsible for the development of a range of communication media including interpersonal, print, mass and folk media.

Last week's report by the global corruption watchdog Transparency International, in which most African countries feature in the bottom half of the table, has generated widespread comment across the continent. The publication of the report coincided, poignantly, with the opening in Nigeria of an unprecedented public hearing into corruption allegations against two senators launched by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nasir el-Rufai.

UNICEF and World Health Organisation representatives in Uganda have asked the government and rebel groups to observe an eight-day ceasefire, beginning Tuesday, to allow more than 50,000 vaccinators to immunize children against measles. "No cause and no conflict can be greater or more urgent than the cause of protecting all the children of Uganda from this deadly disease," the representatives said in a statement.

Three broad facts about education have emerged from recent research. Firstly, almost universally education is found to lift people out of poverty. Secondly, when a comparison is made between investing in education and other forms of investment, the returns from investing in education are on average lower. Thirdly, the returns to education - in the sense of the increment in income that accrues to each year of education - are much higher for those with higher levels of education. What factors influence these trends?

What are the links between HIV, poverty, education and gender inequality? How have structural adjustment and cost-sharing affected vulnerable children in Tanzania? Are policy-makers able to address the serious inequalities and vulnerabilities faced by the growing number of children working the country's streets?

This budget brief from the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) assesses the extent to which the 2003 South African Budget addresses widespread child poverty and the delivery of children's socio-economic rights. The brief concludes that while Budget 2003 may have moved a small step in the 'right' direction, the national treasury, along with other government departments, could have done and should have done more for poor children.

The revised draft of the Children's Bill did not adequately address the huge impact the HIV/AIDS crisis was having on the social welfare system for children, civic society organisations said this week.

Corruption is worsening in Ethiopia and the levels are higher than in previous years, according to the anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI). Ethiopia was listed joint 92 on an index of 133 countries, scoring 2.5 on a scale of 10. TI, which is based in Germany, said a lack of coherent rules and regulations, red tape and poorly trained staff were contributing to corruption.

The Federal Government reacted to Tuesday’s classification of Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in the world by Transparency International (TI), saying it was nothing to worry about. Chairman of TI, Mr. Peter Eigen, also speaking on the classification, said it might take generations before corruption could be rooted out in Nigeria.

During the 1990s more than half a million Kenyans were internally displaced because of violence along inter-ethnic lines largely instigated by the ruling KANU (Kenya African National Union) in response to the introduction of multi-party democracy. The new government, which is a coalition of former opposition parties, has embarked on an ambitious programme to eliminate corruption and enhance peace and reconciliation efforts. Despite the change in the political climate, few of the reported 350,000 internally displaced people returned to their original homes during 2003, according to the Global IDP Project.

The main trade union in Nigeria has suspended plans for a general strike on Thursday originally called to protest at a sharp increase in the cost of fuel. A statement by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) said they had decided to call off the stoppage after oil marketing companies agreed to revert to the previous oil prices.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has condemned the recent expulsion of the correspondent of The Monitor newspaper from the Presidential Villa. Cyril Mbah was banished from Aso Rock over a commentary which was critical of President Olusegun Obasanjo's style of administration.

Public goods or services (supply and access to water, electricity, land, education, health care etc.) and their availability, financing, ownership and management are contested issues in almost all countries in the world. In the contemporary global neo-liberal context, privatising of what was once public services is seen and ideologically justified as the 'only way'. In recognising the impacts of different policies, politics and ideologies on public services, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation together with its partners, is with this Conference staging a forum for discussion, debating, exchanging of views and experiences.

Reporting to the Southern Africa Programme Manager (SAPM), the Zimbabwe Liaison Officer (ZLO) will work to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of CIIR / ICD's programme in Zimbabwe. The postholder will be supporting CIIR / ICD's skillshare and advocacy work in the country. She/he will also be expected to help the SAPM to maintain a broader perspective of the Southern Africa Region. The ZLO will provide supervision and support to CIIR / ICDs Development Workers (DWs) and maintain and build key partnerships with local partner organisations in response to CIIR / ICD's HIV & AIDS and disability strategies for Zimbabwe.

Fahamu (http://www.fahamu.org) is looking for a volunteer to work on
Pambazuka News (http://www.pambazuka.org), our electronic newsletter on
social justice in Africa that is distributed weekly to more than 10,000
subscribers.
We are looking for applicants who have:
- 2-3 hours access to the internet per week;
- A keen interest and knowledge of Africa;
- The ability to write clearly and accurately;
- The ability to comply with strict deadlines;
- The ability to work independently;
- A knowledge and interest of two or more of the following areas would be an advantage: Refugees and Forced Migration; Racism and Xenophobia; Media; Internet and Technology; and Fundraising.
The volunteer will be required to use the internet to research information relating to these subject categories for inclusion in Pambazuka News. Information and guidelines will be provided. Because the newsletter has to keep within strict deadlines, we are looking for someone who will make a clear commitment of 2-3 hours per week. Work will need to be completed each week before Wednesday evening. Applicants may be located anywhere in the world, but preference will be
given to those in Africa. Please send CV and a brief covering letter to [email][email protected]