A new document produced by Mkombozi serves as a manual for educators delivering Non-Formal Education (NFE) in Tanzania. Mkombozi is a child-focussed agency based in the north of the country. The authors argue that the Mkombozi NFE principles and practice would be applicable in a schools based context and would be of value to the Tanzanian education system.

In responding to nationwide demonstrations, Guinean security forces murdered, assaulted, and robbed the citizens they are entrusted to protect, Human Rights Watch has said in a new report. The new government must take concrete measures to hold those responsible to account.

ILRI seeks to recruit a Project Leader to lead its multi-disciplinary project on Livestock Systems Evolution within Targeting Research & Developing Opportunities Theme. This research area examines socio-economic and natural resource drivers of livestock system evolution as a basis for setting priorities and targeting livestock-based interventions to alleviate poverty while protecting the environment. The application deadline is 11th May 2007.

PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is an internationally recognized non-profit NGO involved in the development, implementation and transfer of health technologies. PATH seeks to recruit a mature, proactive and self motivated person to fill the Office Operations Manager position for the APHIA II Western project in Kakamega, western Kenya. Deadline for applications is 30 April 2007.

CARE Kenya is looking for an ideal candidate to fill the position of Programme Coordinator for its North Eastern Province Programme (NEP-P) based in Dadaab, Garissa District. Application deadline: 27th April 2007.

Merlin IEC seeks to recruit a field officer who will design and organise IEC/BCC materials including newsletter publication. S/he will also be responsible for Merlin IEC material stock in addition to supporting IEC campaigns in the field, focusing on malaria. Closing date: 20th April 2007.

More strikes among primary and secondary school teachers have been met with violent protests in Niamey by their disgruntled students, and as separate protests erupt on university campuses, some observers are warning that the whole academic year is in jeopardy. Basic education, which is only provided to 30 percent of Nigerien children, is widely viewed as one of the main pillars to reducing mortality in the desperately poor country.

The Strike action in Senegal is the last resort for teachers in trying to persuade the government to return to dialogue. The strike is part of planned action consisting of three 72-hour strikes over a period of three weeks, between 11-26 April. The unions were forced to take the industrial action after the government failed to respond to their claim for increased housing and research allowances.

Africa is taking steps to strengthen cooperation in energy initiatives as generation capacity fails to keep pace with demand and unstable international oil prices cause havoc to economies. In many countries on the continent, energy programmes have been in the hands of foreigners. Until recently, for example, the management structure of the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique was controlled by former colonial power, Portugal.

Pambazuka News is 300 issues old today. Starting life in December 2000 as a service to a limited group of human rights organisations in eastern and southern Africa, the weekly newsletter has grown into an important platform for analysis, discussion, debate, and information about the struggle for social justice in Africa with an estimated readership in the region of 500,000.

Pambazuka News grew out of the recognition for the need to nurture the re-emergence of a progressive pan-African movement. We wanted to break the isolation that was apparent, whereby those in one country knew little of what was happening elsewhere on the continent. We wanted to find a way of linking struggles across national boundaries, and between different sectors. We wanted to challenge Northern constructs of division between civil and political rights on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights on the other. We wanted to provide a platform for those whose views rarely get aired in the mainstream media.

And we wanted to challenge parochial visions of what ‘Africa’ means: break with divisive Northern constructs of ‘sub-Saharan Africa’ that attempt to disarticulate the history and heritage of most of North Africa from being a part of our own history.

Africa cannot be adequately defined merely geographically: it must be understood in terms of the history of its struggles. That history has involved the dispersal of its people into a diaspora, as a result of forced and voluntary migrations, and the absorption of peoples from other continents into a rich web of struggles. A definition of Africa based on the history of the struggles of its people is an embracing not an exclusionist history.

Above all, our ambition was to catch history on its wings. To enable people across the continent to be inspired by the spirit and work of other Africans who are influencing, making and changing history. We wanted to establish a platform that reflected the aspirations of the many who believe that a better world is possible. By engaging with one another, we wanted to build an alternative to the dominant, destructive, get-rich-quick, beggar-thy-neighbour ideologies that predominate today. We had to avoid dogmatism and sectarianism that has so seriously undermined our movements in the past, and instead encourage constructive debate and enable diverse viewpoints to be expressed.

Central to the strategy for developing Pambazuka News was the need to move beyond commentary and analysis. We wanted to put Pambazuka News at the service of movements for social change; as a tool in the armory of the movements for social justice, to be used by them as part of their day-to-day work.

How far have we achieved these lofty ambitions? I think we have made some progress. We believe we have contributed in a small way to the emergence of a progressive pan-African movement. Much remains to be done. Our connections with social movements and with the trade union movement could be stronger. We still only publish in two imperial languages – English and French, and not yet in any African languages.

As an electronic publication, we reach but a tiny minority - and only those with access to email or the web. If we are to extend our reach to those who are increasingly disenfranchised in today’s technologically driven world, I believe that we need consider making Pambazuka News available in printed format, perhaps in the form of a newspaper available on the streets. To make that happen will take time and resources.

Over the last year, we have published more than 300 articles from African intellectuals, activists, academics, writers, thinkers and movements across the continent. Some of these have been compiled into special issues and books. Our French-language edition, produced from Senegal, was launched in January 2006. In September, we began producing audiovisual materials (‘podcasts’), making the voices of those in the frontline of struggles heard across the continent.

Pambazuka News continues to be used by social movements and coalitions, such as the Solidarity for African Women's Rights coalition on the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, as a vehicle for campaigns. Pambazuka News has nurtured the establishment of the African Union monitor initiative which aims to strengthen the ability of CSOs to engage constructively with the AU in the interests of promoting justice, equity and accountability.

All of this has been done with few resources. While there are many individuals involved in the production of Pambazuka News, it is - believe it or not - produced by the equivalent of about three full-time staff only.

But if Pambazuka News is considered a ‘success’ - whatever that means, it is because of you - our readers and contributors. It is you who have kept us going through your generosity in submitting articles, letters, commentaries and information. A few of you have even been able to give us a little bit of cash! It is you who have let others know about our work. You, who have enabled us to show fidelity in the struggle for a better world.

So, thank you, readers and contributors alike. Come, celebrate with us this 300th birthday.

If you would like to send a message on our 300th birthday, please send it to We hope to publish a selection of such messages next week.

* Firoze Manji is Editor, Pambazuka News and Director of Fahamu

* Please send comments to

The Grantsmanship Center was founded in 1972 by Norton J. Kiritz to offer grantsmanship training to nonprofit and government agencies. If continues to produce training materials, and provides an overview of Grantmaking Foundations and Corporate Giving Programs according to geographical region.

CHF International's mission is to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and moderate-income communities around the world, helping them to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.CHF seeks a program director to oversee the management of Somalia program by supervising the technical and administrative staff in both Somalia and Kenya.

RED-Ris an International Federation of regional offices which co-operate to achieve a shared vision. The role of this post is to provide support to the RedR-IHE programme in Sudan as regards the training activities in Darfur and Khartoum, Sudan as required by and agreed with the Country Director. The post is further to build the capacity of national Trainers and Field Assistants. The Deadline for application is Monday 23 April 2007 and the start date would be 1 May 2007.

The organisers of "eLearning Africa" 2007 have now released the programme for the second annual conference on ICT for development, education and training. The event will take place from May 28 to 30 in the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Ensuring Justice for Vulnerable Communities in Kenya" is a new report published by the Open Society Institute Law & Health Initiative and East Africa Initiative. Based on interviews with representatives of nongovernmental organizations, health providers, people living with HIV/AIDS, legal advocates, government officials, and international donors in Kenya, the report assesses the status of HIV-related legal services in the country.

Ishmael Reed Publishing Co. is looking for new short stories, preferably not published elsewhere, by Kenyan authors for publication in January 2008. Please send your short story, accompanied by a short author biography, to the editor, Mukoma Wa Ngugi, at [email][email protected] with the subject heading, Kenya - new short fiction. The submission deadline is 15 July 2007.

The Tunisian government has failed to make progress in improving free expression conditions over the past year, even further stifling dissidents, the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) has found in its fourth major report.

Chippy Ncube, aged 6, jubilantly hurried home as soon as she received her school report. She could not hide her excitement at being the top student in her grade one class when schools closed for the holidays recently in Zimbabwe. Such an achievement can only be attained with great effort in a country where the education system is under severe strain.

We are sad to bring you news about the impending departure of Patrick Burnett from Pambazuka News and Fahamu.

Patrick joined Fahamu in 2002 as a part-time research assistant for Pambazuka News. The impact of his presence on the Pambazuka News team was felt immediately. The quality of news and information appearing in what was to become later the Links and Resources section changed radically. Pambazuka News began providing a space to many of those who were engaged in social justice struggles in Africa whose voices were rarely heard.

A broader range of editorials and essays from activists and analysts began to appear in Pambazuka News as a result of Patrick’s work. And at the same time, he helped to manage a sister newsletter, Equinet News.

In January 2004, Patrick was appointed News and Information coordinator and took on primary responsibility for expanding Pambazuka News and involving a team of volunteers across the continent. The structure and quality of Pambazuka News began to develop in ways that we had hardly foreseen, matched by the steady and rapid growth in the number of subscribers and contributors.

A year later, in 2005, Patrick became the Online News Editor of Pambazuka News. Under his leadership, Pambazuka News was to win a range of international awards as the newsletter gained recognition as the principal forum for analysis, debate, discussion and information about the struggles for social justice in Africa.

There is little doubt that we owe much of the success of Pambazuka News to Patrick. Few people realise how much hard work is done by so few people to produce Pambazuka News. Gathering information across the continent, commissioning and reviewing articles, chasing recalcitrant authors to keep their promises, writing articles, undertaking research on multiple and complex issues - these are just some of the tasks that are involved. Combine that with the tyranny of the weekly deadlines, it is surprising that anyone is able to keep going.

Patrick has wanted, for some time now, to move on and develop his own work in journalism. He has been amazingly generous in agreeing to postpone his departure by several months pending our appointment of an online news editor and a researcher for the Links and Resources section of Pambazuka News. With these tasks completed, Patrick will be leaving on April 20, once the 300th issue of Pambazuka News has been put to bed. That we have reached this age is a testimony to Patrick's contributions.

As we celebrate the birthday of our 300th issue next week, please join us also in celebrating Patrick’s contribution to Pambazuka News. Patrick – thank you for all you have done. Go well. And keep in touch.

Firoze Manji
Editor Pambazuka News

CHILD TRAFFICKING - ECPAT UK (Child protection agency) is recruiting four positions as part of an expanding programme on safeguarding child victims of trafficking. All positions are based in central London. All successful applicants will be required to have a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure (police check).
1) PROGRAMME CO-ORDINATOR – TRAINER (Full Time); 2)TRAINER – COMMUNITY (0.6 Part Time)3) CAMPAIGNS OFFICER (Full Time)4)SENIOR OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR (Full Time) Applications packs will be available online from 16th April at: For further information contact: [email][email protected]