African Women of Distinction Program is seeking 10-15 Program Interns living in Africa, and 5 Interns living in the US (preference for New York, San Francisco, and Seattle areas). This internship is a great opportunity for young men and women or other professionals with development experience. The AWOD has immediate 6-month internships available starting September 2006. The internship requires a minimum of 8 hours per week commitment. Much of the work can be completed at home and on weekends.

The many years of work to build the African Socialist International has been a process to forward that legacy. This 7th Conference to Build the African Socialist International (ASI) in October opens the way to the ASI founding Congress. Conference is to be held October 6 and 7 in London, registration details can be found on the website.

The headmaster, wearing a tattered red uniform, points at his worn slippers and says, "Look at me. Do I look like a teacher? We have no desks, no books - not even water." Then Ire Yabongengo complains about parents who are fed up with constantly repairing the school, a collection of shacks made of sticks and mud, with roofs made of leaves.

Members of Parliament (MPs) meeting in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, to discuss the 2006/07 budget have called for the education system to be overhauled, with the abolition of community day secondary schools (CDSSs) as one of the options. MP Ishmael Chafukira told parliament that the mushrooming CDSSs, which evolved from distance education centres, had contributed to the poor quality of education in the country, and alleged that most of these teachers "do not have necessary qualifications to teach in secondary schools”.

Know How 2006 will advance the agenda of women and information in a post World Summit on Information Society era. It will pursue women's empowerment through information and knowledge via education, media, libraries and the Internet.

The incumbent will serve as Deputy Chief of Party on a collaborative USAID-funded project that seeks to improve the health status of families in Senegal. S/he must have a minimum of 10 years overall experience implementing maternal and child health and family planning programmes in West Africa.

This project provides orphaned child heads of households in Rwanda with a self-powered radio that is designed to provide distance education covering topics such as how to prevent disease, increase garden yields, and maintain goats. The radio is constructed to operate in harsh conditions and climates for many hours on wind-up energy or solar power; organisers describe it as colourful, easy to use, and able to receive excellent reception.

For the first time in more than a quarter of a century, the United States and Libya have agreed to cooperate in various fields of science and technology. The plans were announced during last week's (10-13 July) visit to Libya by Paula Dobriansky, the US under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs, reports SciDev.

The second-ever Africa developer roadshow, this time in West Africa, will be held in Ghana during August and organisers are looking for developers from across the region to attend. Workshops on the agenda include localisation and further development of the education-in-a-box project.

Internews Network is seeking a Chief of Party to lead a USAID funded project focused on building community radio stations in Southern Sudan. The project will include (1) construction of three radio stations located in Southern Sudan and the Three Rivers Area, and (2) capacity building in the form of training of journalists and technical staff.

The successful applicant will have a commitment to international development; some experience of programme co-ordination; strong written and budget monitoring skills; and the ability to travel overseas for up to 8 weeks per year. S/he will have good interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively within a small and busy office.

The ECA Representative will manage and help develop the regional office, create a strong regional presence for AED, and build relationships with, and serve as an organisational focal point for the donor community, foundations, and corporations active in the region. She/he will forge connections for collaboration with local, national, and regional partners, and with key professionals; manage and help coordinate national and regional AED programs; and represent AED at professional and other meetings in the region.

The Parliamentary Centre, an International NGO working in Parliamentary Development, seeks a Budget and Governance Advisor to join its Poverty Reduction team.

Res Publica (www.therespublica.org) is hiring a short-term, country-specific, case-study researcher for a project exploring e-advocacy and technology use by civil society in Nigeria. This is a 4-6 week project.

Civil society organisations from 19 African countries met in Banjul, the Gambia, 26-28 June 2006, in advance of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, to discuss ways of improving compliance with commitments made under African Union treaties, with particular reference to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Cash benefits for children are reducing the impact of poverty on school enrolment in South Africa. In KwaZulu-Natal, child support grants are helping children, particularly from the poorest families, to be educated. Families receiving such grants are more likely to send their children to school at earlier ages than other equally poor households.

Distance education and open learning can be flexible and cost effective. It is particularly important for women and others unable to attend full-time education in rural areas. However, while South Africa has around fifty providers, the rest of sub-Saharan Africa has very few.

The Center for Victims of Torture is seeking a Country Director to oversee a psychosocial mental health project in Sierra Leone for individuals who have suffered torture and war trauma. The position has a one-year, renewable agreement.

The Research Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Department of Anthropology at University of Sydney, along with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission invite your participation in New Racisms: New Anti-Racisms on 3 - 5 November 2006 at the University of Sydney.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) is inviting nominations for its annual Press Freedom Award. The award, with a cash prize of US$1,000, is given to honor excellence in journalism. Excellence in journalism may be described as the upholding of ethics of the profession at all costs and the relentless pursuit of truth behind the bare facts.