We are men and women of the earth, we are those who produce food for the world. We have the right to continue being peasants and family farmers, and to shoulder the responsibility of continuing to feed our peoples. We care for seeds, which are life, and for us the act of producing food is an act of love. Humanity depends on us, and we refuse to disappear.

The Coalition for an Effective African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights will be holding its General Assembly during the 44th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 11 November 2008 at, Abuja, Nigeria. The closing date for nominations is 31 October 2008.

The Coalition for an Effective African Court was registered in 2007 as an NGO under the laws of the Republic of Tanzania. To continue the success achieved to date, the Coalition is recruiting an Executive Secretary to provide strategic and operational leadership for this newly registered organisation in Tanzania.

Some four years after delegates met at Bomas to discuss Kenya’s constitutional review, the country’s National Youth Convention descended upon the very same location for the purpose of discussing Kenyan youth’s role and opportunities within the Kenyan state. As in other African countries, the NYC argues, young people in Kenya constitute a majority and deserve greater scope for influencing the direction of their nation and setting the agendas it follows.

Elisio Macamo - 2008-10-26

Reflecting on social spaces and politics within Mozambican cities and the legacy of the colonial period, Elisio Macamo calls for greater study of the role of urban environments in the development of local political cultures. Citing the example of protestant churches of various denominations in the creation of local responsibilities and identities, the author contrasts this process of self-determination with the ‘culture of dependency’ underpinned by the continual support of the development industry.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned a recent decision by the Egyptian newspaper Al Gomhoria to remove journalist Hesham Basyoni from his position after he wrote an article critical of the government. "We are extremely concerned that this is a politically motivated decision by a newspaper that claims to be independent," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. "Al Gomhoria says that the government does not interfere with its editorial policy but if that is the case, they must explain why they have taken Hesham off his beat."

Kelele is an annual African bloggers' conference which will be held for the first time in August 13th - 16th 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. According to event organisers, Kelele is a gathering of African bloggers in the tradition of historical African societies where everyone has a voice.

C-Change Picks is an e-magazine that is supported by C-Change and implemented by The Communication Initiative and focuses on recent case studies, reports, analyses, and resources on communication for behaviour and social change to address health, environment, and civil society. While the first 3 issues of C-Change Picks have focused primarily on family planning, HIV/AIDS, and malaria, future editions will include information related to the environment and civil society. If you would like to subscribe, please contact [email][email protected]

Public examinations, due to start countrywide next Monday, hang in the balance after the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) forwarded some salary demands which have not been met by their employer. The final Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) examinations for Ordinary and Advanced level were originally supposed to start across the country on Monday this week. Grade 7 pupils write their examinations during the first week of October every year.

For the seventh conference to be held in Dakar (Senegal), papers that contribute to the understanding of the role of technology and innovation in achieving sustainable growth and development in the broadest sense of the term are invited. The conference organizing committee invites submission of full papers to be presented on the conference topics by March 31th, 2009. The event will be held on October 6-8, 2009.

Joomla! is a Content Management System and is for a start not complicated; Joomla makes it easy for non-technical people to create professional and dynamic websites. Why? Because it has been developed with the masses in mind. You do not need any programming knowledge such as HTML or PHP to use Joomla for web creation. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable. Using Joomla! is like using a word-processing program.

There is no greater breach of trust than knowingly taking advantage of those you have taken an oath to protect and to serve. What has been long regarded as baseless reports against members of the Kenya Police has finally been brought to the glaring spotlight of the public eye by the heart wrenching revelations made during the Waki Commission hearings. This concern is the focus of this issue of USAWA.

Reporting to the Director of Programmes, the Manager for the Governance Institutions and Processes Department will assist in running EISA's Governance Department. Closing date for submission of applications is Friday, 31 October 2008. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. EISA reserves the right not to appoint.

The Wanjiru Kihoro Fellowship's broad goal is to contribute to the development of a new generation of African women leaders who are dedicated to utilising their voices and experience to futher women's central role in peace building and development work in their country, region and continent. The Fellowship aims to attract applicants who have substantial experience in local community work and who wish to gain international experience to enrich and enhance their skills.

Wellspring Advisors seeks a consultant to undertake a mapping and analysis of Ugandan nongovernmental organizations focused on children’s rights and development. The consultant shall undertake a scoping study that will provide (1) an overview of the field of children’s rights in Uganda, with a focus on the role of nongovernmental organizations; (2) profiles of key Ugandan children’s rights organizations; and (3) grantmaking recommendations, including identification of potential funding strategies as well as specific organizations.

Wellspring Advisors seeks a Uganda-Based Consultant to provide critical support and oversight to its Uganda grants programs, which focus on pro-poor economic development, children’s rights and development, women’s rights, reproductive health and rights, and human rights. These wide-ranging portfolios cover such issues as land and property rights, violence against women, corporate social responsibility, disability rights, education, child protection, microfinance, smallholder agriculture, and small and medium enterprise development.

CREAW is a non-governmental, non-partisan, membership organization whose goal is to transform society by empowering women and expanding frontiers for women’s rights and freedoms. CREAW aims at setting standards in upholding human rights and empowering society through civic education, legal advocacy and women’s rights awareness.CREAW is recruiting for the position of Legal Officer. Deadline for application: 31ST October 2008.

CREAW is inviting applications from individuals for the position of Project Officer. The ideal candidate will have at least three to five years of directly related experience in sexual and gender based violence and how to handle the survivors. The candidate must be a dynamic, creative, self-motivated, strategic and original thinker with commitment to women’s human rights she/he will also engage her/his time in projects work, which include project implementation and coordination, monitoring, evaluation report writing and resource mobilization. Deadline for application: 31st October 2008.

The Regional Manager manages and oversees Internews Network media development programs and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a geographic sub component of the Africa, Middle East, Health and Humanitarian Media Program Management Unit (PMU). Responsibilities for this position include direct line management of the Country Directors, Resident Journalism Advisors and Africa Program Associate (Nairobi-based), direct donor correspondence, as well as donor identification and communication with the Program Vice President and other key staff on development opportunities.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa is launching a landmark programme to breathe new life into efforts to empower the poor and marginalised. The Masters in Social Justice is the first of its kind to be launched by a South African university and combines law, social justice and development. Run by the Institute of Development and Labour Law at the UCT Faculty of Law, it involves prominent South African legal and development experts, including Judge Dennis Davis, and is designed for both law and non-law graduates.