Dear Friends,

My name is Lufeyo Phiri the project co-coordinator for YAN a youth led NGO in Zambia. Am the new NFP for GYCA in Zambia.

Please lets work together in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Yours

Lufeyo

Dear all,

What Does Human Rights Mean to You?

Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Share with the world your thoughts on what Human Rights mean to you. Share with us your personal expressions, opinions, stories and experiences of what human rights are or should be in your views, and especially in (post)conflict African countries such as Somalia.

Respect for human rights and human dignity "is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world", says the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in English and you can find here http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/som.htm the Somali version.

Please take a moment to study these documents as an honour to this important day.


Thanks, Sahro Ahmed-Koshin
Gender and Human Rights Officer
UNDP-Somalia

This is to launch Bongo dairies, your information point on what's going on in the Tanzanian political, economic and social scene. Things that affect and infect young people to make us better or worse off than we are.

My focus is on women's empowerment and against domestic violence but also much as the crimes that young people commit-my writing will focus on the crimes that are committed against us young people. The crime of living without any hope of getting educated; the crime of losing our families to senseless wars; the crime of seeing our mothers being abused and brutally violated; the crimes of not having anywhere to go to know what my rights are to protect myself and those around; the crimes of nor being heard an being forced into a life of despair and poverty when I could have had a chance of a better life but was never shown my options.

Bongo is what everyone in Tanzania (and around East Africa and beyond) have come to call the country's trade capital Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam is a beautiful town that's bordered by the Indian Ocean with white sanded beaches and tall, green palm trees. Bustling with life in the markets and the quiet life of suburbs, Bongo (Dar es Salaam) defines more than the city life and the people who live there-it defines our way of life (our culture).

Our music Bongo flava is the new rythym of the region.

You'll find ugali (maize meal), chips (also known as fries?) and rice great delicacies when you come by which you'll probably eat with beef, chicken or fish (either roasted, fried or grilled). Zege also called 'chips mayai' is a local favorite. It sounds weird but you don't know a good egg and chips combination until you eat a 'chipsi mayai' from Bongo.

From Bongo dairies, I'll give you a regular glimpse of the life we youth live and love in Tanzania.

Bongo dairies launches today, but on a sad note with the passing of our Member of Parliament from the opposition, Hon. Chacha Wangwe who died i a fatal car accident last night on his way back to Dar es Salaam from Dodoma(our political capital) to attend the funeral of a former Minister in Mwalimu Julius Nyerere's government.

The late MP will be remembered for his fearless critique of nepotism in national party politics and for his great contribution in the increasingly democratic multiparty politics in Tanzania and the East African Community (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi).

Bongo means 'brain' (correct 'ubongo'). It takes a lot of 'brains'-hustling, sense and ambition to live i the city. And that is what Bongo living is all about.

Next time on Bongo dairies..learn yourself some Swahili words to get you around.

Kwaheri (bye) for now!

The Game asked, “Confusion occurs coming up in a cold world. I want to live good so should I sell dope…?” Of course not, because that will go against everything we youth stand for power-hope-energy-freedom.

Thoughts of making a better life for myself and mine keep consuming me. I think about the school I want my children to go to, the type of car I want to drive them in to get them there and the house they’ll come back to. It’s the good life.

That’s how the people whom I go to to beg for money to carry out one project or the other live. Most of the time, I end up doing what ever I wanted to do in the first place their way-with their target group and on their terms. They dictate my project, my desired outcome.

When does making my community a better place to be stop becoming selfless?

I sit on youth panels and go to meetings in hotels where on a normal day I wouldn’t even afford to buy a soda. I leave feeling drained of my thoughts of youth development interventions that I know I probably won’t be part of-with just enough money to get me home to think about how wrong that is and write about it.

“She don’t believe in shooting stars but she believe in shoes and cars, wood floors in a new apartment, couture from the stores departments,” Kanye and Dwele said. I want to be a shooting star. I want to stop having to beg for money to make a difference.

I too want some credit for my lyrics-yes my lyrics, my ideas, my time. Gavin Sheppard (Remix Project) called it “poverty pimping,” well I’m tired of being pimped, “I am an expert of my own condition and must be treated and honoured as such.”

Again I ask at what point does my desire to help my community stop being selfless-does that then make me selfish?

“I’m more of the trips to Florida, order the hoer douers, views of the water straight from the page of your favourite author.” (Kanye) I too want to write lyrics like that and actually live it-and with that play my part in making the world a better place.

Don’t get me wrong, my passion to see a better world has never been greater, but there’s no way I can be of any help to anyone dead, sick or mentally disabled. I mean, I feel like such a hypocrite when I talk about how youth can make themselves better, how we must rise above our challenges when I clearly feel like I haven’t risen above my own.

Like Lupe, “I want to do my thing” too. I want to wake up in Tokyo, have a dream in New Orleans and fall in love in Chicago.”

Lupe challenges me, ‘If you are what you say you are, a superstar-then have no fear the camera’s here and the microphones and they want to know-the crowd is here and the lights are on…’

“To relax my mind so I can be free” (Marvin Gaye)-I need to feed myself and my dependents, have a home (not just a house to go back to), clothes to wear that make me confident to be the best I can be – right now, all of them civil society organizations and development partners “make feel like I’m singing sweet nothings.”

Correct me if I am wrong, but experience has shown me that to be the change I desire to see around me, I need to make the money first (in more subtle terms, be economically independent). Be healthy. Be free from ‘begging’. And be able to give all that I would have wanted to give in the first place-not the next place that falls into the donor’s sympathetic handout category.

Now I ask you, is there anywhere I can go to get the technical tools, a financial nudge and mentoring support to get me through ideas I have (now) to make that happen. Where is that place? Please point me towards that way.

I believe that what is missing in Tanzanian youth activism is the link between youths’ ideas for development and the outcome they aspire to see. In simple terms, I think it is easier for youth in more developed countries to come up with ideas for self and community development, and be the ones to actually initiate, design, implement and develop their ideas at every level-with the support that they need from all stakeholders. Their hopes and ideas are not dictated or redrafted by funding agencies or public/private partners.

In the adult world I’m meant to be next on stage. I see flashing lights, but they are getting dimmer…am I really heading the right way? Am I the only young person feeling this way?

Is this good news or what?! Congrats Nimo Ahmed Mohamoud !!!



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PSU APPOINTED NIMCO AHMED MOHAMOUD DEAN OF ACADAMIC AFFAIRS

First Female Dean in Puntland Higher Education

June 1, 2007 Puntland State University Garowe Campus President has appointed Nimo Ahmed Mohamoud Acting Dean of Academic Affairs. This appointment is an additional responsibility to her current teaching position.The first female dean, she will be head of the Academic Division responsible for teaching/ learning, research, registry, admissions, and student services provision.

The aftermath of the civil strife left many women alone and with no means to provide for their children, and in great need of additional education and training. Puntland State University attempted establishing educational initiatives concentrated on training centering on gender equity, enhancing the role of women and the promotion of human rights.

Nimo Ahmed Mohamoud is product of Puntland State University mission and vision and Ms. Nimo stated “I am committed Puntland State University to be one of the best higher education in Puntland and Somali in general. Nimo graduated from a two year Diploma course offered female students at PSU during its formative stages. Afterwards she left Puntland for India, where successfully completed Bachelor of Business Administration and Masters Business Administration. Upon completion of the MBA, Nimo consulted with PSU administration expressing her desire to come back to Somalia. PSU in liaison with UNDP Somalia-through the QUEST program organized and facilitated Nimo’s return to her former College as an Instructor.

Ms. Nimo has Bachelors degree in Business Administration from University of Madras India and master’s degree in Business Administration from (Training and Advanced Management and Communication) TASMAC India validated with the University of Wales UK. She will be the youngest female to hold such position in Puntland. Nimo aspires to foster democratic Institutional leadership to steer PSU to greater heights of prosperity. She is committed to the developing of and upholding PSU values of gender equality and women development through Education.

Puntland State University vision is to improve the life of Puntland and Somali people through the provision of sustainable education and skill-training policies with feasible education programme development. The University will enhance its reputation as an institution of higher learning where imagination, innovation, and application of knowledge are integrated to provide leadership into the future.

If you will like to learn more about PSU please contact and scheduled a meeting with Mohamud Hamud at kaaloorg@yahoo.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or phone +2525794076.


Contact: Mohamud Hamud
Tel: +2525844247/
kaaloorg@yahoo.com

It isn’t easy keeping your sense of peace when everyone and everything around you is going crazy. Short of completely isolating yourself from the whole world, within a perfectly peaceful environment, what do you do? This article is going to explore quite a few tools that will help you formulate your very own Stress Reduction Plan. This plan will help you keep your cool even when those around you are losing theirs, and quite possibly blaming it on you!

If you’re like me, you work hard at maintaining a desired level of peace and serenity within your life. Then, it can easily be blown in one incident of having to deal with other stressed out people or places. You might find yourself blowing your cool over something inconsequential such as an irate driver, or a longer than preferred line at the store.

When your stress levels soar, you could end up resenting other people or yourself for losing that nice peaceful feeling you were just starting to enjoy. On top of that, it can be frustrating to have to start over again in getting back the serenity you worked so hard to maintain in the first place. Now you’re stressed about being stressed. It can be a vicious, hard-to-break cycle. Luckily, there are positive steps you can take to change all that!

Let me first assure you it’s perfectly natural to find yourself getting stressed out along with the people you’re around, or the environment you’re in. Studies show that one negative person can bring down a whole room full of positive people. The same holds true for how one stressed-out person can raise the stress levels of those around him/her. There is also the energy in an environment, caused by people or the environment itself, that is a very powerful force to deal with. The more sensitive you are to energy, the more susceptible you will be to energy given off by other people and places. We will talk about how to deal with that in a little while.

I feel the first thing we need to do is put it firmly in our minds that Stress Happens! In all of our efforts to remain calm and peaceful, it’s easy to forget that stressful events in and of themselves are not what does the damage to us. Whether its good or bad stress, coming from within yourself or from other people and places, it completely depends on how you process the stress that ultimately determines how it will end up affecting you. Cultivating acceptance can help immensely. That is the first, and very important, part of our Stress Reduction Plan.

The next step of the Stress Reduction Plan is to practice staying in the Right Here, Right Now, present time. Staying with the immediate will dramatically decrease feelings of anxiety and fear. You will be aware of the energy going on around you, so you can be alert to stressful energy and deal with it accordingly. You will also be able to face the stress head on before it turns into another tension headache or sleepless night.

One thing that helps me stay mindful of focusing on the present is to practice, practice, and practice some more! Be mindful of how your body moves, feel how your eyes are moving as they read this article, how you are sitting in your chair, how the air around you feels on your body. Listen to what is going on around you, the hum of the computer, or outside traffic, birds singing; whatever you can hear, really take time to hear it. Use all of your senses to experience everything that is around you at all times. Practice these things throughout the day as you accomplish your daily tasks and see if it helps you, too.

The third step we are going to take in creating our Stress Reduction Plan is to make a list of your Stress Hot Spots. Perhaps it’s trying to get ready for your day, especially if you’re getting kids to school and significant others off to work. Maybe it’s rush hour, or suppertime, or the end of the workday where things are the most chaotic and apt to take you out of your Happy Place. Really take some time to create a list of all the different areas of your life where stress is going to be inevitable.

Once you have a list of your “Stress Hot Spot” times, ask yourself these questions for each item listed:

· Are there ways you can lessen the impact of that stress for yourself and others? Maybe it’s as simple as waking up 10 minutes earlier to avoid the morning rush).

· Can you ask others for help?

· Can you allow other people to keep their own feelings of stress in this situation without feeling you’re abandoning them if you don’t join in by getting stressed out yourself?

· Are there any items that you are procrastinating about that might make stressful times even more stressful for yourself or others? How can you correct that?

· Can you find any humor in it at all? There’s usually a lighter side of every situation and looking for that can really help when things start getting too heavy.

· Do you have time for a quick break, before, during, or after the stressful event?

· What others strategies might help Stress Hot Spot times go as smoothly and enjoyably as possible?

Part of creating your list might be to request a team or family meeting to help brainstorm suggestions to alleviate the stressful areas you all share together. This will help improve everyone’s stress level and peace of mind!

After you answer all the questions, add the suggestions you came up with to your Daily To-Do list. It also might be helpful to post some reminder signs around your house or office to keep you aware of what you’re working towards.

Another important part of keeping your cool is to release being judgmental. For example, that excruciatingly slow driver probably isn’t really a bum out to ruin your life. They might be having any number of personal crisis situations going on. You never really know what’s going on in other people’s lives, and most likely they’re not thinking about what’s going on in your life either. Think about when you have been the most challenged in your own life and how wonderful it would feel if others gave you patience and understanding. Maybe you can teach those others a lesson by being the patient, understanding one first. You will feel more control of yourself and your day as well!

Speaking of being in control, Free Will offers us the wonderful blessing of being able to consciously accept or reject stress coming from others. For example, if your boss or life partner is exhibiting high stress symptoms, you can allow them to keep their own stressed energies without becoming attached and absorbing those energies yourself. Allow other people to own their own negative feelings or stress, and allow yourself to stay attached to your own feelings of peace and serenity. You can still be there for the person without experiencing their negative or stressful emotions with them. I can guarantee that you will be a bigger help to them, and to yourself, when you are coming from a center of peace than if you are a stressed out wreck waiting to happen!

Another wonderful thing about Free Will is it gives you the ability to consciously create your environment. If you walk into a room that has negative or stressful energy, imagine positive and peaceful energy filling up the room as well. This will help you from being overcome with the bad energy and help others in the area by drawing out more of their positive energy. It’s a simple scientific equation that like attracts like. In keeping with that equation, the more positive feelings you give out, the more will come back to you. Play with this idea for a while and see how effective it can be.

Of course, unless you are completely enlightened, there will be times that stress gets the best of you. When you get anxious or afraid, allow the feelings to flow through you without fighting with yourself over them. It really is okay to have those or other not-so-pleasant emotions from time to time; it’s how you act on them that determines if they are going to be beneficial or harmful to you. Always remember that you have Free Will and can make choices from a place of serenity no matter what situation you find yourself in.

I hope these ideas help you keep your cool even in the most challenging of times. If you would like more specific tools in regard to your own unique lifestyle, I would be more than happy to talk with you about it. Also, I would love to hear from you if you would like to share how these tools I’ve mentioned work for you in your life, or have any other suggestions or questions. Please contact me anytime.

Everyone’s been burned, cheated on and totally deflated by their loved one at some point. It’s not a fun thing to go through, and sometimes it causes the person to become disillusioned with the whole idea of romance, relationships or beginning anew.

They retreat into a shell, vowing to never allow anyone to penetrate this invisible shield of protection to their heart because, after all, they don’t want to be hurt again. And do you blame them?

These people whose hearts have been crushed to the point where they just say “no” to relationships are in what I call “relationship remission.”

As a relationship expert focusing on the soul mate relationship in particular, you would think that I would discourage closing off your heart for awhile, but there comes a time in one’s life when it’s often necessary to take a step back and find out who you are and what you want out of life.

At the tender age of four, Molly envisioned what her husband was going to look like and that they’d have two boys, two girls and all the puppies and kittens they wanted. She had a “pretend” marriage with Alfred, the little boy next door, and while the adults thought it was cute, Molly knew, even back then, that she wanted a fairytale marriage and was going to live happily ever.

Fast forward thirty-nine years later, and Molly has been divorced three times and never found the fairytale marriage she was looking for. She became disillusioned with the whole dating scene after two attempts of rape, relationships that never lasted and several therapy sessions in which she felt she was the reason her life had turned out so horrible.

Had she not grown up to believing that life was one Cinderella story after another, maybe she would have been prepared for the frogs along the way. But then, who is to know what the future has in store?

No matter how hard you try, the relationship factor has baffled everyone. Since time began, man has always looked for that magic key that would open the lock to that fulfilling and lifelong relationship, without any problems or grief. So far, no one has been able to find that magic key.

Until now.

That magic key lies within you and by entering relationship remission, you’ll find out what it is you need to do to unlock that door to your heart and find the Cinderella life that’s been eluding you.

By taking a time-out and examining yourself closely, you’ll hopefully discover:

1) The only person who can make you happy is yourself

2) In order to be the person someone would want to love, you have to love yourself first

3) Being a queen instead of a pawn guarantees self-confidence and self-satisfaction

4) Self-love comes first and relationships naturally follow

5) You are queen of your own destiny

When you have had time to regroup, you discover things about yourself that you might have been ignoring, and it’s a perfect time to fix those things that are making you unhappy. What is life? Is it is a continuous pattern of hardships and mistakes?

In my relationship e-class, I teach that self-love is the most important thing. If you don’t have self-love, you have to go back to square one and fix it. It’s not hard to do, and if you don’t at least make an attempt, your relationships will go nowhere.

Taking a break from relationships when the need arises is very necessary. It’s the time when we can sit back and evaluate our past lives and try to figure out how we went off our intended path and how to get back on it.

The irony of this is that this is when your soul mate does appear—when you least expect it!

So, take time off when the need arises and listen to your intuition, which will guide you to make the right decisions. Follow your gut instincts when things don’t feel right and when things do feel right, it just means that it’s meant to be.

The soul mate relationship isn’t hard to figure out. But, sometimes, we need to regroup within ourselves to realize why our knight in shining armor just never seems to be within our reach. Fairy tales are fairy tales, but why not turn your life into your own fairy tale and live happily ever after?

While no relationship is perfect, you have the power to make it into anything you want it to be. After all, you are the queen of your own destiny and hold that key to your future happiness and well-being. Use the power.

"Positive Feedback"

From Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives: Formulas, stories, and insights
By Zelig Pliskin
Printed with Permission of Shaar Press

Some people identify themselves with their faults, weaknesses, and limitations. This weakens and limits them. Others identify themselves with their virtues, skills, and positive qualities. This strengthens those people and brings out their best.

Identify yourself with your strengths and virtues. This will help you help others do the same.

"What are your main strengths and virtues?" you can ask. Some will feel comfortable telling them to you. Others won’t. Some out of modesty. Others because they haven’t as yet identified themselves with their strengths. When they do, it will feel so natural to them that they will readily mention it to others. It’s not boasting but a statement of fact similar to one’s height or color of eyes.

Keep offering positive feedback whenever you can. The less a person identifies with his strengths, the more important it is for you to strengthen his identification with them.

Positive feedback is different than general praise. It is when you notice skill, talent, and excellence and comment:

"That was very good."

"I see that you are highly skilled at this."

"Well-done."

"This job was done with precision."

"You do this excellently."

"I admire your proficiency."

"You are a true expert."

One of my students told me this story:

My parents criticized me, and rarely gave me positive feedback. I grew up feeling that I had many more faults than strengths. What changed my view of myself was a series of meetings I had with an empowering teacher. He pointed out strengths that I only barely realized that I possessed.

"You are your strengths," he told me.

"But I hardly ever apply them," I argued.

"If you would apply them all the time I wouldn’t have to reinforce your awareness of them," he smiled. "What really stops you from identifying yourself with your strengths?" he challenged me.

I thought for a moment and admitted, "The true answer is simply because I’m just not used to seeing myself that way."

"Experiment for an entire week," he suggested. "This week consider yourself a person who has these strengths. See the difference this makes."

I tried this for the week. It helped me so much that I kept it up. This was the single most empowering advice I had ever heard and it has made a major difference in my life.

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Kind Words
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Brenda Zulu
Freelance journalist


The issues of good governance cannot be discussed in isolation but together with other factors that help in the achievement of a society that promotes democratic principles.

The advent of the Information Society characterised by the prevalence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are impacting every facet of people’s daily lives. One clear upshot of this is that knowledge forms a critical component of production and development. The deployment of innovative mix of both old and new telecommunication regimes offer opportunities for appropriate strategies to accelerate Africa’s development.

Zambia’s report to the third meeting of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Committee on Development Information shows the country readiness for the Information Society.

E-governance is a tool for governments to use new technologies to provide people with more convenient access to government information and services, to improve quality of service and provide opportunities to participate in democratic institutions and processes of governing a nation. It also provides opportunities to move forward in the 21st century with high quality, cost effective government services delivery and the creation of better relationships between the people and government.

Zambia presently is in the process of formulating a national policy on ICT to foster and guide the use of ICTs for development in the country; however in the absence of ICT policy, ICTs are regulated by the Zambia’s Telecommunication Act of 1994.

The Zambia Telecommunication Company Limited (ZAMTEL), which administers Public Service Telecommunication Network (PSTN) in Zambia, was established in 1994 through an Act of parliament. This followed a separation of the postal and telecommunications services under the postal and telecommunications Corporation.

The Country has three cellular service providers. Zamtel providers a analogue telephone system based on the Advanced Mobile Phones Services (AMPS) technology with an installed subscriber base of 10,000 but currently the entire exchange network is undergoing digitalisation in preparation for the introduction of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) while TELECEL and CELTEL provide a GSM system with a combined subscriber base of about 139,092.

In 1994, Zambia became the first country in Sub Sahara Africa (Outside South Africa) to have full Internet access. The first ISP, the University of Zambia owns ZAMNET. The Communications Authority has since licensed five others. These are Coppernet, Microlink, UUNET, Zamtel and Celtel. The number of combined subscriber base is currently 11647 and is expected to increase tremendously in the next two years.

Following the return to multiparty politics in 1991, the Government embarked on various policy reforms and initiatives, all aimed at harnessing the full potential of the ICT revolution. Among these has been the liberalisation and deregulation of the telecommunication sector, the liberalisation of the airwaves and formation of the Communication Authority, which regulates the telecommunication sector.

The government has instituted a National Technical Committee comprising experts from government and the private sector. The committee commenced its work in November ’02 under the following terms:

* To provide guidelines and supervise the preparation of an ICT policy framework, policy itself, and strategies.
* To give input to the pilot project, initiate and undertake ongoing evaluation.
* To work out programmes to facilitate the creation of a digital society through ICT infrastructure, education and training, and human resources development as primary focus in ICT policy development; and
* To organise a national forum for the discussion and validation of the draft policy document.

The vision of government is to make ICT the engine for economic growth and social economic development in Zambia. It has been recognised that the association between telecommunications and the wholesale changes brought about in the global social-economic system as a result of the information society has rendered credence of the following:

* Economic growth is directly linked to levels of telecommunications and digital infrastructure,
* The intangibility of the information resource levels the playing field for corporation, governments and communities around the world
* A “new economy” has emerged that in fundamental ways supplants what went on before; in this economy, information means money
* Information flows have “opened” otherwise closed or insular countries and that this opening has further prospects of democracy in these politics; and
* Developing countries must get on the information highway or they soon will fall by the wayside of the digital divide.

Information and governance
The issues of good governance cannot be discussed in isolation but together with other factors that help in the achievement of a society that promotes democratic principles. One such element is the provision of timely, relevant and reliable statistics that enhance informed and accurate decision making, at Government, community and private sector levels. Policy reforms aimed at democratisation must use population statistics that ensure equal representation in our national political system. Policy reforms on economic liberalisation must include the use of statistics on vulnerable groups such as women, children, the disabled and the elderly etc., who must be cushioned from the adverse effects of economic reforms.

One area that directly illustrates the link between statistics and good governance is that of the Populations Census and how it relates to issues of the electoral system. Firstly, any electoral victory for any political party depends on the numbers and also the population distribution. The census is one of the few statistical systems that provide data at sub-district level and therefore has spatial implications for governance.

On the other hand, the electoral system also depends on the demarcations for governments of constituency and wards levels, as the case is Zambia. One of the challenges in Zambia has been the harmonisation of statistical data for the decision making process that is guided by existing statistical frame for data collection and the electoral demarcations of constituencies and wards. Politicians at both ward and constituency levels need statistical indicators that support them in advocacy activities and in resource mobilisation.

The current production of statistical data and indicators at both constituency and ward levels has provided a tool for politicians and civil society to advocate for a system of resources allocations that takes into account statistical representations. For example, the Zambian situation has seen increased demand from politicians and civil society for statistical information that is representative of local communities and the population Census is probably the only reliable system that is able to provide data to lower level. This has exerted great pressure on the ability of the national statistical system to provide at that lower level.


The development of ICT in Zambia has created great challenges on how statistical information is collected, processed and disseminated. Apart from the increased use of Local Area Networks in statistical operations, there is currently great need to expand such networks to enable remote regional data from various sources.

The approval of decentralisation policy by cabinet in 2003 has brought challenges for regional statistical offices to provide statistical data for local area planning in line with the Transitional National Development Plans. In Zambia, the Central Statistical Office (CSO), is in the process of developing a Wider Area Network that enables remote regional statistical office access data and other national development initiatives.

In 2002 the CSO engaged services of consultants to help develop a 5-year strategic plan to improve the operations of the office. This strategic Plan was designed for the Zambia National Statistical System focusing on the central statistical office to halt the decline in provision of official statistical system and service capable of meeting the information needs for poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP), the TNDP, and other national development initiatives.

Government has approved the establishment of National Remote sensing centre to coordinate in the application of GIS/remote sensing in Zambia. Remote sensing technologies are some of the tools that have been used in Zambia for sometime now. The Zambia Association for Geographical Information Systems (ZAGIS) has been spearheading activities in this area.

Development and dissemination of geo-information is important for any country’s economic development and growth. This is because well-developed geo-information infrastructure helps in high-level decision-making. It is a process that should be supported by National governments as well as and global bodies.

In Zambia we have a forum of core network stakeholders in the development of national standard for digital topographic databases as part of the national spatial database infrastructure development. This is the Environmental Information Network and Monitoring System forum that is composed of Zambia survey Department, Forestry Department, Zambia Wildlife Authority, Mine safety Department, soil survey unit (Ministry of Agriculture and cooperatives), Ministry of local government and housing, Lusaka city council and central statistical office. This forum is very strategic in the development and dissemination of geo-information. With long-term financial support from governments and cooperating partners the forum can transform the current under developed geo-information scenario in Zambia to an advanced and well-managed geo-information powerhouse in the region.

The survey department is currently compiling the digital topographic database at scale 1:50 000 and 1:100 000 with the ambition of covering the whole country. About 150 map sheets were compiled with the financial and consultancy support from the Environmental Support Programme (ESP) of the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources and Swede Survey Department’s daily core activities. This brings the total number to 220 sheets out of 826 sheets of 26% of the whole country coverage.

With 26% of the work done, capacity has been built in Zambia Survey Department, which now only requires to be fully improved, by way of financial support from government and other cooperating partners, to the level where it could speed up the process of developing spatial database for contribution towards the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. This is an opportunity that needs to be exploited if an efficient NSDI is to become a reality in Zambia.

Zambia is among the first countries in Southern and Central Africa to host a continuous GPS tracking station connecting to the IGS International points. This station is in Lusaka. However, there are plans to establish two more stations at Ndola and Mongu when equipment and other auxiliary resources permit. The Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources has been implementing the ESP. One of the components has been developing information systems focusing on addressing, deforestation, poor water and sanitation, land degradation (desertification), industrial air pollution (mainly from mining activities), and wildlife depletion.

The Zambia Meteorological department is currently executing a project called RANET. RANET is an acronym for Radio and Internet. It involves the use of a small digital radio (world space receiver) operating on “L” band and capable of accessing the Internet signal to receive data and information in rural settlements, and transmitting the same messages in local languages to improve infrastructure of delivering weather and climate data and information, as well as other developmental information to rural communities.

Media and ICTs in Zambia
The Internet is accessible from Zambia Independent Media Association (ZIMA) resource centre, British Council Library and cyber cafés. Most of the media institutions have Internet facilities which journalists do not even have access to. Internet facilities are only accessible to editors and IT people who have to update the website.

Many media institutions do not even have digital cameras, televisions, telephones lines and Internet access. Many urban journalists however have their own mobile telephones.

Government Media is not an exception. The situation is even worse in rural areas where journalists have to depend on the telefax to send a story where applicable or read on the phone line as applies to the situation. The infrastructure in the rural areas is not developed, thus making it difficult for the media to operate effectively.

Civil society and ICTs
Most NGOs, just like media organisations, have limited access to ICTs. The concept has been welcomed but the implementation is still remaining. Civil society, however, has even introduced IT sections in their organisations.

Gender issues regarding ICTs
The use of ICT enables more information to be found, retrieved and disseminated faster than ever before. Yet women often find themselves at a disadvantage. Whether through ‘technophobe’, a perception that computers and other technology are for men only, or through finance, women are often unable to take advantage of the ICT revolution. This includes women communicators, information officers, community liaison officers and women journalists.

Furthermore, women are still outnumbered by men in the majority of the media houses in Africa, with the result that they feel less confident and less influential than their male colleagues. There is need for women to develop new skills and knowledge about the use of ICTs and to apply these to the task of reporting more effectively about development of ICTs in Africa. ICT research and publishing skills need to supported and expanded in order to promote access to dissemination of information. In Zambia there is also need for women to explore ways in which they can have access to ICTs.

Conclusion
There are drawbacks in how governments have paid lip service to the development of technology. While many of them created regulatory bodies, put in place legislation and requested technical assistance towards the development of ICTs, these steps remain but a charade. In most cases, the setting up of regulatory bodies is simply done to fulfil donor conditions. No follow up is made to ensure the harmonisation of these new entities with already existing structure. Despite the high demand for Internet services, African governments seem keen on clinging to monopolies As a result cost remains prohibitive for the majority of the rural populations. Why is that in Europe and America where the per capita income average is at least 20 times higher than the African average, Internet services are more affordable than they are in Africa? African governments need to facilitate the acquisition of information and technology among their people, and in doing so, empower them to participate in the process. Without assessed information and communication needs for African populations, Africa’s dream to participate in the global information economy could remain elusive. This underlines the importance of collaboration and the sharing of best practices at national, regional and international levels.

The first step in empowering people in Africa in the age of new communication technologies is helping people achieve more technology literacy, so that they can use technology to help themselves. This can definitely be done because Africa’s best resources are the people.

LUSAKA, 19 July 2007 (IRIN) - Civil society fears that the imminent introduction of legislation aimed at regulating non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will severely compromise their work and independence, and could even result in their operations being closed down.

The NGOs bill, introduced this week in parliament by justice minister George Kunda, calls for "the registration and co-ordination of NGOs - [and] to regulate the work, and the area of work of NGOs operating in Zambia".

If the bill becomes law it would empower the interior minister to form a 10-member board, comprised of government members and two representatives from civil society, which would "receive, discuss and approve the code of conduct [of NGOs], and ... provide policy guidelines to NGOs for harmonising their activities to the national development plan of Zambia".

''We believe that this is a very sad moment in the life of Zambia's civil society.
The bill is dictatorial and seeks to constrain and limit the space for civil society''
Civil society leaders and human rights activists told IRIN the new law was a ploy by government to silence their critics and erode the role of civil society.

"We believe that this is a very sad moment in the life of Zambia's civil society. The bill is dictatorial and seeks to constrain and limit the space for civil society in the country," said Lee Habasonda, executive director of the Southern African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes [SACCORD], a human rights and good governance watchdog.

"This sends very wrong signals and threatens the existence of NGOs, in that if the board is to be directly under the Minister of Home Affairs, then it means this same board will be de-registering, at will, any NGO whose style the government does not like."

NGOs are registered by the Registrar of Societies, a quasi-government organisation, but after registration the government has little power to restrain NGOs from voicing political dissent, and any attempt to de-register an NGO usually involves long court battles. In the proposed bill, NGOs will be obliged to register annually.

Court battles

SACCORD was de-registered by the government last year, only to have its NGO status reinstated by the court. It is once more embroiled in a legal battle after the government deregistered it again this year, but this time the court has allowed it to retain its NGO status until the outcome of the legal action.

"They [government] have been failing to put an end to our activism or existence, because there was no legal basis for de-registering us for holding dissenting views [from the government]," Habasonda said.

"This bill reduces the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of association; it reduces the efficacy of NGOs, because if they can't effectively criticise the state, then it means democracy is losing ground and dictatorship is now creeping in."

This is the first attempt by the Zambian government to regulate civil society since the onset of multiparty democracy 16 years ago, when Kenneth Kaunda, president since Zambia's independence from Britain in 1964, was unseated in 1991 by former trade unionist Frederick Chiluba.

Zambian civil society has been a strong force for change: it was pivotal in forcing Kaunda to abandon one-party rule and adopt multiparty democracy; helped block Chiluba's bid for a third term of office in 2001; and, during the tenure of current president Levy Mwanawasa, has maintained pressure for the adoption of a new constitution.

Emily Sikazwe, director of the Non-Governmental Organisation Coordinating Committee [NGOCC], an umbrella body for civic organisations involved in gender issues, said the proposed legislation would negatively affect the rights of women and children.

''The immediate impact is that the women's movement, and NGOs who have championed the cause of women and children - where the government has not been faring well - will certainly be de-registered''
"The immediate impact is that the women's movement, and NGOs who have championed the cause of women and children - where the government has not been faring well - will certainly be de-registered," Sikazwe told IRIN.

"We know for a fact who they are targeting with this new legislation, but we reject it with the contempt it deserves. Democracy has come to stay in Zambia, and we won't allow anyone to sit on critical issues that are important to the country."

Matyola Malawo, executive secretary of the Zambia Council for Social Development, a coalition of NGOs working for upliftment, said the bill was not good for the country because "it doesn't seek to harmonise the contributions of NGOs to national development."

He added that "NGOs were not consulted in its formation and, when we tried to access it, we were all told that parliament would decide on behalf of the people. If this law goes through, there will be a lot of mismanagement of public funds, because no one will speak for fear of being de-registered."

Chief government spokesperson and information minister Mike Mulongoti said the bill was designed to make civil society more responsible and accountable in their conduct. "We have democracy to safeguard. We must all stand on one platform - NGOs should not just be asking government to be transparent or accountable to the people, they should also do the same.

"This is why we have decided, as government, to introduce this new law: it's necessary to have a legal framework to regulate their conduct, because some of them seem to have been set up specifically to oppose the government in everything," he commented.

"They [NGOs] want to have a free-for-all atmosphere, when they themselves want government to be accountable. We must stand on the same platform: they should also be held accountable for their conduct and expenditure. After all, even the money they use to fund their activities is taxpayers' money elsewhere, just like we use Zambian taxpayers' money."

Zambian NGOs are not funded by the government but source their funding from mainly Western donors.

By Brenda Nglazi Zulu

20 July 2007

Many initiatives have been undertaken, mostly by civil society organisations, towards the bridging of the digital divide between the north and the south. The pressing concerns have been on the ability of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to improve the standards of living of the poor in societies.

If harnessed and directed properly, ICTs have the potential to improve aspects of our social, economic and cultural life. Appropriate technology for Zambia is not just a desire but also a real need. Among Zambia’s greatest challenge today are poverty and HIV/AIDS. In addition to this challenge we are faced with a language challenge which hampers communication. Given that 73 languages are spoken in Zambia, could the country not develop a technology that contributes towards narrowing the linguistic gap? These challenges can be seen as opportunities to make a difference, rather than liabilities to marginalise Zambia.

All stakeholders have a leading role to play in the Information society, especially through partnerships. The conference observed that the government had a leading role in developing and implementing comprehensive, forward looking and sustainable national e-strategies.

The commitment of civil society was important in creating an equitable civil society and in implementing ICT related initiatives for development.

ICTs can thus serve as an engine for development in the New Millennium and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The conference was a unique opportunity for all key players to develop a shared vision of solutions and tools to bridge the digital divide and create a global society.

Government also took this unique opportunity to launch the first draft national ICT policy.

There are draw backs in how governments in Africa have paid lip service to the development of technology. Although many of these governments have created regulatory bodies, put in place legislation and requested for technical assistance towards the development of information and communication technology, all these steps remain but a charade.

More often than not, the setting up of regulatory bodies is simply done to fulfill donor conditions. There is no follow up afterwards to ensure the harmonisation of these new entities with already exiting structures.

Despite the high demand for Internet services, the Zambian government seems keen on clinging onto monopolies as opposed to inviting more internet service providers. As a result cost remains prohibitive for the majority of the rural populations.

There is an urgent need to depoliticise issues that affect national development. The provision of information in Zambia needs to be facilitated by the acquisition of information and technology tools for the people, and in so doing empower them to fully participate in the global information technology process. The onus here really lies with the government in their structuring of a policy that is all inclusive and will take into consideration submissions from all stakeholders. There is also need for publicity of the draft ICT policy on government’s part to ensure participation from all.

Drawing from past experiences, important submissions from civil society and other stakeholders will not be taken into full consideration by the government. And when there are no contributions, the government will ask why, it is this kind of trend that brings out the apathy in people especially when something looks like it is only for the benefit of a few in the upper circles of society. Government needs to understand that when it involves the masses on larger a scale and appreciate their contributions, the people will be interested and involved and thus policies made will be a true reflection of the peoples needs towards improving their living standards.

The first step in empowering people in the age of new communication technologies is to help them achieve more technological literacy, so that they can use technology to help themselves and to help them make meaningful contributions on ICT issues that affect their livlihoods. The best resource in the world is the human resource, if we keep this in mind then we are heading for progress.

Ow di bodi? Di bodi fayn! is the way of greeting here!

It has been some time that i wrote on this blog! I had nothing interesting to jot down!
But now i do!

I am in Sierra Leone for a month doing research on the cultural dimension of systematic violence against women. I am in Freetwon fo 2 weks and i will be in Makeni for another two.

Its hot and rainng heavily here as it is the rainy season; but the people here are so friendly and helpful that i just stare in admiration!!!


more soon!!!

we go si back!!!
sahro

I am a poet and beautiful poetical words used for expressions of love, longing, melancholy, spirituality and passion always trigger and inspire me .....thus activating my poetic self.

Lets share the verbal manifestaions of love and passion....
Hope we can inspire each other...

check this out..sent to me by a friend:

Woman has Man in it;
Mrs. has Mr . in it;
Female has Male in it;
She has He in it;
Madam has Adam in it;
No wonder men always want to be inside women!
ANSWER IS
Men were born between the legs of a woman, yet men spend all their
Life and time trying to go back between the legs of a woman...... Why?
BECAUSE HOME SWEET HOME.

I am looking for information on best practices on violence against women anywhere in the world.

Please share your stoties with me.
Thank you so much!
Sahro

Thanks to everyone for the goodwill messages i have been recieving as they mean alot to me. My day was full of activities. I had breakfast by my sister's place for they insisted that i be there first thing in the morninng. i was later on picked up by my colleagues from Action Youth Zambia for a party as its our organisation policy to have and use birthday parties for closer ties and building team work among our members. The organisation always does among other things a something for the community as a birthday wish present. So my wish this time around was to organise sports competition among street kids of Lusaka, Zambia. So we managed to have 26 street kids participate in dancing, relays, 50metres races, swimming and other tailor-made competitions. to was really nice to see them happy for they all come out as winners. The organisation is now even considering the possiblities of have a bigger and yearly event to be documented those with talent can even be inspired and nurtured. so look out for we will keep everything posted on TIG. After our interactions with street kids, i later out with friends at my favourite outing place called Zenon until early hours of today. I had so much fun and appreciated little things that sometimes i take advantage of and brash aside.