Health workers will try to vaccinate 16 million children in central Africa this week in an attempt to rid the region of polio. The five day campaign aims to immunise all children under five in Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. By simultaneously targeting the population at risk in one of the last reservoirs of polio, the campaigners hope to cut the viral transmission chain and finally eradicate the crippling disease.

Three months after giving birth Mpho Mayoba, a young anti-Aids campaigner from Welkom, was buried this weekend, after dying from an Aids related illness. Mayoba was part of the Young People Living With Aids project which encouraged safe sex, although she herself failed to practice this advice. Mayoba's death has now sparked concerns and uncertainty over the mission of the project, which was launched by the Youth Commission in partnership with the office of the President in 1999.

Content-rich and engaging, this two-day course offers effective tools and strategies for successful organisational change. The course explores the essential qualities and mechanisms of a well-governed, accountable and sustainable organisation. NPO leaders and managers will be taken through a clear, in-depth assessment of their organisation's strengths and weaknesses. You will learn the use of powerful and proven techniques to enhance what you do well and overcome key obstacles to NPO sustainability and delivery in today's challenging environment. August 23 & 25; Venue: Disa Conference Centre, Gardens, Cape Town; Presenters: Andrew Shackleton,Marcus Coetzee, Willem du Toit; Cost: R675.

A manual from Healthlink Worldwide (working to improve the health of poor and vulnerable communities by strengthening the provision, use and impact of information) contains practical information on all aspects of setting up and managing a resource centre.

As part of its exploration into "best practices" of nonprofit use of the Internet, the Benton Foundation has compiled a list of nonprofit advocacy organizations that make particularly good use of the Internet in their activities.

An online course from NetAction which includes "classes" on using email and the Web for outreach, organizing, advocacy, membership and fundraising.

Corruption is costing thousands of lives in poor countries and moves by the rich world to help alleviate the Aids pandemic must be accompanied by vigilance towards governments which steal from their own people, Transparency International (TI) said yesterday. The Berlin-based group's sixth "corruption perceptions index'' finds the highest standards of business and administrative practice in Finland and Denmark, and the lowest in Uganda, Nigeria and Bangladesh.

With health inspection in Kenya not quite a priority, pharmacists and shop owners are a making a killing from sales of banned anti-malaria medicines. In dispensing chemists and general shops, chloroquine, malariaquine and dawaquine once used in the past as first line treatment tablets in malaria management - but now prescription drugs - are openly sold in spite of official ban.

If you're a nonprofit leader, funder or technical assistance provider to the nonprofit sector, this site is for you. Here you'll find current trends and practices in nonprofit use of digital media. And we hope we've organized the resources and tools in a way that helps you get your work done effectively.

Since the end of the Cold War and the reduction in the use of aid to support regimes according to their respective Cold War alliances, there has been a marked resurgence of interest in concepts such as governance, Civil Society, local democracy, accountability and transparency. Initially, NGOs were identified as the natural interlocutors for governmental and intergovernmental agencies wanting to promote Civil Society. However, in recent years many official agencies have recognised that NGOs alone are not synonymous with Civil Society. INTRAC has been keen to monitor and engage in the debate on appropriate and effective means of supporting Civil Society.

In an age where donor goals and objectives often dictate broader development priorities, how are capacity building initiatives of southern NGOs impacted? To what extent are capacity building programs based on internally identified organizational needs versus northern perceptions of NGO needs?

FEE : GBP 6,000 + expenses
Location : Africa
Closing Date : 14 Jul 2001
Job posted on : 17 Jun 2001

The Nigerian government has ratified five of the eight core conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions against child labour, 'The Guardian' newspaper reported on Thursday. The ratification was disclosed by Godfrey Preware, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity, at the 89th plenary session of the ILO which ended in Geneva recently, the paper said.

Applications are invited from experienced trainers, preferably from one of the SADC countries, to produce course materials for strengthening the campaigning capabilities of human rights and other activist organisations as part of the Adilisha project. The purpose of the course is to enable human rights activists to define, develop and run effective mass-based / popular campaigns for the protection and promotion of human rights and the promotion of respect for human dignity. Those interested in applying should familiarise themselves with the project summary at: and with the full details of this announcement. Applications, including CVs, should be sent to [email protected], and should include a 3-5 page proposed course outline listing topics to be covered and associated learning objectives, together with a bibliography of relevant literature not exceeding one page.

The Action Coalition is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to facilitating the work of individuals and organizations working towards justice, human rights, a sustainable environment, and eradicating the worst aspects of poverty. The site contains information on lobbying, the WHO Tuberculosis Report, links to other sites, and 'Tools for Democracy'.

This web site is a gateway to many resources for human rights activists around the world. It provides an opportunity to access discission forums, campaigns and resources as well as to submit new resources. There are also links to other NGOs. The site is searchable.

This site has a legal focus and provides a detailed introduction to human rights law. It features and documents national and international human rights instruments. A good research resource.

The UkuShela Award is an Award for Advocacy, recognising stories about past advocacy campaigns. Do you want to help others in their advocacy work and strengthen the advocacy sector? Share your story and fill out the questionnaire. You can now submit your entry by fax or ONLINE! Fill it out and your story will be automatically entered into the competition and we will keep you updated. Up till know 20 stories have been entered in our competition for the UkuShela Award. We're looking forward to receive yours! If you have any questions, please contact Renate at 021- 461 2559 or via email.

This manual is intended for organizations interested in developing and strengthening advocacy strategies and capacities. It provides advocates with frameworks to analyze past and plan future advocacy efforts, and trainers with materials for adaptation and use in capacity building workshops. It offers concepts, planning frameworks, analytic tools for assessing public policy systems, tools for strategy development, frameworks for understanding and planning organizational capacity-building for advocacy campaigns, suggestions for assessing the impact of advocacy campaigns, case studies of successful advocacy in many regions, and a variety of readings and references. It draws on lessons gathered through joint research and projects with our colleagues in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. IDR, 340 pages, Price: $75.00, Year: 1997

The Kenya Coalition for Access to Essential Medicines on Sunday called on US Secretary of State Colin Powell, visiting Nairobi slum areas during an official visit to the Kenyan capital, to prevail upon the US government to mobilise serious political and financial resources to fight HIV/AIDS and to ensure affordable treatment. "We are asking you and the US government to support HIV treatment for Africans by providing greater funds to fight this global epidemic and by supporting generic [drugs] competition in developing countries," said Patricia Asero, an MSF outreach worker on AIDS in Kibera slums, speaking at Powell's meeting with AIDS patients.