VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: Project OfficerL – LOCATION Hargeisa – Possible to travel to regions of Somaliland

UBAH SOCIAL WELFARE ORGANIZATION

Telephone/mob: 252-2-4402499 / 4404312 Email:ubaxswo@yahoo.com/uswo.ed@gmail.com

Website: www.uswosom.org

Hargeisa, Somaliland

 

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

EMPLOYER:	Ubah Social Welfare Organization (USWO)
JOB TITLE:	Project Officer
JOB TYPE:	Full-time
LOCATION:	Hargeisa – Possible to travel to regions of Somaliland
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT NO :	USWO/02~ED/VA#006/02/2013
ISSUED ON:	11 March 2013
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION:	25th March2013
POSITION TITLE:	Child Protection Officer Particular for only SCORE Project activities.
DURATION:	6 Months with Possible Extension
ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES:	Somaliland Nationals Only

Background:

USWO has, since its inception, been involved in the promotion and protection of the rights of Somaliland’s minority communities, their economic empowerment, health well-being and democratic participation. Likewise, it has been engaged in raising voices against atrocities, tyranny, violations and the incidents of discriminations by the so-called upper caste in Somaliland. It has collected, and presented knowledge and information on the issues of Somaliland outcast minority communities.

In partnership with Save the Children and in collaboration with the Ministry of Rehabilitation Relief and Reconstruction (MRRR) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA), Ubah Social Welfare Organization (USWO) is implementing the SCORE project in Daami A&B IDP Camps in Hargeisa city.

The overall purpose of the project is to contribute to the protection rights of vulnerable children who have fled their families or communities into Somaliland and ensuring their rights are respected, promoted and fulfilled. 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

§  Lead, ensure, organize, plan, supervise and control the implementation of project day-to-day child protection activities at all levels;

§  Draw approaches, establish, reform and strengthen community based child protection structures (CRCCs) at community/village levels;

§  Initiate , establish, promote and support problem solving, conflict management and self-help initiates child-to-child and youth-to-youth groups;

§  Provide workshops on youth conflict resolutions and management with community elders and youth groups;

§  Lead the project staff to support the establishment of parent support groups to improve community based reception and rehabilitation of VC/children at risk;

§  Plan, organize and conduct structured training sessions for PSSGs for selected points on care and protection of children and parenting skills;

§  Promote and support the reintegration of children in their communities, including child conflict with the law;

§  Facilitate and provide direct support to abused children to access needed services through provision of legal, medical and psychosocial counseling support to victims and, or referral or other means;

§  Ensure timely delivery of a quality project outputs to be produced within the project period;

§  Submit monthly, or quarterly and annual narrative reports to USWO executive director, project donors and partners timely before deadlines;

Expertise Required

The following attributes are required for the selection of the suitable consultant:
 

Competencies

• Proven analytical, organizational development and interpersonal skills;
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills;
• Excellent oral, and effective presentation and report-writing skills;
• Excellent computer skills required;
• Ability to meet deadlines with minimum supervision;
• Proficiency in English and Somali, written and spoken.

Required Skills and Experience
 

Education:

• Post graduate qualifications in the following fields: Public Administration, Development Studies or other related discipline relevant to the assignment.
• Postgraduate qualifications in social sciences or another discipline relevant to this assignment with a minimum of 5 years work experience.

Experience:

• At least five years of relevant professional experience including at least three years’ experience in human rights, child rights work;
• Sound knowledge of local and international legal instruments governing the protection and promotion of children’s rights,
• Understanding of key working approaches and principles in Child Protection (Child Rights Programming and Child Participation frameworks)
• Knowledge of Somali culture and the social political dimensions of CP
• Evidence of quality previous work with Somaliland LNGOs and/or INGOs working with Children;
• Excellent documentation skills including analytical and report writing skills
• Experience of working with Government

How to Apply:

Interested and eligible applicants can send copies of their updated CVs, and cover letter within the sealed envelope to USWO office at second floor Bahsane Daarul-Salaam Building north of SIDAM College building in central down market – Hargeisa Somaliland, call Mobile: 4402499, or send through uswo.ed@gmail.com/ ubaxswo@yahoo.com/  not later than at 2:30 PM on March 25^th 2013. Don’t send/email certificates or other supporting documents at this stage. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF VACANCY Position: Researcher/Writer

Position:  Researcher/Writer

Duration: One Year, Renewable

Salary: Competitive

Announcement Date:  March 13, 2013

Dead line Date: March 19, 2013

The Academy for Peace and Development (APD) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization whose main objective is to help secure peace throughout Somaliland and to promote good governance. Based in Hargeisa and maintaining a satellite office in Burao, the Academy was established in 1998 and has since worked in partnership with Interpeace (previously WSP) on various programs aimed at resolving conflicts between communities over resources and enhancing the capacities of Somaliland government institutions. APD’s standard methodology, Participatory Action Research (PAR), which allows its staff to interact with key stakeholders in both civil and political society, is based on the idea that inclusivity and participation at various levels are necessary for building peace and creating cohesion among Somalilanders. At the same time, APD maintains its independence, neutrality, and impartiality, a status which has earned for it the respect and trust of both government officials and representatives of civil groups, while also enabling it to bring about much-needed change. The Academy is currently implementing the second phase of a program called the Pillars of Peace (PoP). The program comprises three inter-related pillars, or thematic streams, in peace making and state building: democratization, decentralization, and social reconciliation.

Under the overall supervision of APD’s Executive Director and Program Coordinator, and in coordination with the research teams of the other two pillars and the multimedia unit, the lead researcher of the social reconciliation pillar will conduct practical, process-oriented PAR-based activities – such as public forums, workshops, and consultative meetings – which relate primarily to conflict resolution and (when and where possible) conflict prevention. The researcher, who will be helped by an assistant, will also be responsible for drafting reports derived from the findings/results of the primary research activities mentioned above. Finally, the researcher will carry out the administrative tasks of APD’s Satellite Office. Each applicant for the position should submit a full application dossier – an application letter, college transcripts and degrees, documentation of experience, and letters of recommendation.

 

Key Responsibilities (As Researcher)

1.      Develop a work plan for the pillar’s existing results-based Change Matrix, in collaboration with the Program Coordinator, Operations Director, and AV Director/staff to ensure its timely execution/implementation;

2.      Lead the process of establishing a Steering Committee to lead the changes pursued in PoP’s implementation phase;

3.      Collaborate with and assist pillar Steering Committee in the technical, participatory, and consultative management of all pillar activities including:

4.      Working with relevant legislative body (bodies) to ensure that Police Bill is enacted

5.      Liaise, cooperate, and build strong rapport with all key stakeholders including civil society leaders, representatives of communities, and especially those involved in conflict resolution/prevention, mediation efforts, and the maintenance of security throughout Somaliland;

6.      Plan and lead the facilitation of forums, workshops, and televised debates as part of a two-way approach to disseminate the outcomes of key pillar activities to Somaliland communities while encouraging their active participation in the progress and results of the pillar;

7.      Draft/submit monthly progress reports, press releases, and all other necessary presentations and materials to Program Coordinator for further dissemination;

8.      Perform all other related duties that may be required as part of efforts to meet the programme’s goals;

9.      Coordinate all pillar activities with AV staff to ensure audiovisual documentation and multimedia dissemination of pillar products;

10.  Draft a summation impact assessment report as part of the finalization of the PoP program and determination of its value/usefulness to the beneficiaries.

Key Responsibilities: (As Satellite Office Director)

1.      Ensure that the efficient and effective management of the Burao Satellite Office, including staff and material resources, in order to help APD achieve its mission towards which it makes consistent and timely progress in the eastern regions of the country;

2.      Ensure that official records and documents are properly maintained;

3.      Ensure compliance with the implementation of plans and policies as established and authorized by both APD’s management and BoD;

4.      Develop proposals and concept notes directed towards the initiation of new projects and initiatives at the Satellite Office.

5.      Regularly inform APD management about new/late developments in the country’s eastern regions and all important factors influencing them;

6.      Establish sound working relations and cooperative arrangements with other NGOs as well as the government at the regional level;

7.      Authorize expenditures and maintain all records related to them;

8.      Participate in APD’s strategic planning.

Qualifications

1. Postgraduate degree in the social sciences and/or humanities;
2. Fluency in both English and Somali;
3. Minimum five (5) years of experience in research and writing, including compilation of relevant data and information and drafting technical reports;
4. Experience in conflict management and resolution;
5. Demonstrated ability to lead and work with people of diverse backgrounds;
6. Excellent computer skills;
7. Excellent communication and moderating skills, especially in delivering presentations and facilitating forums and workshops;

 All interested applicants for the position should submit a full application dossier  ( an application letter, college transcripts  and degrees, documentation of experience, and letters of recommendation), to  APD  head office by not later than Saturday 19^th March,2013.

The Academy is an equal employment opportunity organization. Women are encouraged to apply. Only shirt-listed candidates shall be contacted.

Contact Telephone: 520304/4406607/4456266

Human-induced climate change played big role in Somalia's 2011 famine, new study fiinds

NAIROBI, Kenya –  A new study has found that human-induced climate change contributed to low rain levels in East Africa in 2011, making global warming one of the causes of Somalia's famine and tens of thousands of deaths.

Climate scientists with Britain's national weather service studied weather patterns in Somalia in 2010 and 2011 and found that yearly precipitation known as the short rains failed in late 2010 because of the natural effects of La Nina.

But Peter Scott, one of the study's authors, said the lack of long rains in 2011 was a result of climate change.
Britain has said up to 100,000 people died from the famine. But global warming wasn't the only cause. Al-Shabab Islamic extremists stopped aid groups from distributing food in its territory, contributing to the deaths.

source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/15/human-induced-climate-change-played-big-role-in-somalia-2011-famine-new-study/#ixzz2NemDaOPH

FBI accuses journalist ‏@TheMatthewKeys of aiding Anonymous

Matthew Keys indicted on hacking charges.

A Reuters editor, Matthew Keys, is accused of helping Anonymous hack the LA Times' website. The FBI alleges he was disgruntled over being fired from a previous job at KTXL Fox 40.

Zach Miners digs a little:
Matthew Keys, who...is deputy social media editor at Thomson Reuters, has been charged with...transmitting information...to damage a protected computer.
...
Keys was previously employed [by] KTXL Fox 40, which is owned by Tribune. He was terminated in October 2010, and in December 2010 he gave Anonymous [the] credentials for a computer server belonging to Tribune...the DOJ said. ... [A] hacker altered [a] headline...to read, "Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337," according to the indictment.
...
Keys did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. ... Reuters did not immediately respond. ... The Tribune Company declined. 

IDG News Service - A former Tribune Company employee could face as much as 25 years of jail time over federal charges accusing him of conspiring with members of the hacker group Anonymous to hack into a Tribune website.

Matthew Keys, who according to his LinkedIn and Twitter profiles is deputy social media editor at Thomson Reuters, has been charged with one count each of conspiracy to transmit information, transmitting information and attempting to transmit information to damage a protected computer, according to a federal indictment filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

If convicted, Keys could face 25 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of US$250,000 for each count, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Keys was previously employed as a Web producer for the Sacramento-based television station KTXL Fox 40, which is owned by Tribune. He was terminated in October 2010, and in December 2010 he gave Anonymous members log-in credentials for a computer server belonging to Tribune, and encouraged them to disrupt the website, the DOJ said.

An Anonymous hacker ultimately made changes to the Web version of a news article by the Los Angeles Times, another Tribune property, the DOJ said. The hacker altered the headline in the story to read, "Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337," according to the indictment.

In an online chat, Keys responded, "nice," according to a transcript included in the indictment.
"It was part of the conspiracy to log in without authorization to Tribune Company's content management system for the purpose of learning how to alter and damage it," the indictment states.

Keys did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment, though he wrote on Twitter early Thursday evening that he was "fine."

"Tonight I'm going to take a break," he wrote. "Tomorrow, business as usual."

Reuters did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment. The Tribune Company declined to comment.

Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com

Mr. Suleiman Ismail Bolaleh, (Saleban Xuquuq) receives the highly commended two decade national award for his 22 years human rights protection and promotion commitment and dedication work.

Rapid HIV treatment points to "functional cure" for AIDS

An HIV-infected patient displays medicine at a hospital in Payao province, about 600 km (373 miles) north of Bangkok November 28, 2007.Credit: Reuters/Sukree Sukplang

By Kate Kelland

LONDON

(Reuters) - Treating people with HIV rapidly after they have become infected with the virus that causes AIDS may be enough to achieve a "functional cure" in a small proportion of patients diagnosed early, according to new research.

Scientists in France who followed 14 patients who were treated very swiftly with HIV drugs but then stopped treatment found that even when they had been off therapy for more than seven years, they still showed no signs of the virus rebounding.

The research, published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, follows news earlier this month about a baby girl in Mississippi in the United States being effectively cured of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after receiving very early treatment.

Christine Rouzioux, a professor at Necker Hospital and University Paris Descartes and a member of the initial team who identified HIV 30 years ago, said the new results showed the number of infected cells circulating in the blood of these patients, known as "post-treatment controllers", kept falling even without treatment for many years.

"Early treatment in these patients may have limited the establishment of viral reservoirs, the extent of viral mutations, and preserved immune responses. A combination of those may contribute to control infection in post-treatment controllers," she said.

"The shrinking of viral reservoirs ... closely matches the definition of 'functional' cure," she said.

A functional cure describes when the virus is reduced to such low levels that it is kept at bay even without continuing treatment. The virus, however, is still detectable in the body.

Most of the some 34 million people with HIV across the world will have to take anti-AIDS drugs known as antiretroviral therapy for the whole of their lives. These drugs generally keep the disease in check but also have side effects and a high cost impact on health systems.

Worldwide, the number of people newly infected with HIV, which can be transmitted via blood and by semen during sex, is falling. At 2.5 million, the number of new infections in 2011 was 20 percent lower than in 2001, according to the United National AIDS programme (UNAIDS). And deaths from AIDS fell to 1.7 million in 2011, down from a peak of 2.3 million in 2005.

Asier Saez-Cirion, a senior HIV researcher at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, said that although most patients will not be able to control HIV, these results suggest that at least some may be able to if they get treatment early enough.

"(This data) and the Mississippi study strongly support early treatment initiation and may hold important clues for the development of a strategy to cure HIV or at least induce a long-term control without the need of antiretroviral treatment," he said.

(Editing by Ben Hirschler)