Comic Relief for SWAGAA   top
Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) has been awarded £157,864 by Comic Relief.
The funds will provide resources and support to continue SWAGAA's work with survivors of abuse in Swaziland.

This will include providing counselling for women and children, raising awareness of the issues surrounding abuse, and advocacy to sensitise lawmakers and legal practitioners on the need to protect vulnerable women and children, against abuse.

Peter MacFadyen from Comic Relief, said: "Comic Relief is particularly pleased to be able to support the work of SWAGAA because violence against women and children is a worldwide problem which is so clearly totally unacceptable.

"I was hugely impressed, on my visit to the organisation in Swaziland, with the dedication and competence of voluntary counsellors and staff in Swaziland and have every confidence that Skillshare Africa will give them the support they need and make a significant difference."

SWAGAA was launched in 1990 and is the only organisation of its kind in Swaziland to tackle abuse issues. Committed to the eradication of violence in all its forms - particularly against women and children - it provides support and counselling on a voluntary basis.

In the last two years there has been an increase in the demand for counselling services. SWAGAA started with a caseload of 5-8 per month but this rose in less than six months to around 40-45.

The first seven months of 1999 saw 612 cases in need of SWAGAA's support and the current caseload is an average of 50 to 55 per month. This has surpassed the expected counselling numbers by almost 300 per cent.

It is a vital resource for vulnerable people in Swaziland and the Comic Relief funding will help continue and improve their service for the next three years.

It will also help support SWAGAA's research into abuse which will help form a basis to lobby for changes in the law and legal practices and serve to clarify the disparity in the laws.

Development worker, Shilpa Patel was with SWAGAA to help strengthen the organisation from 1996 until 1998 when her role was localised. It is now run entirely by local people.

Development Worker Comings and Goings   top
Since our last edition of Skillshare Africa News, six development workers have begun new placements while six more have extended. One development worker has finished his placement:

Botswana: Priscilla Gathiga has become a Development and Marketing Advisor to Junior Achievement in Gaborone and Gerard Fagan is now Building Manager Adviser at the Kgatleng Development Trust in Mochudi.

Julian Hair who joined the North West District Council as a Senior Architect in 1998 has extended his contract for another two years, as has John Passmore, Coordinator for Tourism who joined the Council a month after Julian.

Lesotho: Two long-serving development workers, Alan Moore, who joined TTI as a Metalwork and Fitting instructor in 1995 and John Earl, Woodwork and Metalwork Teacher at Assumption High School since 1996 have both extended their placements until 2002. Simon Waters has joined ATS in Maseru as a Senior Design Engineer.

Construction Engineer, Andrew Rockett, has finished his placement at the Labour Construction Unit in Thaba-Tseke.

Mozambique: Camilla Eames has joined the Visual Arts School in Maputo as a Textiles Teacher while Elizabeth Howell, a Secondary School teacher in Angoche, has extended her contract for another year. Patrick Okinedo is continuing in his post as a General Practitioner until 2001 and is joined by his wife Patricia in a similar role until 2002

Swaziland: Wendy Rigby has become a Community Outreach Officer at the Mlawula Nature Reserve.

There have been no incoming or outgoing development workers in Namibia or South Africa.

PM Speaks at Swaziland Launch   top
His Excellency, The Right Honourable Dr BSS Dlamini, Prime Minister of Swaziland was guest of honour at Skillshare Africa's recent launch of the Corporate Strategy and Country Plan.
Speaking at the launch, held at the Mountain Inn, Mbabane, Dr Dlamini said: "Today we are celebrating the launch of a five year Country Plan that maps out the strategies for the next period of this organisation's [Skillshare Africa] life.

"Celebration of the plan itself may be somewhat premature, though we can certainly celebrate its vision and the achievements of Skillshare Africa to date.

"It remains for me to encourage all those involved with this NGO [Non-Governmental Organisation] to do justice to the quality of design of the Country Plan by making the implementation stage a resounding success."

Also present at the event on May 11 were Neil Hook, British High Commissioner of Swaziland, Ministers from the Houses of Parliament, Mrs Nokukhanya Gamedze, Chair of the Programme Advisory Committee and a whole host of other distinguished guests and Skillshare Africa staff.

The Swaziland Country Plan has a particular emphasis on education, training and employment, rural development, HIV and AIDS and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups, especially women.

Copies of the individual country plans for each of the countries in which we work are available from all Skillshare Africa Offices.

Funding for YWCA   top
The YWCA in Maun has been awarded a grant for £8,609 to help with the construction of a centre designed to support young women in Botswana, after a shortfall in funding from other sources meant it could not be completed.
The grant from the States of Guernsey and further funding from the Department for International Development's Joint Funding Scheme (DFID JFS) will help to support the YWCA's work with young women, particularly young mothers.

Until recently, young pregnant women were not allowed to continue with their education until their child was at least 12-months old.

This meant that not only were they behind in their studies but also faced with the dilemma of how to pay childcare fees.

The original proposal for funding had included a day centre, based on a similar successful project in Gaborone, where the women could continue their studies and meet other young mothers in a similar situation.

But following campaigning from PACT (the YWCA's peer counselling project) and other projects like them, the law has now been changed.

The centre will therefore now act as a daycare centre for the children while the mothers are at school.

The Values of Volunteering   top
Skillshare Africa has called for world employers to give greater acknowledgement to the benefits development worker experience can bring to the workplace
Research carried out by the charity into the lives of development workers reported that many felt their experiences overseas were not being valued as they should be.

One development worker who took part in the study said: "It would help if there was generally a more positive image of overseas development workers amongst employers. Certainly the job in Lesotho is the hardest job I ever did."

While most (54 per cent) found returning to employment after working overseas easy, many were frustrated at the lack of understanding from employers on what they had to offer - particularly when they themselves valued it as the most difficult and challenging role they had ever embarked upon.

Cliff Allum, Director of Skillshare Africa, said: "Having to acclimatise to a new culture and way of life as well as a new job is a massive undertaking.

"While their main commitment is to the people and communities where they are based, many development workers pick up skills and ways of working that could be of benefit to any organisation when they return home.

"Our research shows that employers are not sufficiently aware of this and may be missing out on some very skilled people."

The report formed part of the research process for the development of the current Corporate Strategy. It not only looks at statistical data such as age gender and occupation of development workers but also goes into their thoughts on their time in southern Africa and how it has changed their lives.

Copies of the report are available from Skillshare Africa's UK office. Call +44 116 254 1862 or email info@skillshare.org to receive a copy.

More Storms Hit Mozambique   top
Mozambique was hit by yet another tropical storm in April in the previously unaffected northern region of Nampula.

The country's fate at the hands of Mother Nature hit the headlines in February when flooding and Cyclone Eline devastated the central and southern parts of Mozambique.

Nampula had been relatively untouched by the adverse weather conditions during the early part of the year but there was concern when the US Navy Typhoon Centre warned of similar dangers from Cyclone Hudah.

Lis Szabo, teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Angoche, was moved inland as a precaution. But fortunately, Hudah lost strength whilst travelling over the Indian Ocean and did not cause nearly as much damage as originally predicted.

The situation in Mozambique prompted Skillshare Africa to launch an appeal to help with the rebuilding and rehabilitation of the area.

The Mozambique Appeal has so far raised in excess of £14,000 and money is still coming in.

Skillshare Africa supporters who would like to help the appeal by displaying leaflets around their workplace or community group can email rebecca.watson@skillshare.org or phone Rebecca direct on +44 116 257 6608 stating the number of leaflets you would be willing to receive.

Imelda Takes Regional Role   top
Skillshare Africa's regional programme is set to take off after the appointment of our new Regional Director, Imelda Diouf.
Imelda joined Skillshare Africa in May and set about immediately familiarising herself with the organisation.

She said: "I am on a major learning curve and getting to know much about the programmes in the different countries, the people who facilitate the work, as well as the overall strategy of Skillshare Africa.

"My first days in the Regional Office were taken up with talking, having big thoughts, reading and familiarising myself with the organisation."

Much of May was taken up with visits to the programme in southern Africa starting with Swaziland, Mozambique and Namibia. Imelda was also involved with the Leadership Development Programme which took place in Johannesburg.

In June, she visited the UK offices to speak with the UK staff and understand more about the responsibilities of her role. The Regional Office will be taking over much of the programme support mechanisms currently in place in the UK.

The feeling that the programme could be more effectively supported from the region was much of the motivation behind the advent of the Regional Office in line with Skillshare Africa's Corporate Strategy.

Imelda has spent most of her working life in education, teaching people with impaired hearing, people with learning difficulties and adult education. More recently she has managed donor-funded projects, with specific emphasis on finance and administration.

London Group Embrace African Art   top
The Friends of Skillshare Africa London Group absorbed a slice of African artistic culture in April as part of The Kusananisa Festival.

Three days of workshops were held at the School of Africa Studies (SOAS), from marimba and singing to story telling, metaphor and language.

There was also a whole day of HIV and AIDS workshops focusing on the use of theatre in education.

The festival was mainly a celebration of Zimbabwean culture but was of interest to anyone with a passion for Africa.

Naz Bharwaney of London FOS said: "As well as the daytime events, there was live music in the union bar of SOAS every evening, with Spirit Talk Mbira playing amongst many others. There were also events designed for children as well as adults.

"We got a lot of interest from people working in various areas of development and had some interesting conversations with a number of people. Overall it was excellent."

Debt and Development   top
Debt and development was the focus of Skillshare Africa's recent development education day in London on April 8.
With speakers from Action for South Africa (ACTSA) and Jubilee 2000, those who attended were invited to explore the problems debt is having on development in southern Africa and how the decision by many governments to cancel debts has affected the World's poorer countries.

Laura Fisher from ACTSA who facilitated the morning session said: "I agreed to take part in the day because debt is one of ACTSA's major campaigns and Skillshare Africa and ACTSA share a common interest in the specific concerns of the countries of southern Africa.

"I found the day really useful and thought it sparked off some interesting discussions. The group of people involved had a diverse mixture of experience and knowledge of the countries of southern Africa and the issues around debt cancellation. This led to a wide variety of contributions to the debate.

"I was pleasantly surprised by how much the participants seemed to gain from the whole day. Everyone seemed to find it useful to understand more about the history of the region and the particular problems of apartheid caused debt.

"Being able to spend the day with a group of people who clearly care about the problems faced by the peoples of southern Africa and want to do what they can to contribute to positive change in the region was very motivating for us all."

Bridget Sleap, a former development worker who attended the day, said: "I hope Skillshare Africa arranges some more of these education days and that they are able to get more people to attend.

"They provide interesting forums for debate that will hopefully feed into policy/decision making at other levels."

Debt: The Facts
The following questions are all related to debt in developing countries and are designed to test what you know about the debt issue. (statistical sources Jubilee 2000 and Oxfam)

1. Immediately after the floods of February and March 2000 the Mozambican Government estimated the cost of reconstruction to be in the region of:
a) $250 million
b) $100 million
c) $150 million

2. Which of these countries have no debt?
a) USA
b) Mozambique
c) United Kingdom
d) Japan

3. Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in the world, spends more on its debt repayments than on health care. How much more?
a) twice as much
b) five times as much
c) ten times as much

4. In Mozambique, how many people have no health care or safe drinking water?
a) about five million
b) about six million
c) about ten million

5. The HIPC initiative is the plan put forward by creditors which aims to reduce debt of some countries. What does HIPC stand for?
Highly Indebted Poor Country
High Income Parasitic Country
Heavily Indebted Poor Country

6. In Mozambique, debt per head of the population is £218. Under the HIPC initiative Mozambique qualifies for a reduction of debt repayment which each year is worth:
a) about 50 pence per person
b) about £10 per person
c) about £50 per person

7. The IMF was set up after the Second World War to provide loans to countries with balance of payments difficulties. What does the IMF stand for?
a) International Management Forum
b) International Monetary Fund
c) International Money Foundation

8. The IMF, which has blocked more substantial debt cancellation, is controlled by the voting powers of its members. Mozambique has 0.06 per cent of the votes, what percentage does the United States have?
a) 10%
b) 5%
c) 18%

9. Which section of debt is discussed at the Paris Club and by whom?

10. The leaders of the world's richest countries meet every year for the G8 Summit. Which of these Countries is not in the G8? a) Britain
b) USA
c) Australia
d) Germany
e) Italy
f) France
g) Canada
h) Japan
i) Russia

11. Rich countries take more back in debt repayments than they give in aid, true or false?

Click Here for Answers

Staff arrivals and departures   top
Dennis Lane from the UK office will be taking up a one-year secondment post in the Regional Office as one of two Regional Programme Officers.
His role will involve helping to establish Regional Office functions and supporting the five country offices in Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland in their initiatives - particularly regional recruitment.
Dennis, who has been working in the Skills Development Unit at Skillshare Africa for three years, is due to take the post in July.

Imelda Diouf has taken the post of Regional Director in Pretoria.

Rachel Haynes has returned from her maternity leave from the UK office to continue her role as Projects Officer.

 

 

Quiz Answers    top

1. a) $250 million. Immediately afterwards, the international community gave $150 million

2. All of them have debt; the issue is not if you have debt but if you have the ability to repay. US debt is about $3 trillion

3. c) 10 times as much

4. c) Ten million, there are about 18 million people living in Mozambique.

5. c) Heavily Indebted Poor Country

6. a) About 50 pence per person. The problem with HIPC is that is only cancelled the part of debt that Mozambique could not and was not paying anyway. So actual debt service only falls from $113 million per year to $100 million

7. b) International Monetary Fund. Otherwise known, along with the World Bank, as the Bretton Woods Institutes

8. c) 18%

9. Bilateral debt or government to government debt is rescheduled or written off at the quarterly meetings of the Paris Club. Key creditors depend on which country is being discussed, they often include the USA, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia.

10. c) Australia

11. True. In 1996 the rich would took back £9 for every £1 given in aid to developing countries. Africa gave the £26 million raised by Live Aid back to the West in debt repayments in one day.