Skillshare Africa Goes 'International'   top
Skillshare Africa has gone 'International' following the recent merger with fellow development charity, Action Health.
In June, the Board of Trustees of both Skillshare Africa and Action Health agreed proposals that would see Action Health, a specialist health charity working in India and East Africa, becoming part of Skillshare Africa. Action Health members subsequently voted to become a part of Skillshare Africa on 8 July 2000 at an extraordinary general meeting.

In September the members of Skillshare Africa voted to change the name of the organisation to Skillshare International, in recognition of the work that Action Health has been doing in India as well as east Africa. This does not mean, however, the end of the names Skillshare Africa and Action Health. As Cliff Allum, Skillshare International Director explained:

"While the name of the company had to change, the Board of Trustees recognise the value of the existing names. We think it is really important for us to demonstrate in our name and all that goes with it our commitment to our traditional supporters and partners of both Skillshare Africa and Action Health."

The combined organisation will build on the strengths of both constituents, maintaining Action Health's existing projects in India and East Africa as well as Skillshare Africa's work in southern Africa. Action Health's specialised experience of work in health in development will augment Skillshare Africa's general experience.

Cambridge-based Action Health approached Skillshare Africa about the possibility of merging in February this year. The process of linking the two organisations was carefully worked through as the former Director of Action Health Robin Greenwood, explains:

"We were in a position where resources, particularly financial resources were becoming scarce. We realised that additional support was needed to maintain our programme of work. We felt that a merger would be the answer and began looking at organisations that shared our values and philosophies."

The Action Health approach has been based on the belief that no one should suffer from preventable ill health or disability. Acting in response to requests from organisations in south Asia and Africa, their response has been to provide experienced health and rehabilitation professionals. These professionals, or trainers, working with partner organisations for up to two years, pass on their skills to the partner organisation's staff and through them impact on community health.

These immediate similarities in approach were important in bringing the two organisations together. Yet the future vision was even more important as Cliff Allum explains:

"The two organisations are very similar in the way that they work, so this new arrangement will enhance the work already taking place and provide exciting developments for progress in the future. There were major benefits in bringing the two organisations together deriving from a shared vision and values.

"Action Health had recognised the limitations of an approach which did not go beyond health issues and saw the potential of integrating health within a multi-sector framework, which made an organisation like Skillshare Africa an obvious choice.

"Also, both organisations want to locate the activities of their trainers and development workers in situations where a range of development activities could operate, rather than as individuals working largely on their own with local partner organisations."

For more information on the Action Health merger into Skillshare Africa Click HERE

Development Worker Comings and Goings   top
Since our last edition of Skillshare Africa News, 12 development workers have begun new placements while two have ended their agreements:

Botswana: Clive Ashby has joined BOCAIP as a Project Officer: Monitoring and Evaluation. Charles Lonsdale has joined Veld Products Research and Development as an Agro-forestry Programme Officer, Olwen Donald is Assistant Co-ordinator at the Light and Courage Centre and Rebecca Sanchez has started work at Kuru Development Trust as Deputy Principal: Savings and Loans.

Lesotho: Grit Jacob is now Marketing Officer at the Crafts and Registry Department of the National Teacher Training College. Other new development workers involved in technical and vocational education in Lesotho include Stephen Vardigans, Curriculum Development Officer, Nicholas Waterman, Pre-Vocational Technical Officer, Adedayo Elegbede, Lecturer in Technical and Engineering Drawing and John Phiri, Business Technical Instructor, placed at different educational institutions as part of the TVED programme.

Namibia: Martin Drake, the Adviser at the Centre of Public Service Training in Windhoek, ended his agreement in August.

Mozambique: Vaclav Macek, who worked as a General Practitioner at Pemba Provincial Hospital since 1995, has ended his agreement whilst Sheena Tandy joined ORAM in August as Programme Officer.

Swaziland: Jeremy Watson has become Sustainable Development Officer at the Mlawula Nature Reserve while Neil Gray is working with the Manzini Youth Centre as a project Co-ordinator.

There have been no incoming or outgoing development workers in South Africa.
Coming and goings within the
Action Health Programme

India: Dr Neil James and Dr Anita Cross, both GPs, started work as the first health trainers with MASS (Manav Adhikar Seva Samitee), in Orissa. Dr Kannan started work as the first health trainer with THI (Tribal Health Initiative), Tamil Nadu. He is accompanied by his wife Chitra and young son Ajay.

Katy Thompson, Physiotherapist, left Vidya Sagar, Chennai on September 29th. She is due to return to continue the training in March next year.

Zanzibar: Dr Clare Polak, General Practitioner; Catherine Murphy, midwife, and Caroline King, Health Promotion Specialist, all returned from Pemba on the 31st July. They were the last trainers to be working on Pemba Island.

A Decade in Development   top
Skillshare Africa celebrated in style during October as the organisation reached its 10th anniversary. Across southern Africa and in the UK, Skillshare Africa staff, partner organisations, development workers and distinguished guests helped to mark a decade in development for the organisation.
Botswana celebrated on the 15 September 2000 at Boipuso Hall, Gaborone. Executive Secretary of the Southern Africa Development Community, Dr Prega Ramsamy, was guest speaker. Around 90 invitees including staff, development workers, Programme Advisory Committee members, partner organisations and those with a history of working with Skillshare Africa were treated to a feast of entertainment from Reetsanang drama group and the Prisons Band who kept guests dancing until midnight.

The Mozambique celebrations were modest due mainly to the preparations for the official launch of the Corporate Strategy and Country Plans. This was held at Hotel Tevole on September 12 and speakers included Regional Director, Imelda Diouf; Country Director, Albano Veiga Jnr; and Vice-Chairman of the PAC, Dr Abudo.

The UK celebrations on September 22 were held at Leicester Tigers Rugby Club. The evening had an African and Asian theme with an African and Asian buffet, African drummers, Beats Working and Bhangra drummers, Dhol Enforcement Agency. Nritya Kala demonstrated the art of Indian Dance while Fly the Heart entertained guests with traditional African songs. Speakers included Karabo Marite from the Lesotho High Commission; Sarah Westcott, Chair of the Board of Trustees; Imelda Diouf and Director, Cliff Allum.

The Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia celebrations are expected to take place early in the New Year. While we have only had a programme in Namibia for a short time, the celebrations will provide the perfect opportunity for Enginie Ludwuiga !Owos-oas, new Namibia Country Co-ordinator, to promote the work of Skillshare Africa. Lesotho will mark their decade at the same time as moving to their new offices with a double celebration. Plans are being made in Swaziland to hold the celebration at the same time as the Programme Officer training which takes place in December.

'A Decade in Development - A Celebration of Ten Years of Skillshare Africa' is the official 10th Anniversary publication featuring personal reflections from partner organisations, development workers and staff. If you would like to receive a copy of 'A Decade in Development' please contact your nearest Skillshare Africa office or email: info@skillshare.org

AIDS Vaccine Trials Begin   top
Vaccinations for the African strain of the HIV virus took a giant leap forward in August when trials began in the UK to test its safety.
A small group of people in the UK, including parliamentary minister Dr Evan Harris, have been injected with the vaccine as part of a monitoring process on the side effects of the drug. If it is found to be safe, it will be tested in Kenya next year.

Dr Harris MP said: "I worked with HIV patients when I was a junior doctor, and hope my involvement will help publicise the trial.

"I am pleased to be able to be involved in such an important trial and am taking part because I believe that finding an effective vaccine is our best hope to control this devastating disease."

While these tests bring some hope, the vaccine is not expected to be ready for around 10 years and will cost millions of pounds to develop.

It will only work against the strain of HIV that is found in Africa but doctors hope the technique can be adapted to produce vaccines that can be used worldwide.

AIDS and HIV are a major focus of Skillshare Africa's work. The virus is having a massive impact on development in southern Africa and our Corporate Strategy recognises this.

In line with our strategic objectives we aim to create an integrated regional programme for HIV and AIDS by establishing links between related programmes in different countries.

The AIDS pandemic is a worldwide problem but we cannot sit back and wait for this new vaccine to become freely available. This is why Skillshare Africa is working with partner organisations now on ways not only to care for those living with the virus, but also to help empower individuals to prevent its spread.

The tests on the new vaccine are being conducted by the Human Immunology Unit of the Medical Research Council.

Research started after doctors found that some prostitutes in Kenya never get HIV - the virus that can lead to AIDS. The researchers think this is because some people's immune systems successfully destroy the virus using cells called T-cells.

The new vaccine is designed to produce the same immune response thus halting the spread of HIV.

A day in the life ...

Skillshare Africa development worker, Sean McGinlay, takes us through a typical day in his life as a Planning Engineer at the Department of Rural Roads (DRR), Lesotho.
I arrive at the office at around 8am after a five-minute drive to work. I usually have a rough idea what I am going to do each day but typically this has changed by 10am to something completely unexpected. Today, I start work on a cost estimate for a road I surveyed in the mountains the previous day. The road was only 10km in length, but it took most of the day to reach it and drive along it.

As I work on the estimate, the phone rings. One of the secretaries is having a problem with a computer. I have found that my general skills are as much use as my specific engineering skills. Although all the secretaries have done word-processing courses there is a general lack of knowledge on minor computer problems. On this occasion, a file has been misplaced somewhere on the hard drive. I show her how to use the FIND command. When I solve a problem like this, I try to ensure the person in question learns the solution, rather than relying on me each time.

I then discuss the practicalities of culvert (pipe-bridge) construction in the mountains, an important issue in the estimate I am preparing, with an experienced colleague. She tells me that although a supplier will say he can deliver concrete pipes to any location, it could take up to six months. In this case it is better to specify culverts constructed from cement bound masonry walls. Although the technical nature of labour-based work is fairly simple, the practicalities take much longer to learn.

As I get back to my desk to work on my cost estimate, the phone rings again. I get called into an impromptu meeting and am asked my opinion on whether one of our contractors should be suspended for forging test results. We decide he should be fined a nominal amount with the promise of larger penalties for a second offence. If we crack down too hard on the contractors, they may get into financial difficulties which would defeat the purpose of training them.

In the afternoon I travel with a colleague to a road close to the capital to take progress photos for a donor report. Our donors are currently the World Bank, The European Union, Ireland Aid and Germany. The change from the office environment is welcome. On the way I practise my Sesotho with the driver, much to his amusement. I have no need to speak it as all my colleagues are fluent in English but I feel it is polite to be able to speak a small amount.

We get back just before 4pm which leaves me half an hour to sign some requisitions for accommodation for a survey we are doing next week and to phone the donor to tell him he'll have his report by the end of the week.

Mozambique Exhibition   top
Mozambique Country Director, Albano Veiga Jnr, was guest speaker at the launch of a Skillshare Africa development education exhibition in Leicester on September 25.

Using photographs taken by former development worker, John Harrison, who worked at the Maputo School of Visual Arts for three years, the exhibition aimed to raise awareness of Skillshare Africa's work in Mozambique and the needs following the flooding of early 2000.

The date was one of great significance to the people of Mozambique, marking the launch of the liberation struggle against the colonial power. The year 2000 also marked 25 years of Mozambican independence.

Leicester's Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor John Allen, also spoke at the event, attended by staff, development workers, people who had donated to the Skillshare Africa Mozambique Flood Appeal and Mozambican people residing in Leicestershire.

Staff Appointments and Departures   top
There has been a lot of movement in terms of staff appointments since the last newsletter.

Four staff members joined us who had been with Action Health: Robin Greenwood, Action Health Director; Katharine Trott, India Programme Manager; Catherine Hill, Administrative Co-ordinator; and Tara Fitzgerald, Africa Programme Manager. Catherine Hill has since moved to a new position in London, while Tara is expecting to move to East Africa after her contract finishes in October. We wish them both well. Katharine and Robin are based at Action Health's Cambridge office.

There have been two significant appointments in southern Africa over the past few months. Enginie Ludwuiga !Owos-oas has taken the post of Country Co-ordinator in Namibia.

In Mozambique, Ferdinando Augusto De Almeida has become Country Programme Officer for the Nampula region, providing support for the programme in the north of the country. Until now, the whole Mozambique programme had been supported from the capital, Maputo, which was not ideal considering the size of the country and the distance between the north - where a considerable proportion of the Mozambique programme is based - and the Skillshare Africa office in Maputo.

With Dennis Lane taking a secondment in the Regional Office and Rachel Haynes returning from maternity leave, Elaine Stevenson has moved into Dennis' former role as Placement Officer for the time being.

Skillshare Africa said a fond farewell to one of our longest serving colleagues in September when Kathryn Birks, Programme Liaison Officer, left the organisation after 12 years service. Kathryn, who joined the organisation when it was still part of IVS, is now working with communities in Leicester's disadvantaged areas on development projects. Whilst she will be dearly missed by her colleagues in the UK and southern Africa alike, Skillshare Africa wish Kathryn every success in her new role.