HEARD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa is offering to support up to 12 young researchers by linking you to an international academic mentor who will support your writing of an article for submission for publication. If you are a young researcher (35 or under on 1st January 2010), resident in the SADC and EAC region and have exciting and original research on universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support, now is your chance to submit an article to a reputable peer reviewed international journal. Submissions need to include the application form (available on the website address given below) and a 10,000-word paper on a topic engaging with universal access. Papers should be no longer than 10,000 words and must be written in English. All disciplines may submit papers on universal access but topics should focus on social science, humanities or economics issues. Bio-medical topics will not be considered for support. Based on regional priorities, particular attention will be given to papers on issues faced by women – including sexual and reproductive health and rights; prevention topics in general and topics of health and economics.
Jobs and Announcements
The MA or Masters in Participation, Power and Social Change (MAP), offered by the University of Sussex, United Kingdom, is an 18-month programme providing experienced development workers and social activists with the opportunity to critically reflect on their practice and develop their knowledge and skills while continuing to work or volunteer for most of this period. The MA combines academic study, practical experience and personal reflection. Students carry out an action research project related to their work, inquiring into the challenges of participation and power relations, reflecting on their actions and assumptions, and exploring what it means to facilitate change. Designed for development workers and social change activists, this course combines academic study, practical experience and personal reflection. Students are able to continue with their work or volunteering activities while pursuing an MA degree, which includes a 12-month period of work-based learning in which they carry out an inquiry into their own practice. IDS is seeking interested people with at least three to five years of experience to join the October 2010 intake.
The Fourth Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights is part of a long-term process of building and fostering regional dialogue on sexual rights and health that leads to concrete action to influence policy particularly that of the African Union and its bodies. The purpose of the conference is to examine the interrelationship between sexuality and HIV and AIDS. In particular, it aims to open up discourse on sexuality in Africa and how this might lead to new insights in reducing the spread of HIV in Africa. The focus will be on identifying new and emerging vulnerabilities and vulnerable people using the concept of sexual rights and sexuality in the fight against HIV and AIDS. It will also explore how the application of human rights framework to sexuality might provide new insights in developing interventions to reduce the spread of HIV and map out new and innovative strategies, programming and funding best suited to deal with those most vulnerable to infection. The conference will provide a framework of how sexuality and the application of sexual rights may lead to openness, responsibility and choices for all people, particularly young people, on sex, sexuality and sexual behaviour.
Cape Town, South Africa will host the 13th International Congress on Medical Informatics from 12–15 September 2010. This is the first time the Congress will be held in Africa. It promises to boost exposure to grassroots healthcare delivery and the underpinning health information systems. This will open the door to new academic partnerships into the future and help to nurture a new breed of health informaticians. The theme is ‘Partnerships for Effective e-Health Solutions’, with a particular focus on how innovative collaborations can promote sustainable solutions to health challenges. It is well recognised that information and communication technologies have enormous potential for improving the health and lives of individuals. Innovative and effective change using such technologies is reliant upon people working together in partnerships to create innovative and effective solutions to problems with particular regard to contextual and environmental factors. The Congress seeks to bring together the health informatics community from across the globe to work together and share experiences and knowledge to promote sustainable solutions for health.
A growing group of health advocates and activists are engaging to promote during 2010 issues relating to accountability and transparency, within a rights and responsibilities approach in health. In common cause, in a collective vow of non-silence, all agree to speak up and voice concerns of questionable practices by both authorities and civil society. According to a petition circulated by the group, they are calling for greater accountability and transparency from institutions, organizations, and individuals in public sector health services.
With the recent establishment of two separate World Health Organization (WHO)/Stop TB task forces – one on ethics and the other on human rights – a number of issues have been raised that should have wider input. This survey is the first of a series of quick questionnaires to 'Take the Pulse' of the broad based tuberculosis (TB) community – patients, professionals, programmers and public in affected communities – on ethical and rights issues. The World Care Council invites individuals to fill in the questionnaire on the World Care Council website.
On the 9th of September, with partners and peers around the world, the World Care Council began a year-long process of Taking the Pulse of Global Health. This series of 'Outreach for Input' actions aims to gather the views and opinions of thousands of people on the state of health care services in their communities, and what they think is needed in the future. Using online polls, telephone surveys, web-forums and physical meetings, a new system of public consultation is being launched. This process is to encourage the greater involvement of all individuals, as part of civil society, and their organisations, in decisions about health in their country. Broad participation in these actions will help advocates and activists to influence health policy 'at the top', and help to forge the tools for change to be held by many hands 'on the bottom'. Results and data will be published on the World Care Council website, and can provide both food for thought and fuel for action. The first Global Survey is now online. It takes about ten minutes to complete the 30 multiple choice questions.
Three leading paediatric associations are uniting to host the 26th IPA Congress of Pediatrics in Johannesburg, South Africa from 4–9 August 2010. More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend this landmark event, the first IPA congress to be held in sub-Saharan Africa. It will unite paediatricians and health professionals working towards the target set by Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce child mortality by two thirds before 2015. The scientific programme is designed to meet the needs of general paediatricians from both the developed and the developing world. Plenary sessions will include: the MDGs and the current state of health of children in the world, and progress towards the MDGs; the state of the world’s newborns, including major issues determining maternal and newborn health in developing and developed countries; the determinants of health, such as genetics, nutrition and the environment; disasters and trauma affecting child health, such as disasters, crises and the worldwide epidemic of trauma; and the global burden of infectious diseases affecting children and the challenge of emerging infections.
The Poverty and Economic Poverty (PEP) Research Group is looking for proposals for 2010, valued up to Can$50,000 each. PEP provides financial and scientific support to teams of researchers in developing countries studying poverty issues. Its specific aims are to better understand the causes and consequences of poverty, propose pro-poor policies and programmes, improve the measurement and monitoring of poverty, strengthen local research capacity in poverty issues, develop new concepts and techniques for poverty analysis. To maximise capacity building, PEP favours teams consisting of at least one senior member supervising a gender-balanced group of junior researchers. All team members must originate from and reside in a developing country during the course of the project. Grants are awarded in four programmes: community-based monitoring systems; modeling and policy impact analysis; policy impact evaluation research initiative; and poverty monitoring, measurement and analysis. Decisions will be communicated by 30 April 2010.
The United Nations Democracy Fund invites civil society organisations to apply for funding for projects to advance and support democracy. The thematic categories for applications are: democratic dialogue and support for constitutional processes; civil society empowerment, including the empowerment of women; civic education and voter registration; citizen’s access to information; participation rights and the rule of law in support of civil society; and transparency and integrity. The selection process is expected to be highly rigorous and competitive – last year, fewer than 70 project proposals were selected out of more than 2,100 received. UNDEF funding ranges from US $50,000 to US $500,000, with most projects in the mid-range. It is anticipated that the vast majority of applicants and short-listed project proposals will emanate from local civil society organisations.