The African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines (AJTCAM) will publish a special issue in 2011 entitled 'Reviews of modern tools in traditional medicines'. Experts in different fields may write on any of the following topics: specific case management studies in traditional medicines (malaria, diabetes, snake bites, cancer, infertility etc); traditional medical practice (general practice, psychiatry, traditional birth attendants etc) in different systems of traditional medicines; African traditional medicines; Chinese traditional medicines; Indian systems of medicines; complementary and alternative medicines; other systems of traditional medicines; evaluation of herbal products as potential medicines/drugs; clinical trials of herbal medicines; traditional medicines and HIV and AIDS – current research; chemical profiling of herbal medicines; cultivation of medicinal plants; safety evaluation of herbal products/medicines; standardisation of herbal medicines; packaging of herbal products; economics of herbal medicines; and biotechnology and traditional medicines.
Jobs and Announcements
The Operational Hospital Management Conference is aimed at improving performance and the quality of services at public hospitals. It offers a learning and sharing opportunity for all management levels within South Africa’s public hospitals and health care sector. It will assist healthcare management with practical solutions to meet the ever-increasing demands being placed on services, clinical and hospital resources. Determined by continuous research, the programme explores the key aspects and issues that healthcare management is faced with today. The programme provides a robust agenda of keynote and case study presentations and panel discussions. The Conference will focus on key industry issues presented in a combination of keynote presentations and panel discussions.
Community Toolbox, a global resource of free information on essential skills for building healthy communities is inviting applications for its Out of the Box Prize 2010. The Prize has been established to honour innovative approaches to promoting community health and development worldwide. Non-governmental organisations and other groups working in the areas of community health, education, urban or rural development, poverty, the environment, social justice or other related issues of importance to communities in any part of the world can apply for the Prize. The Prize is looking for innovative and promising approaches implemented in these areas. Innovative approaches may include ‘a unique or effective way of planning or implementing a change effort, creative use of existing community resources, original ways of generating participation and collaboration, implementing a best practice within a new context or group, or other innovative and promising approaches. The grand prize consists of a US$5,000 cash award and a customised WorkStation for your organisation to the value of $2,100.
The Third HIV and AIDS in the Workplace Research Conference, taking place in Johannesburg from 9-11 November, will reflect on the intersection of workplace HIV responses, academic research and surveillance, with a particular focus on strengthening prevention interventions in the fight against HIV and AIDS in Africa, linking prevention research to workplace practice. Prevention will be a key priority focus area, as success in preventing new infections is now widely accepted as the key to ultimately curbing the impact of HIV and AIDS on South Africa and its people. The Conference offers an opportunity for business to step back and reflect on HIV and AIDS programmes, using the lens of research and practice to consider what has worked and what lessons can be extracted. The Conference is also a platform to translate research into meaningful and sustainable responses that can be applied in the workplace.
The Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights is calling on all people's rights, health rights, reproductive justice, and economic and social justice advocates to join them in writing to country representatives at the United Nations Headquarters to raise concerns about the upcoming High Level Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. With the ongoing lobbying by advocates working on sexual and reproductive rights with access to the halls of the UN, and community level mobilisations for social change, there is pressure mounting on state representatives to the summit to incorporate the Network’s suggestions into their position statements and negotiation points. The network is expressing concerns that grassroots people speaking up for basic rights are being systematically shut out of UN processes. The letter asks for the state delegation to the MDG Summit to include members of civil society groups, particularly those representing the concerns of marginalised communities, and calls for modification of the high level advisory panel in order to respect principles of gender parity, and to include women as advisors for MDG 5, and increase the number of representatives from the Global South, with an emphasis on those from civil society organisations. The network calls on civil society to add voice to the call by forwarding the letter provided on the website to the country’s ambassador.
The Commonwealth Foundation’s Civil Society Responsive Grants are intended for organisations planning a regional or international workshop or an exchange visit to another non-governmental organisation (NGO) or project. The grants support strengthening of civil society for sustainable development, democracy and intercultural learning within the Commonwealth countries, and may cover short training courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, cultural festivals, exchanges and study visits in other Commonwealth countries. They are targeted at Commonwealth developing countries. Generally, the Foundation awards g around £5,000, but NGOs can request funding up to £10,000. In rare cases, Grants of up to £20,000 can also be made. The grants support activities in four main areas: culture; governance and democracy; human development; and communities and livelihoods.
Funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Fellowship Programme (NFP) offers an opportunity for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in developing countries to gain skills and build their capacities internationally through training and education. Mid-career staff working in organisations in developing countries can apply for this fellowship programme. Applicants must be nominated by their organisations. Applicant should have at least three years of work experience. Further refresher courses are offered to NFP alumni developed for the purpose of prolonging the effect of the previous fellowship given. NFP has dedicated half of the budget to be spent on fellowships for female candidates and candidates from sub-Saharan Africa. Please note that there are different deadlines and different durations for various programmes of the fellowship, depending on which country you come from.
The Senior Fellows Programme is looking for civil society leaders who are committed to collaborative action to bring sustainable, systemic improvements in the lives of the communities they serve. To qualify for the programme, these leaders must present a compelling vision for solving complex, systemic problems of poverty, inequity and social injustice, and show commitment to the participation of and accountability to the community they serve, as well as credibility and legitimacy from that community to speak authoritatively about its issues. The Fellowship lasts three years and the fellows are expected to take part in activities while performing their ongoing professional responsibilities. This includes attending Senior Fellows global and regional events, being available for peer consulting, exchange and field service opportunities, and contributing to the programme’s shared body of knowledge. Synergos covers the costs of the activities during the three years, and fellows are expected to remain part of the Fellows Network after completion of their three-year programme.
The 14th Annual Conference on Rural Health will be held from 26–28 August 2010 in Swaziland. Plenary sessions will focus on creative ways of funding health care and personal accounts of having made a difference. The Skills Training Programme includes treating Kaposi Sarcoma at a rural hospital, managing snakebites, new developments in mental health care and developing a decentralised drug-resistant tuberculosis programme. The Scientific Programme will provide a platform where delegates can present their achievements. Five oral presentations or posters grouped around a similar theme will be discussed during the sessions, with time for participation. The Medical Training Track will be relevant to student participants, as it includes in-depth discussions of medical training needs. A debate will be held on the issue of mid-level health workers, with experts from Mozambique, Botswana, Malawi and South Africa outlining advances made in these countries. The traditional Focus on Advocacy Track is expected to be vigorous, given the participation of the new Rural Health Advocacy Project. For the first time there will be a track dedicated entirely to debating policy issues and formulating resolutions. Health care professionals who are interested in rehabilitation will be able to attend multi-disciplinary sessions.
The main goal of the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC) Internship Awards is to provide exposure to research for international development through a programme of training in research management and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC programme staff. Internships are designed to provide hands-on learning experiences in research programme management and in the creation, dissemination and utilisation of knowledge from an international perspective. The interns will first undertake a programme of research on the topic submitted when competing for the internship award. Thereafter, they will be expected to provide support to management and programme staff in some of the following areas: synthesis of project outcomes; production of publications and dissemination materials or activities on research results; participation in team meetings; research tasks to locate, review and synthesise relevant material; preparation of state-of-the-art reviews; preparation of correspondence, reports and presentations; assistance with the organisation of meetings, workshops and seminars; preparation of minutes; updating and maintaining databases; and maintenance of the website; and exchange with other institutions working on a broad range of issues related to programming.