Fahamu’s Emerging Powers Project is issuing a call for grant proposals to examine the political, economic, social and cultural impact of the emerging powers footprint in Africa. The grant is specifically related to empowering civil society actors in gaining the appropriate knowledge and developing the necessary tools to articulate an informed perspective on the emerging powers in Africa and the corresponding impact. In particular, attention should be given to the forthcoming China-Africa Forum (FOCAC), the India-Africa Forum Summit, and the South Korea-Africa development cooperation meeting that is going to take place in 2015, as well as the recent Africa-Turkey Summit that took place in November 2014. Applicants are encouraged to explore how these platforms inform Africa’s relationship with emerging actors; what impact have these engagements had on Africa’s relationship with these and other actors; and how African civil society actors should advance African voice. The grants are for 5000 Euro, with further details on the application procedure on the website.
Jobs and Announcements
The action/2015 Campaign Coalition Coordinator will help drive the strategic direction and delivery of the South African action/2015 coalition. This is a high-level position which will play a key role in building a broad based national action/2015 coalition and in supporting the design and delivery of the coalition’s action/2015 campaign. This is a 3 month consultancy opportunity. Further information on the website.
The African Platform for Universal Health Coverage (AP-UHC) will be launched with events in 9 African countries and online during the first Global Day for Universal Health Coverage (12th December 2014). The same date, two years ago, all countries unanimously supported a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly which encouraged member states to “plan or pursue the transition of their health systems towards Universal Health Coverage”. AP-UHC will contribute to civil society efforts for the implementation of Universal Health Coverage policies at national, and Africa level as the practical expression of the Right to Health in Africa. The network is a result of the global effort to improve and expand healthcare delivery to every locality where everybody receives the health services they need. The network will provide adequate support to national NGOs in their advocacy, using people-centred, right-based approach, to influence governments and policy makers at regional, national and community levels to implement Universal Health Coverage policies.
FunDza aims to get youth reading and writing for pleasure. The organisation creates, collects and shares stories that ignite the imagination of youth from under-resourced communities. FunDza is calling for applications from reading groups to apply to join its 'Popularising reading' programme. The programme is designed to support reading groups for teens and young adults, especially in South Africa. Small organisations and reading groups are also welcome to apply.
The international Conference on Public Policy is being held 1st to 4th July 2015 in Milan Italy and will include a session on "Private sector and Universal Health Coverage: Examining evidence and de-constructing rhetoric". The conference aims to support exchanges between researchers on public policy from all over the world and registration opens 1st January 2015. The specific session aim seeks to discuss evidence on the scope and effectiveness of the commercial sector (and the paradigm of public private partnerships) in achieving Universal Health Coverage in low and middle income countries. The organisers invite abstracts for papers reporting findings of empirical research to critically examine role of private sector, scope of public-private interactions, and their implications for the UHC agenda. Abstracts should outline original research/ reviews and methodologies suitable for examining private sector engagement in health care systems. Commentaries/ Opinion pieces will NOT be accepted. Abstracts should include title, authors and affiliations (please * presenting author), abstract text (500 words); keywords (up to 5); a statement listing any research funders or other sources of financial support which have contributed to the work presented and declaration of potential conflict of interest. For further details please contact Oxfam UK.
A petition has been launched by Africans calling for concerted in the struggle to contain the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. It suggests three affirmative actions and rejects isolationist measures. Sign on to the petition is invited.
Oxfam has launched a global campaign to end extreme inequality, with campaigns in 37 countries uniting behind the call for a more equal world. Extreme inequality is argued to be threatening to undo much of the progress made over the past 20 years in tackling poverty. It is not inevitable. It is the consequence of economic and political choices. The campaign invites people to play a critical role and provides a pack of content, including ‘sharegraphics’ to share on social media platforms. From targeting big corporations whose tax dodging activities help deny developing countries billions in revenue, to demanding policies that can close the gender gap, the campaign invites people to play a key role in amplifying the call to even it up and raise extreme inequality to the top of government’s agendas.
With the world still battling the Ebola outbreak, the evidence of a clear link between the inability of affected countries to deal with the crisis and the collapse of public health systems is becoming stronger. Extreme poverty in the affected region, engendered by neo-liberal policies, further created the conditions for the rapid spread of the epidemic. This is the context that informs the contents of the 2014 Global Health Watch (GHW) report that was released in November. With contributions from more than 80 experts from across the globe, GHW4 addresses key issues in the health sector. Through its five sections, it covers diverse issues related to health systems and the range of social, economic, political and environmental determinants of health. GHW4 locates decisions and choices that impact on health in the structure of global power relations and economic governance and is complemented by the ' Watching' section that scrutinises global processes and institutions. The final section on 'Alternatives, Action and Change', documents inspiring stories of struggles and actions for change.
The UK Medical Research Council and the UK Department for International Development announce a further call for proposals for the prestigious African Research Leader awards. The MRC/ DFID jointly funded scheme aims to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will lead high quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to SSA. The African Research Leader (ARL) should be supported by an enthusiastic local research environment and by a strong linkage with a UK partner.
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with the International development Research Centre (IDRC), is pleased to announce the eighth call for applications for the African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowships (ADDRF). The ADDRF Fellowship Program seeks to facilitate more rigorous engagement of doctoral students in research, strengthen their research skills, and provide them an opportunity for timely completion of their doctoral training. The Program targets doctoral students with strong commitment to a career in training and/or research. The overall goal of the ADDRF Program is to support the training and retention of highly-skilled, locally-trained scholars in research and academic positions across the region. The ADDRF will award about 20 fellowships in 2015. These fellowships will be awarded to doctoral students who are within two years of completing their thesis at an African university and whose dissertation topics focus on health systems. The fellowship will primarily support research (including data collection and/or analysis). Funds will not be used to support coursework. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of a sub-Saharan African country. For further details and application procedures see the website.