CONTENTS

1. ORGANISATIONAL NEWS
- ACORD welcomes three new members onto Senior Management Team
- ACORD in first phase of relocating to Africa
- New Human Resources Strategic Plan

2. PROGRAMME NEWS
- Mozambique: NGOs working on HIV/AIDS join forces
- Angola: The use of theatre in programming
- Rwanda: Programme in transition
- Rwanda: ACORD-RWANDA attends UN Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
- Burundi: Projet urbain de Bujumbura: Le travail sur la question du conflit.
- Burundi: La decentralisation a travers la structuration du milieu en groupe de delegues communautaires (GDC)
- Uganda: Evaluation of Oruchinga Valley Rural Development Programme (Mbarara)
- Sudan: Funds sought for new programme for the displaced in Khartoum
- Eritrea: Improved co-ordination and information sharing
- Eritrea: Latest research
- Ethiopia: New efforts at HIV/AIDS awareness
- HIV/AIDS: Follow-up to HIV/AIDS Workshop
- HIV/AIDS: Developments of the thematic programme

3. WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, PRESENTATIONS AND EVENTS
- Consultative Workshop: Lake Chad Programme
- Research in Gender-Sensitive Programme Design and Planning in Conflict-Affected Situations
- The Role of Service Delivery and Advocacy in Rights Based Development
- GOOD Annual Conference 2001 on Gender and Violent Conflict.

4. TRAINING
- International Training of Trainers Course in Gender and Development
- Stepping Stones Training

5. PUBLICATIONS
- ACORD Aids Workshop Report

7. VACANCIES AT ACORD
- HIV/AIDS Programme Manager

8. NEWSLETTER & SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS.

ACORD WELCOMES THREE NEW MEMBERS ONTO SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
ACORD is pleased to welcome Debra Vidler, Fran Smith and Gholam Morshed onto its Senior Management Team. Debra Vidler has been appointed as ACORD's new Director of Organisational Development. Her post replaces that of Head of Personnel and Administration, previously held by Anna Stobart. Debra was previously ACORD's Regional Programme Officer for Southern Africa. Fran Smith has been appointed as ACORD's new Director of Funding, replacing Celia Clarke who is taking on the post of Director at the Women's Advice Network in London. Gholam Morshed has been appointed as ACORD's new Director of Finance, replacing David Bennetts who has taken on a similar post for the Brooke Hospital for Animals.

ACORD IN FIRST PHASE OF RELOCATING TO AFRICA
As part of its vision of building a pan African international organisation, ACORD is taking its first steps towards moving its strategic leadership, identity and management from the UK to Africa. The first stage involves the relocation of the Programming Department functions to Africa. While many of these functions will move from the regional desks and from Research and Policy Programme to Area and Thematic programmes, ACORD will also need a programming directorate that supports and leads these programmes. ACORD is currently choosing a location for the ACORD Secretariat in Africa.

NEW HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGIC PLAN
ACORD has developed a new Human Resources strategic plan. It's objectives include: having clear and consistent people policies throughout the organisation and established standards in management practice; promoting diversity in the organisation through a clear equal opportunities framework, through training, good practice and agreed targets; providing clear security guidelines, policies and training to safeguard its staff.
See ACORD's HR Strategic Plan
http://www.acord.org.uk/r-pubs-hrstratplaneng.PDF

MOZAMBIQUE:NGOS WORKING ON HIV/AIDS JOIN FORCES
ACORD and a large number of other NGOs working on HIV/AIDS in Mozambique have joined forces to improve co-ordination of non-government interventions against HIV/AIDS in Mozambique and to accelerate these interventions by setting up working groups on specific topics and monthly meetings. The forum was inspired by the NGOs' recent experience with UNDMT (United nations Disaster management Team) which, during the floods of the Zambezi River this year, brought together most of the intervention partners once a week. For further details, please contact ACORD-Maputo/Mozambique at e-mail: acordmaputo@tropical.co.mz

ANGOLA: THE USE OF THEATRE IN PROGRAMMING
ACORD's programme for institutional strengthening of Non-Governmental organisations in Southern Angola (ANG/06) is adopting drama as a useful new methodology.
See full article (in Portuguese)
http://www.acord.org.uk/e-news/No2/Art1.htm

RWANDA: PROGRAMME IN TRANSITION
ACORD-Rwanda is currently in transition, wrapping up its rehabilitation programmes and setting up new programming with Community Development Committees. Following the genocide and massacres of 1994, ACORD focused its community support on resettlement and restarting production in the agro-pastoral sector. It focused primarily on promoting local structures with the view to sustaining these activities. In its new programming, ACORD is going beyond providing on-going support to marginalised groups, mainly women and children-headed households, towards supporting local governance. This approach fits into the governance decentralisation policy, which was adopted by the government three years ago and has resulted in the creation of the Community Development Committees (CDC). These committees are the gates to all development interventions. However, to be fully operational, ownership from the community is essential. This has not been achieved yet. In this light, ACORD is working towards setting up a capacity-building programme aimed at supporting CDC in managing development initiatives. This programme would also provide a forum for discussion and debate on issues relating to the decentralisation of governance and to the dynamics of CDC. The vision for this programme is to see CDC evolve into community development co-ordination centres: seeds of a civil society, independent and sufficiently strong to be able to address effectively the country’s social and economic problems. ACORD seeks to implement this programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Authorities.

RWANDA: ACORD-RWANDA ATTENDS UN CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRADE IN SMALL ARMS AND LIGHT WEAPONS
ACORD-RWANDA and 118 other non-governmental organisations with strong humanitarian agendas attended the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (New York, 9-20 July 2001). The conference was aimed at developing and strengthening international efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and for Governments to adopt a programme of action to reduce the proliferation of small arms and light weapons that cause over 1000 deaths a day.

The conference recognised the eminent role played by Civil society and NGOs in reducing the negative impact and human cost caused by the uncontrolled circulation and trade of small arms and light weapons. The NGOs expressed their willingness to work along governments to implement the plan of action and made recommendations to support concrete initiatives at all levels.
For more information on the Conference, see http://www.un.org/Depts/dda/CAB/smallarms

BURUNDI: PROJET URBAIN DE BUJUMBURA: LE TRAVAIL SUR LA QUESTION DU CONFLIT
Le projet urbain de Bujumbura, dans sa quête pour un meilleur rapprochement des communautés divisées, travaille depuis deux ans dans le sens de briser les barrières et les frontières psycho - sociales et physiques entre les communautés qui font face aux même défis et sont marginalisées de la même manière. Dans ce domaine précis, la nouvelle phase de trois ans , qui a débuté avec le début de l'année est en train de développer des activités en rapport avec la création des espaces de négociation communautaire de proximité et des contrats sociaux de cohabitation en plus d'autres activités de rehaussement des moyens d'existence et d'appui à la participation.
Article integral (en francais)
Full article (in French)
http://www.acord.org.uk/e-news/No2/Art2.htm

BURUNDI: ACORD ACCOMPAGNE UN PROCESSUS VISANT LA DECENTRALISATION A TRAVERS LA STRUCTURATION DU MILIEU EN GROUPE DE DELEGUES COMMUNAUTAIRES (GDC)
Dans les provinces où ACORD travaille aujourd'hui, tous les projets initiés ont un volet important sur la question de gouvernance locale (appelé participation) et travaillent dans ce sens. La stratégie utilisée est d'accompagner un processus visant la décentralisation à travers la structuration du milieu en Groupe de Délégués Communautaires (GDC), inclusifs, élus, depuis le niveau administratif le plus bas (généralement une colline avec plus ou moins 100 ménages). Associés aux dynamiques existantes( groupements, associations, coopératives formelles ou informelle), ces groupes sont engagés dans un processus ascendant de planification et d'influence des tributaires plus forts. Ils sont parallèlement renforcés à travers des formations sur le leadership communautaire, les droits et devoirs, les techniques simples de planification, l'égalité des genres etc. L'objectif poursuivi est d'arriver à créer un mouvement plus fort, capable de jouer le rôle de plaidoyer et de représentation et d 'intermédiation communautaire, de négocier avec les tributaires plus forts et de défendre ses intérêts.
Article integral (en francais)
Full Article (in French)
http://www.acord.org.uk/e-news/No2/Art3.htm

UGANDA: EVALUATION OF MBARARA PROGRAMME
The third part of an evaluation of ACORD's Oruchinga Valley Rural Development Programme (Mbarara) has just been completed to assess, analyse and clarify the impact of the programme in the area and to help develop a new strategic direction and positioning.
http://www.acord.org.uk/r-pubs-MbararaEval.PDF

SUDAN: FUNDS SOUGHT FOR NEW PROGRAMME FOR DISPLACED IN KHARTOUM
ACORD is seeking funds for a new programme aimed at building peace and civil society with the displaced in Khartoum. The programme is based on a detailed and comprehensive baseline survey that covered Al Salaam Camp and Dar Al Salaam residential area in Khartoum. The study, available on request, provided a situation analysis on the displaced in the programme area, their accessibility to human, physical and social resources, their coping mechanisms, as well as an analysis of the root causes of displaced poverty in the Sudan. The programme represents a continuation and expansion of ACORD's support to the disabled (SUD/24) yet takes a human rights stand and approaches peace, HIV and displaced issues.Please contact ACORD for further details.

ERITREA: IMPROVED COORDINATION AND INFORMATION SHARING
ACORD's Southern Zone and Credit Programme in Eritrea has been attending monthly sectorial meetings organised by UNDP/ ERREC aimed at coordinating humanitarian activities and information sharing among national and international organisations, the UN system, line ministries and local administrations.

ERITREA: LATEST RESEARCH
The research unit of the Southern Zone and Credit Programme in Eritrea recently carried out work into the revival of beekeeping in the Southern region. The research was aimed at identifying the problems faced by beekeepers and recommending solutions for considerations by the Advisory Committee. It also carried out a study to assess the views and attitudes of communities towards co-operatives and conducted an investigation into the problems faced by farmers during the months of July and August when cereal prices are at their highest. The study looked into how farmers could avoid selling their produce at a very low price and become victims of unscrupulous traders and middlemen. The research revealed that providing farmers with loans during the harvest season would allow them to hold on to their produce until prices were high enough to sustain their families. For further details/research reports, please contact ACORD Eritrea, No. 16 Street 720, Sub Zoba 2 Zoba 4, P.O.Box 5538, Asmara, Eritrea. Tel: + 291 1 184272; Fax: + 291 1 182121 e-mail: acord@gemel.com.er or neby@gemel.com.er

ETHIOPIA: NEW EFFORTS AT RAISING HIV/AIDS AWARENESS
In response to the alarming spread of the HIV virus in the programme area, the Shashemane Urban Development Programme in Ethiopia recently focused on raising HIV/AIDS awareness amongst high-risk groups in the community (CSW, students, kebele leaders, CBO leaders etc.), and civil servants. The programme conducted four workshops for CSW, civil servants and CBO leaders and members and provided training of trainers (TOT) on HIV/AIDS to approximately 90 people drawn from school and out-of-school Anti-AIDS clubs and CBO Anti-AIDS committees. The programme also conducted public events, including two drama shows on the spread and prevention of the virus and caring for PLHA, as well as sports competitions and a road show organised in collaboration with the Shashemene woreda branch of Ethiopian Red Cross Society.

HIV/AIDS: FOLLOW-UP TO HIV/AIDS WORKSHOP
At the HIV/AIDS workshop in Pretoria at the end of March, the broad outline of a strategy for taking forward our work on HIV/AIDS at the global level was developed and key priorities identified. Since then, some progress has been made in a number of areas:-

i) The workshop report has been produced in English and French (the Portuguese version will be ready in the near future). 

ii)The HIV/AIDS programme document has been revised, incorporating the information and ideas generated at the workshop. This is still in draft form. We would welcome comments. Contact Angela Hadjipateras at the London office at angelah@acord.org.uk or Dennis Nduhura or Winnie Bikaako in Kampala at eaf1@afsat.com

iii) Southern Africa Strategy: The HIV/AIDS group formed at the last Southern Africa Regional Meeting held in Pretoria at the end of 2000, is planning to meet soon to develop an HIV/AIDS Strategy for the region. A briefing on key interventions in the region and notes on individual country responses to HIV in Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa, produced by Winnie Bikaako following her fact-finding mission to the region at the beginning of the year, are now available, either from Winnie Bikaako at eaf1@afsat.com in Kampala or Angela Hadjipateras at angelah@acord.org.uk in London.

iv) Employment of people with HIV/AIDS: the need for an ACORD policy was expressed at the last People In Aid workshop and it was agreed that the development of such a policy should be pursued by the Human Resources Group.

v) A training for English speaking programmes will be held in Mwanza,Tanzania from 1`-13 October (maximum 25 participants). A 2-week training for Portuguese speakers is also planned for September in Lubango, Angola. In August, some staff from MOZ5 participated in an exchange visit with ADPP, a Danish volunteer agency, to discuss issues related to Stepping Stones. For details of a possible French-speaking training in Rwanda in October, contact Chris Nzabaranida in Rwanda. If any programme has experience of using Stepping Stones and would like to share their experiences with a wider audience, please contact Angela Hadjipateras (angelah@acord.org.uk) who will put you in touch with the Stepping Stones Users network which produces a regular newsletter for users around the world.

vi) New HIV/AIDS initiatives: Since the workshop, Southern Sudan has developed plans for an HIV/AIDS programme. In addition, Angele Diello from Burkina Faso - one of the Pretoria workshop participants - will be spending the month of September in Uganda to learn from the East Africa experience and to get expert advice in developing the HIV/AIDS strategy in Burkina Faso. Other programmes that have developed new plans or expanded existing ones include the DRC, Burundi and Ethiopia. In mid September DRC staff will spend one week in Uganda working with EAF1 staff in analysing and interpreting data from a HIV/AIDS KAPB study conducted in Isangi earlier this year. It is anticipated that results from this study will be used to develop a HIV/AIDS programme. The same forum will be used to discuss strategies for developing a wider HIV/AIDS Programme in the DRC.

HIV/AIDS: DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEMATIC PROGRAMME
Dennis Nduhura, director of the Kampala-based East Africa programme (EAF1), will be in London from 13 - 21 September to work on developing a workplan and strategy for moving forward with the HIV/AIDS Thematic programme in ACORD. This will include defining key priorities for ACORD in relation to research and advocacy and a fundraising strategy. During his stay, both Dennis and Angela Hadjipateras will be visiting NOVIB to talk about our HIV/AIDS plans with a view to securing NOVIB's support and discussing potential areas of collaboration.

CONSULTATIVE WORKSHOP: LAKE CHAD PROGRAMME (Chad, Northern Nigeria, Northern Cameroon) Kano, Nigeria, 13 - 15 September 2001.
The development of ACORD's new Lake Chad programme is well on its way. A consultative workshop is being held in Kano, Nigeria to define the vision, objectives and structure of the programme. The workshop will aim to receive and discuss the results of the completed baseline survey and the programming recommendations made and to discuss the main issues posed by the context of development in and around Lake Chad in relation to this programming. The workshop is also aimed at exchanging views and experience with NGOs working in the area (Borno, Chad, Cameroon), to learn lessons from their experience in working in this area, to map out ACORD’s future programming in the cluster and to interest ACORD’s partners on the future of ACORD’s work in that area. Details of the workshop will be published in the next e-newsletter.

WORKSHOP: RESEARCH IN GENDER-SENSITIVE PROGRAMME DESIGN AND PLANNING IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED SITUATIONS: Nairobi, Kenya, 30 September - 11 October 2001.
Over the last year, five ACORD programmes have been engaged in a research project to aimed at deepening understanding of the armed conflicts affecting the programme areas in Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Mali and Angola. The main interest of the programmes in participating in this project has been to generate strategies for practical support, further research, and advocacy in order to strengthen programme impact. Overall, the project will contribute to international debates about conflict analysis on the one hand and gender analysis on the other. By prioritising the use of oral testimony collection as a research method, the project will also generate lessons for appropriate research methodologies in conflict situations. Its ultimate aim is to develop guidelines for more effective programming in conflict-affected situations.

The Nairobi workshop will be aimed at reviewing, analysing and synthesising the findings from the five case studies and desk studies, to identity possible dissemination and advocacy strategies and to agree plans for finalising project reporting.

THE ROLE OF SERVICE DELIVERY AND ADVOCACY IN RIGHTS BASED DEVELOPMENT, BOND, London 11 September 2001
As part of his induction as ACORD's new Northern Uganda programme co-ordinator, George Omona will be attending the above consultation between representatives of the Civil Society Department at DFID and those working for NGOs to discuss issues around the relationship between service delivery and advocacy in rights based development.
For further details see
http://www.bond.org.uk/events/index.html

GOOD ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2001 ON GENDER AND VIOLENT CONFLICT, APRODEV, Uppsala Sweden 12 - 14 September 2001.
Chris Dolan, Research and Policy Officer (ACORD) will be presenting a paper entitled "Gender as Women - Winning the Battle and Losing the War?" at the above conference held by the Association of World Council of Churches Related Development Organisations in Europe (APRODEV).

Summary of the presentation:
'Despite the shift from Women in Development to Gender and Development, gender discourse and practice in the NGO world has tended to focus on women to the exclusion of men. The battle to get one aspect of gender relations addressed, namely equal rights for women and men, has been fought at the cost of the bigger war for just gender relations between and within the sexes.

This is particularly an issue for NGOs working in conflict situations, where the reality of unjust gender relations is manifest in various forms of violence against self and family, but also in the use of gendered violence against civilian populations for strategic purposes. We would suggest that distorted and manipulated models of masculinity and femininity are the problem rather than men per se.

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING OF TRAINERS COURSE IN GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT (Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands, 2-14 Dec 2001)
This course is aimed at deepening the participants' motivation and abilities to develop training skills aimed at promoting women's full and equal participation in all development processes in order to achieve more gender justice in society.
For further information see
http://www.gender-training.nl

STEPPING STONES TRAINING, MWANZA, TANZANIA, 1-13 OCTOBER 2001.
A training for English-speaking ACORD programmes will be held in Mwanza,Tanzania from 1-13 October 2001 (maximum 25 participants).
For further information on Stepping Stones Training see
http://www.talcuk.org/stratshope/tp.html

ACORD AIDS WORKSHOP REPORT, PRETORIA, 26-30 March 2001
English (MS Word)
http://www.acord.org.uk/r-pubs-AIDSWSRpt2001Eng.doc
French (MS Word)
http://www.org.uk/r-pubs-AIDSWSRpt2001Fr.doc
ACORD has been working on HIV/AIDS issues since the mid-1980s when the Regional East Africa AIDS Programme (EAF1) was established. Since then, interest in HIV/AIDS work has spread throughout all the regions where ACORD works. This proliferation of interest prompted the initiation of discussions to expand the scope of EAF1 from a regional to a global programme. These discussions overlapped with the process for change involving a shift of emphasis in the focus of ACORD's mission and the development of thematic programmes focusing on a select number of key themes, including HIV/AIDS. A workshop was held in Pretoria in a first attempt to bring together people working on HIV/AIDS issues throughout ACORD. The workshop report is a day by day account and includes a brief summary of the key points. The full text of the nine presentations given by the different field programmes, as well as the presentations made by the conference organisers can be obtained from Angela Hadjipateras in London at angelah@acord.org.uk

6. USEFUL RESOURCES

GENDERCIDE WATCH
http://www.gendercide.org
This award-winning site, with its constantly growing database of case studies and other research materials, is an extremely useful new resource on gendercide. It seeks contacts and affiliations with scholars and students, activists, and other individuals who share its concerns and will allow it to learn and benefit from their diverse efforts. It manages a moderated mailing list that links concerned individuals and institutions in many countries and allows staff and subscribers to issue "urgent action" notices as cases of gendercide arise, and to provide word of important available resources.

THE HORN OF AFRICA PASTORALIST COMMUNICATION PROCESS
Contact pastoralists@yahoo.co.uk
This joint IDS-UN initiative aims at increasing communication between and within pastoralists, government, donors, development/relief NGOs and UN institutions working in the Horn of Africa. It aims to facilitate multi-directional communication, learning and understanding, and to start a process of increasing pastoralist influence over decisions which affect their lives. The process will work at the community and central levels to open spaces and build capacities in all partners (UN, government, NGOs and pastoralists) for pastoralist voice and influence.

AFRICANEWS
http://www.peacelink.it/afrinews.html
AFRICANEWS is a feature and news service owned and managed by African journalists. It deals with culture, peace, justice, ecology, religion, gender issues, and sustainable development. "All topics are seen from the perspective of the common people. In AFRICANEWS, Africans speak about Africa."

HIV/AIDS ADVOCACY GUIDE
http://www.ippf.org/hivaids/advocacyguide/index.htm
A new HIV/AIDS Advocacy Guide from International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) outlines what advocacy can do, often at little cost, in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Produced for any NGO working in HIV/AIDS, the guide is aimed at helping groups to influence governments to change policy and law as well as reaching the private sector and community leaders who have a critical role in prevention and care efforts. Issues covered in the guide include involving people with HIV/AIDS, addressing groups at higher risk, HIV/AIDS in the workplace and best practices.
From Kabissa-Fahamu newsletter.
http://www.kabissa.org/

FEMALE CONDOM ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
http://www.femalecondom.org
This useful newsletter includes news on the female condom,new research findings, notes from the field and resource material available.

TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL
http://www.transparency.org
Transparency International is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to increasing government accountability and curbing both international and national corruption.Through its National Chapters, it brings together people of integrity in civil society, business and government to work as coalitions for systemic reforms. It is playing an important role in raising public awareness and its Corruption Perceptions Index has triggered meaningful reform in many countries. Its National Integrity Source Book provides a standard reference point for reformers, describing practical steps that can be taken in each sector of society and contains a vast best practice documentation.

ACORD WEBSITE
http://www.acord.org.uk
The ACORD website is a rich source of information on our work. The site includes information about ACORD, news, summaries of our programmes, staff at ACORD, links to other organisations, useful resources, the current inAcord on-line newsletter and past issues and downloadable versions of our recent publications.

HIV/AIDS Programme Manager
3,000,000 Ugandan shillings p.a. based in Kampala

We are seeking to recruit a HIV/AIDS Programme Manager to provide vision, strategic leadership and overall co-ordination with regard to ACORD’s efforts to promote change that will reduce the spread of HIV, and mitigate the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.Closing date: 20 September 2001.Provisional interview date: 25 September 2001.
For further details see
http://www.acord.org.uk/b-employment.htm

Alternatively, contact Amana Dawuda-Wodu, ACORD, Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF. Email recruitdesk@acord.org.uk or fax to 0207 799 1868.

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