Remembrance Week - 26th December, 2005 - 1st January, 2006

Last year, on the 26th December, an earthquake, and then a tsunami, killed, wounded, or impoverished hundreds of thousands of people in South Asia.

During the course of the year, other disasters took their toll too. Most devastating of them: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the South-East coast of the USA; and another enormous earthquake near Pakistan's border with India.

These disasters took their immediate toll, and, each time, the world tried to help. But as calamity piled upon calamity, there has been a certain amount of fatigue. Perhaps people's stock of goodwill has run low. Perhaps seeing too much suffering hardens us.

But, the fact is, the suffering from those disasters has not ceased. Parts of South Asia have still not recovered from December 26th, 2004. In the USA, normalcy hasn't returned to New Orleans. In Pakistan, thousands are still homeless, and may not survive the harsh Himalayan winter.

They need your help.

Last December and this January, the online community came together as never before to help in the aid efforts in South-East Asia. The lessons learned there were put to use, and improved upon, when the other tragic events of the year unfolded.

Can we harness that goodwill, that togetherness, that willingness to help once more?

The WorldWideHelp group would like you to join us in Remembrance Week. Here's what we suggest you do.

Use your blogs, your home pages, your wikis, your newsletters. Link to your favourite charities and NGOs, write a paragraph about them and the work they are doing, and ask your readers to make a donation. (If you'd like to find some more charities and NGOs, please take a look at this page on our TsunamiHelp wiki, this one on our KatrinaHelp wiki, or this one on our QuakeHelp wiki.)

Please link back to this page to help pass the word. You can use the image above.

Please use this Technorati Tag: Disaster Remembrance Week.
Here's the code:
<a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/disaster%20remembrance%20week" rel="tag">Disaster Remembrance Week</a>

In this post, we have a few more banners and buttons, with intructions on the code you must post to use them.

Disaster Remembrance Week

Hi all! First, i wish you and your families have a wonderful Christmas. Strangely, although I never celebrated Christmas as a religious holiday, just kinda freeloaded off my friends and never got to see santa. Sad innit:?!

Anyway, i hope that you are having fun holidays and are getting ready for the jump into 2006.

Now, If we look back into retrospect and try to understand what this year has brought for us, each of us will have a different thought, some may share thoughts and those who don't have any thoughts are probably busy planning someone else's thoughts.

As you all know, the world over has suffered tremendous loss, damage and destruction with the help of Katrina, the tsunami and just recently the quake in Pakistan and neighboring countries. The important thing is to move on, learn from the loss and create mechanisms that allow for less loss of life in the future. Look at the Japanese. They get hit by approximately 800 earthquakes a year. Incidentally, the quake in Pakistan has caused about 2000 tremors and quakes since Oct 8th, but thats cause the plates are still in motion.

A friend of mine has a theory that Mother Nature is pissed off and, well, i'm sure you could all imagine the ramifications of that, if you believe it. I don't have an opinion, I think the things that have happened this year and even in the last five years have happened out of human control but are the cause of our negligent living and thoughtless decisions made towards improving our own lives. We can get into that another time, just remember to be kind to people around you, you never know who you will bump into and what they have suffered from.

Have a wonderful holiday season everyone and try to be a little naughty, I think santa has got a kinky side too ;)

P.S. Please visit this blog and spread the word for Remembering and honoring the victims of 2005 Disasters and those who have given up their lives trying to save others.

Jobs at RSPN

Hello you readers, you! Things have been quite busy in the relief world. Firstly, a quick update on this avid R&R guy's life...

Just finalized some new contracts for relief and rehab for AJK and NWFP, which will commence in the coming days and will be implemented in Rawalakot (AJK) and Mansehra and Battagram (NWFP)

Going to the US tomorrow for a little break. Since October 8th, the quake has been my life pretty much and I have not even had time these last few weeks to update this blog. I can tell that the readers have slowly faded...tis sad, but oh well.

Anyway, since I will be officially MIA, you can definately not expect any updates until i get back (4th of Jan - My bday)

Here are some job openings at my organization if anyone is interested, kindly follow the procedure:

RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES NETWORK

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

The Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) is seeking dynamic, creative and committed professionals for the following positions. The RSPN provides strategic support, policy linkages and programme stopping services to its ten member RSPs. RSPN works closely with government and NGOs in order to mainstream ‘social mobilisation’ into poverty reduction initiatives in Pakistan.

1. Chief Operating Officer

• Act on behalf of and represent the CEO in his/her absence
• Assist the CEO in providing strategic guidance to the RSPN team
• Oversight of RSPN Special Projects
• Resource mobilisation for RSPN sustainability, in consultation with the CEO
• Oversee Finance, Administration and Human Resource Management at RSPN

Specific criteria: Ten years experience in development programmes. Sound management and team leading abilities. A minimum of a Masters degree, preferably in the Social Sciences.

2. Specialist Policy Research and Advocacy

• Undertake a strategic assessment of key public policies in order to work towards strategic alliances between government and RSPs
• Foster linkages with government and non-government agencies in order to promote social mobilisation as a critical tool for poverty alleviation, based on hands-on experience of the RSP best practice
• Bring in intellectual input from reputable learning institutes and identify new areas of research collaboration for input into public policy for poverty alleviation programmes
• Build working partnerships with international and national academic institutions and the private sector for research
• Facilitate policy dialogues, workshops and seminars between RSPs, government, donors, elected representatives, other NGOs and the private sector
• Build a repository of policy research documents of a high caliber at the RSPN

Specific criteria: Ten years experience in development programmes. Sound management and team leader abilities. Public sector experience is an added advantage. A minimum of a Masters degree, preferably in the Social Sciences.

3. Rural Economist

• Design baseline and impact assessment studies to assess Rural Support Programme impact
• Manage data analysis of baseline and impact studies through specialised computer programmes and ensure high quality analysis and documentation.
• Identify, with the M&E Specialist, research areas relevant to RSPs and supervise studies in the field.
• Train RSP M&E staff in M&E skills
• Ensure documentation of studies and organise their dissemination both within and outside the RSPs.
• Conduct special evaluation studies for RSPs through third party validation and ensure completion on time and proper dissemination
• Plan and organise workshops and seminars to dissemination documented work on baselines, impact assessments, research studies and special evaluations
• Any other assignments given by the Specialist M&E of RSPN

4. Manager Governance & Decentralisation

• Provide policy level input to identify and strengthen linkages between RSPs and local
• government structures
• Identify areas of policy dialogue between RSPN, the RSPs and organisations and government
• agencies working directly on devolution.
• Explore and identify linkages between Local Support Organisations (clusters of Community
• Organisations) and local government structures
• Analyse and assess the role and linkages of Community Organisations with local government
• structures.
• Explore linkages between CCBs and RSP-fostered community organisations and their cluster
• bodies
• Identify capacity building needs of RSPs and local governments in order to strengthen linkages between RSPs and local governments.
• Provide inputs to the RSPs for their work with district governments ie new and effective
• partnerships and modes of service delivery (social sector and other services)
• Document and disseminate best practices in the area of community governance mechanisms and
• their linkages with governments

Specific criteria: A Master degree in the Social Sciences. 4-5 years of work experience in a development agency or NGOs or as a consultant in work related to devolution. Familiarity with the local government system. Excellent oral/written communication skills in English.

5. Manager Human Resources

• Review and modify procedures for management of RSPN’s human resources
• Determine and enforce through functional groups – legal, regulatory and safety requirements in accordance with current regulations
• Assist member RSPs in reviewing and updating their human resource departments, rules and regulations
• Ensure administrative support to all the programme sections of RSPN.
• Supervise and administrate the support and RSPN auxiliary staff
• Maintain and update required documentation of personnel employed in RSPN
• Work with employees to ensure conformity with quality human resource management systems.
• Any other assignments given by the Supervisor

Specific Criteria: Applicants should have a degree in Human Resources Management with at least five years experience in managing human resources personnel and activities and a minimum of three years in human resources management.

6. Two Programme Officers Social Sectors (One for Education & One for Health)

• Assist the Specialist for Social Sectors in strategic planning, programme development and resource mobilisation for education, health and family planning programmes for RSPs

• Plan advocacy initiatives related to social sector programming with government and other specialised social sector agencies
• Assist the Specialist Social Sectors in coordination with government for special initiatives between government, other agencies and the RSPs
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with relevant government ministries, district/local governments, NGOs (technical, academic and professional groups), international NGOs and agencies UN agencies, and other partners for programme development and policy-relevant research
• Establish partnerships nationally and internationally with reputed technical and research institutions for assistance in RSP social sector programme development and government-RSP linkages
• Documentation, evaluation and dissemination of RSP special initiatives in the social sectors
• Promote effective programme learning through technical input into RSP programmes
• Identify and contribute to training opportunities for RSP social sector staff

General Requirements

• Computer proficiency is essential for all the posts.
• Strong team work skills and abilities are essential
• Extensive travel is a requirement of all posts

Candidates fulfilling the above criteria may send their applications to The Rural Support Programmes Network, House # 7, Street 49, F-6/4, Islamabad or through email to: info@rspn.org.pk latest by 20^th December, 2005. Only short-listed candidates will be called for interviews. Applicants who have applied previously need not reapply.

RSPN is an equal opportunity employer.