The Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Capacity Assessment Tool was developed for use in workshop and meeting venues in which an organization and a facilitiator work to determine an organization's competencies to carry out SBCC programming in three areas:

• Planning and design,

• Program implementation, and
• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and research

A facilitator administers the tool to members of an organization and provides the scoring along with feedback, which serves as a baseline and identifies the gaps in the organization that require strengthening. The same tool can be administered at a later point to provide data that shows improvements in specific competencies and where additional work still remains.

Information Science as a tool for socio-economic development: Libraries taking the lead in transforming society in Zimbabwe

By: Collence.T.Chisita

Abstract

THE FUTURE OF HUMAN, NATURE and KNOWLEDGE
by : Md Santo – MobeeKnowledge Services - http://mobeeknowledge.ning.com

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.” - Stephen Covey
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein
....“I think the next century will be the century of Complexity.” - Stephen Hawking
..... Dear Hawking, it seems the next century will be the century of Knowledge.” - Md Santo

PROLOG
Considering, Human Knowledge evolved and generated from Human Knowing Tools (HKT) and most likely that “WE ARE KM-REGULATED BY NATURE vice-versa BY NATURE WE ARE KM MODEL” ( KM = Knowledge Management ) - http://mobeeknowledge.ning.com/forum/topics/we-are-kmregulated-by-nature

? Therefore, on redefining Knowledge :

Ten Landmarks Toward Next Generation Knowledge Management
Published: Feb 26, 2010 by Md Santo - http://bit.ly/fNCO9e
Category: How-To Guides/Manuals
Description : Discover the signs towards next generation Knowledge Management

KNOWLEDGE 'R' US (not KNOWLEDGE 'R' OURS)
Published: April 1, 2010 by Md Santo - http://bit.ly/eRWQD7
Category: Research > Science
Description : We are as Human Being in fact is the Knowledge itself because the Knowledge essentially behaving as Human Consciousness since beginning of our life functioning to lead us in our journey through the path of Physical Realities – Data – Information – Knowledge (narrow meaning) – Wisdom and above. So Knowledge should be treated as something which has broad meaning to our understanding. This paradigm surely will give significant impact on how we look at next gen KM as well as to the influence of how Science and Technology should developed

Please visit our blog and let us know what you think of this contribution - hoping we can help stimulate conversation on KM practice in Africa.

http://theknowledgecore.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/dont-start-a-km-project...

Hope to connect with people in this forum, please feel free to get in touch: David@theknowledgecore.com

FACT SHEET ON BISPHENOL A - Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA)
August 2010
Compiled by Dr C Albrecht – Head of Research

• Bisphenol A (abbreviated BPA) is a high-production volume, artificial, industrial, manmade molecule that was first synthesised in 1891 by A.P. Dianin.1 It is an ever-present environmental contaminant with established endocrine disruptor properties

• It is a relatively small symmetric, organic compound (see below) with a molecular weight of 228. It is a white powder and surprisingly has been found to mimic the female hormone, oestrogen, by binding to the oestrogen receptor. It is one of the best examples of a so-called endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC) because it binds to oestrogenreceptors in the cell in a haphazard, uncoordinated way - disrupting the highly ordered working of the normal hormone, oestrogen, especially during pregnancy, and causing various health defects, i.e. it is a pseudo-oestrogen
  

Transparency International, self-described as “the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption,” has released its 2010 league table of corrupt countries. Guess what: about 3/4 of the world’s nations are corrupt!

With governments committing huge sums to tackle the world’s most pressing problems, from the instability of financial markets to climate change and poverty, corruption remains an obstacle to achieving much needed progress. The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).

This is it , Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita with Dr.Chifeng from Taiwan and another Professor from India at a conference on LIS pedagogy.This was one of the greatest meeting which brought together LIS professionals and Knowledge management experts from different parts of the world.The seminar discussed current trends in LIS , for example, Web.2.0, Library 2.0, Knowledge Management, Multimodal literacies among other issues.The trio represents a new crop of Information professionals who are shaping the direction of the Information profession in the developing world.It was a blessing that the trio was able to meet and share ideas and experiences on how best to improve the profession.

As the flood waters begin to recede across Pakistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says the government is now “seriously concerned” about the potential spread of epidemic diseases.

The flooding has left more than 1,600 people dead and approximately six million homeless. According to the BBC, about 17 million of Pakistan’s 166 million people have been affected by the disaster. In addition, the United Nations warns that without enough doctors or proper facilities, over 100,000 pregnant women are now at risk of infection and disease.

“As human misery continues to mount, we are seriously concerned with the spread of epidemic diseases,” Yousuf Raza Gilani said, adding, “There is a likelihood of water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and dysentery, especially in children who are already weak and vulnerable.”

The world today is faced with several challenges like the economic recession, climatic change, disease outbreaks, increased organized crime, information explosion, and uncontrolled migration. Like any other calamity, the harsh effects are mostly felt by the vulnerable third world states. Zimbabwe, coming out of an economic crisis characterized by record inflation, high unemployment, heavy brain drain and a large reduction in the Gross Domestic Product, has plenty to do with regards to enhancing the recovery path and rejuvenating the economy. With the Unity government having managed to tame the legendary inflation and the economy expected to grow, focus is now on which sectors of development should be prioritized over others given a background of an economy thriving on limited resources.

Abstract

International librarianship and international cooperation in Library and information Science are critical concepts that have become topical in the current global world. Librarianship is a dynamic profession that is affected by the cultural, technological, economic, technological and political milieu. The paper will explore the extent to which international cooperation in Library and Information Science has contributed towards development. The treatise will also find out how ICT’s have helped to promote international cooperation. It also looks at the challenges that Affects international cooperation..The paper highlights significant developments that have taken place in international library cooperation since the beginning of the twentieth century .The new millenium is a bracve new year that requires focussed professionals who understand the value of cooperation or srategic partnerships at both regional and international levels.

Introduction

CapacityPlus is a USAID-funded global project focused on the health workforce needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. CapacityPlus offers state-of-the-art expertise, models, tools, training, and analyses adapted to each context. These services help countries move closer to having the right health worker in the right place with the right skills and support. We work with public, nonprofit, faith-based, and for-profit organizations contributing to better human resources for health. The site features:

• News and stories from the project

• Tools, resources, and publications in our Knowledge Library
• A weekly summary on health workforce news from around the globe, with links
• A listing of relevant conferences and meetings
• A blog with perspectives on the global health workforce challenge—and solutions.

By: Eng. Mousatafa Wahba, Competency Assurance & TVET Consultant

What is Knowledge Management KM within Enterprises & TVET Institutions?

1. In the present day, in a very simplified manner, Knowledge Management KM within an Enterprise or Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET Institution can be considered as an approach that enables each member of the Enterprise / Institution to individually know and apply what the Enterprise or TVET Institution knows as a whole, enables the Enterprise or TVET Institution to know what each member knows individually and reuse it at group level, and allows each member to recognize what he / she do not know and should learn.

"Indigenous African knowledge has much to offer science — but only if science can be translated into local languages" Charles Dhewa.

Africans have a rich cultural heritage and a wealth of traditional knowledge on topics ranging from agricultureand forestry to medicines and medical practices — all of which could make valuable contributions to modern science. For example, traditional knowledge of drought-resistant crop varieties could prove crucial in helping small farmers across the continent adapt to climate change. Much of this type of knowledge is embedded in the diverse local languages and cultures found in Africa.

Yet despite centuries of scientific undertakings on the continent, there is still no vernacular word for 'science'. In Southern Africa, science remains a minority, English-language based, pursuit that reinforces the domination of English at the expense of local languages such as Ndebele, Swahili and many others.

Will Knowledge ‘R’ us (not “Knowlege 'R' ours”) shape the future of knowledge and KM?

By : Dr Md Santo – http://mobeeknowledge.ning.com

Collence.T. Chisita and fellow professionals on a study visit in Germany. This was a learning session on new trends in interlending and document supply initiatives

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs highlights the issue of how to reconstruct public administration in post-conflict situations so as to enable it to promote peace and development in countries that have been affected by civil war and destruction.

Countries emerging from conflict situations are almost always plagued by social upheaval, damaged infrastructure, reduced productive capacity, severe revenue shortfalls, seriously weakened human resources and greatly diminished security.

This shows that print resources will be with us despite the rapid growth of e-books.

By : Collence.T.Chisita

ABSTRACT

This paper is going to assess the knowledge management patterns in the government technical institutions of Higher learning in Harare. The writer will explore the shifts in knowledge production within these institutions explore the shifts in knowledge production within these institutions of Higher learning and try to establish any interdisciplinary collaboration between industry, education and other stakeholders. This paper will also outline the knowledge management systems and their role in complementing educational objectives. This will be explored in the context of a global information or knowledge society in which the quality of life, and the prospects for social and economic development depend increasingly upon information and its effective exploitation.

Collence.T.Chisita is a well known researcher who has raised the profile of LIS training in developing countries.Currently he is working on a collaboration on information organisation in oral shaped societies

The Functions of Current Local Legislation in Ensuring Compliance with Legal Deposit Requirements in the Context of Electronic Age: Case Study of Zimbabwe

By
Collence.T. Chisita 1
collencechisita@yahoo.com
zakstan@cooltoad.com
Collins.chisita@afritechno.com

Abstract

THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN IN GERMANY WITH FRIENDS FROM INIST.It IS HIGH TIME INFORMATION PROFESSIONALS SHOULD GO BEYOND THE MUNDANE OR ORDINARY TASK OF DISSEMINATING INFORMATION TO CREATING LINKAGES AND NETWORKS THAT HELP TO STIMULATE SOCIO-DEVELOPMENT.INFORMATIONIS POER IF ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE IT CAN UTILISE TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF THOSE AROUND THEM FOR THE BETTER.I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THE IMMENSE POTENTIAL OF INFORMATION TO TRANSFORM OUR SOCIETIES TO CREATE FREE SPACES WERE PEOPLE CAN INTERACT WITHOUT REGARDS TO RACIAL, BARRIERS.

The mission of K4Health is to increase the use and dissemination of evidence-based, accurate and up-to-date information to improve health service delivery and health outcomes worldwide. CKM4Health's current knowledge management activities include:

• Collectively developing “toolkits” of up-to-date and evidence-based resources that make information easy to find and easy to use;

• Adapting existing toolkit knowledge resources for local and regional use;
• Developing new toolkit resources—articles, guides, curricula, fact sheets, job aids, and eLearning courses;
• Encouraging feedback about toolkit resources through discussion boards;
• Sponsoring global, regional, and country-level forums;
• Providing free online and offline eLearning courses on a variety of health topics; and
• Supporting virtual networks among health care professionals, communities of practice, and technical working groups.

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE TOWARDS 2012 or “CONTINUUM OF PHYSICAL REALITY WITH KNOWLEDGE AND BEYOND : GREAT TURNING FROM MIND BRAIN TO CONSCIOUSNESS DNA” (see the Attachment) showing global trends towards 2012 in which the domain of Knowledge evolved in continuum universe as emergent behavior within human body as complex (adpative) system, having consciousness and free will (mind and value) as well as behaving dynamically as subject

A brief description about the sentence ..."After Singularity between Human Mind and Technology reaching its peak (in 2012 ?)"... :

New HIV infections have been reduced by 17% over the past eight years, according to a joint report released today from UNAIDS and WHO. Needless to say, there is much to be proud of as we mark the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day. However, as we take time today to reflect on the struggles and successes of the past three decades, it’s important we also prepare for the battles to come.

Executive Director of UNAIDS Michel Sidibé said, “The good news is that we have evidence that the declines we are seeing are due, at least in part, to HIV prevention.” He added, “However, the findings also show that prevention programming is often off the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programs to where they will make most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved.”

Many governmental and nongovernmental public health agencies are pursuing and, in some cases, scaling up programs that integrate family planning (FP) and HIV services. In response to calls from public-health decision makers for guidance on FP/HIV integration, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Family Health International developed Strategic Considerations for Strengthening the Linkages between Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Policies, Programs, and Services.

This booklet tells the story of a project that has had a profound influence on the management of four large forest areas in Guinea. The Landscape Management for Improved Livelihoods (LAMIL) project has also done much to improve the welfare of local people. Indeed, the two - better forest management and improved livelihoods - are inextricably linked.

The World Agroforestry Centre, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and their partners in the LAMIL project have developed a system of co-management, involving local communities and government agencies, which is generating considerable interest in Guinea and throughout the region.

Not long ago, these forests were managed by government agencies. Local people were forbidden from using them. As a result, the forests were widely abused, and the authorities were able to do little to stem the tide of illegal logging, poaching and land

Water is vital to life. It is the essential component in all aspects and activities related to our well-being and existence – including food and energy production and manufacturing in general. It’s clear that if our water supply continues to dwindle, and/or, if water became unaffordable, our lives would be detrimentally transformed. Billions of people are already experiencing and suffering from the mismanagement and unequal allocation of water. Between 1.1 and 1.5 billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. 2.2 million people die each year due to low quality drinking water and/or lack of sanitation – that is 42,000 people per week, 90 percent of whom are children (WHO/UNICET:2005). Exclusion to socially necessary goods and services such as fresh water has horrific consequences that are catastrophic, yet entirely preventable.

The Generic Drylands Mainstreaming Guidelines have been developed by the UNDP-DDC in close collaboration with the UNEP and UNDP/Global Environment Facility (GEF) Global Support Unit. This document provides broad generic steps for mainstreaming environment and drylands issues into national development frameworks, as well lessons drawn from various countries on environment and drylands mainstreaming.

In 2008 the number of African women who died from pregnancy and child birth was much higher than the number of casualties from all the major conflicts in Africa combined. Maternal mortality continues to be the major cause of death among women of reproductive age (15-49) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most of these women die from complications that can often be effectively treated in a health system that has adequate skilled personnel, a functioning referral system and can respond to obstetric emergencies when they occur.

Policy-makers are experimenting with billion’s of people’s lives on a daily basis without informed consent, and without rigorous evidence that what they do works, has no substantive adverse effects, and could not be achieved more efficiently through other means. In this context, carefully designed and implemented evaluations have the potential to save lives and improve people’s welfare. However, to date evaluations have tended to be selected based on the availability of data, the interest of researchers and donors, and the availability of funds rather than on their potential contribution to broader development strategies. For this reason, the institutionalization of quality evaluation is necessary in order to turn it into an optimal tool for policy-making. This report looks at the experiences of institutionalizing government evaluation efforts and considers the lessons learnt for countries starting down that road.

© UNFPA, WEDO14 October 2009: The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), together with the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), has launched a resource kit on climate change connections, focusing on gender and population and advocating that women are uniquely positioned as innovators, educators, caretakers, leaders and agents of change to address the risks of a changing climate.

The resource kit provides policy guidance, finance and adaptation plans, advocacy tools and best practices related to increasing educational opportunities for girls, economic opportunities for women, and access to reproductive health and family planning, recognizing their role in reducing vulnerability to climate change. Women, population and climate change are the focus of the UNFPA's flagship report, State of World Population, to be released on 18 November 2009. UNFPA Resource Kit: Climate Change Connections - Gender and Population https://www.unfpa.org/public/site/global/lang/en/pid/4028

This publication from GTZ can be used as an instrument for the application of concepts, approaches and methods for transforming unequal gender relations. Each topic is introduced by a short outline of the issue, followed by subsequent steps of action. A project example illustrates the application of the method in a selected sociocultural context.

From the introduction:

Authors: Boon H; Ruiter RA; James S; Van Den Borne B; Williams E; Reddy P
Institution: Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
Source: Journal of Cross-cultural Gerontology 8 Oct 2009; doi 10.1007/s10823-009-9101-2. [Epub ahead of print]

ABSTRACT

By : Clive Mutunga and Karen Hardee

This paper reviews 41 National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) submitted by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and identifies the range of interventions included in countries’ priority adaptation actions. The review found near-universal recognition among the NAPAs of the importance of population considerations as a central pillar in climate change adaptation.

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

Produced by: International HIV/AIDS Alliance (2008)

This toolkit is a result of team work between sexual and reproductive health practitioners working with young people in Zambia, Malawi Zimbabwe and Uganda. It is written for anyone who wants to facilitate participatory learning activities with young people to equip them with knowledge, positive attitudes and skills to grow up and enjoy sexual and reproductive health and well- being.

The toolkit's intended audience includes peer educators, outreach workers, school teachers and community workers. It covers themes on community mobilisation, gender and sexuality, prevention, reproductive health, stigma and discrimination. The educational approach to behavioural change used in the toolkit is based on the belief that people actively learn through participatory problem solving activities related to their own lives.

Specifically the tool aims to assist facilitators to:

The human consequences of the current global financial crisis for the developing world are presumed to be severe, yet few studies have quantified such impact. Using Demographic and Health surveys from 30 countries as well as IMF growth shortfall projections, Jed Friedman and Norbert Schady estimate that 30,000 to 50,000 more infant deaths will occur in Sub-Saharan Africa this year. Most of these additional deaths are likely to be poorer children born to women in rural areas with lower education levels, and are overwhelmingly female. If the crisis continues to worsen the number of deaths may grow much larger, especially of girls. Policies that protect the income of poor households and that maintain critical health services during times of economic contraction should be considered. Interventions targeted at female infants and young girls may be particularly beneficial. Policy Research Working Paper 5023

Drylands cover 41 percent of the earth’s terrestrial surface. The urgency of and international response to climate change have given a new place to drylands in terms both of their vulnerability to predicted climate change impacts and their potential contribution to climate change mitigation. This book aims to apply the new scientific insights on complex dryland systems to practical options for development. A new dryland paradigm is built on the resources and capacities of dryland peoples, on new and emergent economic opportunities, on inward investment, and on the best support that dryland science can offer.

Information Provided by Carol Lombard, Department of Social Development Population Website

By Prof. Joseph O. Malo. KNAS and University of Nairobi

Abstract

The paper examines the role of traditional and indigenous knowledge and technology including the role of citizens in knowledge management of sustainable environment, health, water resources, education, habitat, disaster and emergency response, food security, clean energy etc.

The motivating factor is that most of the villages in developing countries are small and literally cut off from the rest of the world and hence under serviced. Social services particularly in health must therefore promote a combination of traditional and scientific approach. This calls for recognition of people who apply natural and traditional methods to sustain life.

Livestock in general, and smallstock in particular (including sheep, goats and poultry) have an important role to play in enhancing the livelihoods of the poor.

In poor households, these animals are often kept under scavenging conditions with little or no attention paid to supplementing feed inputs, or to disease control and housing. At the same time, these animals provide products for cash sale when a need arises, and provide the household with much needed protein.

1. Share: Managing waters across boundaries

This publication provides an overview of the world’s shared water resources and insights for managing these resources. Using case studies from around the world, it describes the benefits to be gained from cooperation and the challenges of constructing legal frameworks, institutions, management processes and financing and partnership strategies to govern transboundary waters equitably and sustainably.

2. Assess : Integrated Wetland Assessment Toolkit

What is the legal and policy framework governing the provision of rights to migrant children in South Africa? What institutional capacity exists for responding to the needs of children who are affected by migration? What level of access to services do child migrants enjoy and what are the barriers to effective access? These questions frame this paper which gives an overview of the situation of children affected by migration into South Africa. It focuses on cross-border migrants who migrate alone, with adult caregivers or who remain behind when their caregivers migrate.

For more than two decades, governments and development agencies around the world have focused on reducing poverty. There have been advances, but progress has been uneven and nearly a quarter of the world's population still suffers from extreme "income poverty." Income poverty,however, is only part of the picture. A multi-faceted account of poverty and human welfare incorporates elements that go beyond income to capture the characteristics of poverty as experienced by the poor themselves.

"The Codex Alimentarius Commission envisages a world afforded the highest attainable levels of consumer protection including food safety and quality. To this end, the Commission will develop internationally agreed standards and related texts for use in domestic regulation and international trade in food that are based on scientific principles and fulfil the objectives of consumer health protection and fair practices in food trade.

By: Mamello Thinyane, Alfredo Terzoli and Peter Clayton
Department of Computer Science, Rhodes University
P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa

Abstract:

Key policy advice from World Development Report 2010 and Making Development Climate Resilient: A World Bank Strategy for
Sub-Saharan Africa - Act Now, Act Together, Act Differently

"Over the past ten years, Sub-Saharan Africa has made a great deal of progress in terms of economic growth. In fact, Africa has the potential to emerge as an exciting new center of growth in the evolving global economy. However, to continue on an accelerated growth path, the region needs to tackle climate variability and climate change, which now pose a daunting risk to growth, development, and poverty reduction. Climate is hardly a new factor in the region's history, but with global warming, Africa's vulnerability is deepening, making it the most exposed region in the world to the impacts of climate change. The hard-won progress of recent years could be reversed with extreme weather, crop failures, and outbreaks of hunger and disease."

Getting started! : running a junior farmer field and life school, Empowering orphans and vulnerable children living in a world with HIV and AIDS

WIEGERS, Esther HILL, Catherine COLBERT,Patricia 2007

Country focus: Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Climate change presents humanity with its largest challenge in recorded history. Its predicted eff ects over the coming decades include extreme weather events, droughts, fl ooding, rising sea levels that could affect countries such as Nigeria and Mozambique, retreating glaciers (although not in Africa, but with global impact), changes in habitats and increased spread of life-threatening diseases such as malaria.

Little concrete analysis has been published on the relationship between climate change and conflict, however, and even less on the potential role that population growth plays in intensifying that pressure.

Attempts to clarify the relationship between adaptation and development by analyzing 135 projects, policies, and other initiatives from the developing world that have been labeled by implementers or researchers as "adaptation to climate change." Confusion about the relationship between adaptation and development has meant that funding mechanisms may create redundancies or leave gaps in the landscape of critical adaptation and development activities.

Drawing on Internet resources, Weathering the Storm attempts to clarify this relationship by analyzing 135 projects, policies, and other initiatives from the developing world that have been labeled by implementers or researchers as "adaptation to climate change."