Call for Applications. The Institute for Inclusive Security, 2011 Colloquium. Across Conflict Lines, Women Mediating for Peace. Deadline: Oct. 31, 2010.

Call for Applications. The Institute for Inclusive Security, 2011 Colloquium.
Across Conflict Lines, Women Mediating for Peace. Deadline: Oct. 31, 2010.

The Institute for Inclusive Security is now accepting applications for its 2011
Colloquium, entitled "Across Conflict Lines: Women Mediating for Peace," which
will be held on January 8-22 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Washington, DC.

Colloquium is an annual event which brings together 20 leading women peace
builders around a common theme. Participants engage in 3-4 days of teaching,
speaking, and exchange at Harvard University, followed by a week in Washington,
DC where they will participate in simulations, devise policy recommendations,
and engage in advocacy with high-level policymakers.

For the 2011 Colloquium, we are hoping our participants will serve as
senior-level mediators in the future. We are looking for experienced and
accomplished women peace builders, who have received some degree of recognition
or endorsement for their work as mediators.

Women interested in participating can apply by submitting a CV, which highlights
their mediation experience, and a bio to kalpana_simhan@huntalternatives.org.
Further details on the program, including participant criteria can be found
here: Concept Note

Inclusive Security covers all travel, meal, and accommodation costs for
participants.

The deadline for submitting applications is October 31, 2010.

Waiting for Pennies from Heaven: Fundraising Resources for Community-Based Organizations in the Developing World

Waiting for Pennies from Heaven: Fundraising Resources for Community-Based
Organizations in the Developing WorldBig money is on the table. $2.5 billion
here. $40 billion there.

This week it's SoCap. Last week it was the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. And
how can we forget the hulabaloo of the Millenium Development Goals Summit and
the Clinton Global Initiative of the week before?

As the development experts engage in these feel-good exercises, demonstrating
little to no awareness or concern for the inequity at the root of poverty, and
otherwise generally endeavor to "solve" poverty from their own worldview, my
thoughts can't help but drift…

As those gathered at these high profile events discuss mega-infusions of funding
in the developing world, many (even most?) small, local organizations in the
developing world must wonder, "Is a trickle of that money ever going to reach
us?"

The web of local civil society organizations and grassroots initiatives around
the world is still largely undocumented and unrecognized. WiserEarth.org has
registered over 110,000 local organizations and movements working on a wide
variety of issues in 243 countries. They estimate that there may well be over
1,000,000 such local groups operating across the globe.

A Save the Children UK report entitled "Bottlenecks and Dripfeeds" discusses the
issues that stop the smooth flow of funds to support these indigenous,
community-level initiatives, specifically with regards to HIV and AIDS. These
are:

* Providing resources to communities is not taken seriously at global and
national levels.
* Current risk-averse funding mechanisms do not allow for resource 'flows' that
reach community-based organizations.
* Donors and governments are not held accountable for spending to support
community initiatives.
We all know there is a large discrepancy between the resources that are
mobilized or acquired by donors, governments and international organizations for
global development, and what percentage of the money actually reaches
communities and families. Unfortunately, until the aid delivery system changes
to meet their needs, local groups will be competing for scarce resources.

I share the following list of resources to hopefully help in that constant
struggle of resource mobilization. Please share these with the local grassroots
leaders you know who, despite a lack of recognition and resources, continue to
serve their communities with undying vision, commitment, and resourcefulness.

***

Fundraising Resources for Community-Based Organizations in the Developing World

Basic Fund-Raising for Small NGOs/Civil Society in the Developing W..., from
Coyote Communications

Core Costs Funding Strategies, from BOND's Guidance Notes Series

Developing a Financing Strategy, from CIVICUS

A Few Good Online Tools for Friend-to-Friend Fundraising

Find Partners is a helpful organization supporting local community-based
organizations in resource mobilization in Uganda and elsewhere in sub-Saharan
Africa.

Fundraising Guide, from Tearfund's ROOTS series (Chapter 4 on characteristics of
different funding sources is really useful.)

Fundraising Guide for Women's Community-Based Organizations, from Women Thrive
Worldwide

Fundraising Handbook, from Global Fund for Women

Fundraising & Proposal Writing, from IDASA's Handbook Series for Community-Based
Organizations

fundsforngos.org is an online initiative, working for the sustainability of NGOs
by increasing their access to donors, resources and skills.

Globalgiving.org or Globalgiving.co.uk

Guide to Key Resources for Funding Peace and Conflict Work from the Peace &
Collaborative Development Network

How To Guides from the The Resource Alliance, Building Fundraising Capacity
Worldwide

Raising Funds and Mobilising Resources for HIV/AIDS: A Toolkit to S..., from the
International HIV/AIDS Alliance

The SOFII Collection, the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation & Inspiration,
"aims to be the most comprehensive, best organised, and most inspiring
collection of fundraising related content from around the world."

Tips on Local Resource Mobilization, from the World Bank's Small Grants Program

Call for Essays, World Youth Movement for Democracy, top two entries will win the ultimate prize of: An all-expense-paid trip to the Community of Democracies in Vilnius, Lithuania

Call for Essays, World Youth Movement for Democracy, top two entries will win
the ultimate prize of: An all-expense-paid trip to the Community of Democracies
in Vilnius, Lithuania
World Youth Movement for Democracy
2010 Essay Contest!
English Français Español на русском
Submit your essays to the
Youth Movement 2010 Essay Contest!
15 Winners will be chosen from the submitted essays.
These essays will be published online and distributed to a global audience.
The top two entries will win the ultimate prize of:
An all-expense-paid trip to the
Community of Democracies in Vilnius, Lithuania!
This forum will be held in July, 2011.
Submit your essays by October 18th for a chance to win!!
Anyone between the ages of 18-30 can participate from the eligible country list.
http://www.wymdonline.org/contest/contests_English.html

Youth in Action: Paving the Way for Democracy

Raise Your Voice, Share Your Ideas, and Get Involved in Democracy!
Submit your essay on democracy, and win an opportunity to attend one of the
largest global gatherings of democracy leaders!
The World Youth Movement for Democracy (www.wymdonline.org), a youth network of
the World Movement for Democracy (www.wmd.org), is pleased to announce the
launch of its Global Essay Contest. Fifteen
semi-finalists (3 in each region: Asia, Central/Eastern Europe &
Eurasia, Middle East & North Africa, Latin America & Caribbean,
and Sub-Saharan Africa) will be announced on Human Rights Day, December
10, and will have their essays published on the WYMD Web site. Two
global winners will be invited to participate in the upcoming Community
of Democracies Ministerial Meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2011.
(www.community-democracies.org)
Questions
Democracy has been practiced in different ways and in different contexts. We
believe there are core universal democratic values and aspirations that we all
share, which transcend our differences, even
though we live in different cultures, speak different languages, and eat
different food. The purpose of this essay contest is to highlight
personal engagement in democracy by promoting critical thinking about
the role of young people in democracy and to connect youth with broader
democracy movements. The questions posed below for this essay contest
aim to challenge youth to write about their perspectives on democracy
and their understanding of democracy activism, particularly their own.

Essays are required to address one or more of the following questions:
1. In what ways have young people contributed to democratic participation in
your community? Highlighting some of the strategies and tools they have used,
what difference have their efforts
made?
2. New media and social networking are increasingly becoming popular tools for
community organizing. In what ways have you and/or your organization been using
new media for democracy promotion?
How effective has it been and what challenges have you faced in using
these tools?
3. What practices, do you think exemplify human rights activist protection or
violation in your country that is not openly recognized? What do you think are
the justifications for this and how
can it be either replicated, in the case of a good example or stopped,
in the case of a bad example?
4. What new factors can youth activists bring to longstanding human rights
issues in your country? How have these issues been addressed in the past?
Submissions
Please submit your essay by World Youth Day for Democracy, 18 October 2010, via
email attachment as a Word document. The format must have 1'' margins, double
spaced, Times New Roman font, and size 12 font.
Please make sure to clearly designate, in the body of your email, your
full name, age, gender, physical address, and phone number, to the
relevant regional email address listed below. Do not enter your name or
other details on your actual essay. Essays can be submitted in Arabic,
English, French, Russian, or Spanish, and the essay must be no more than
2,000 words. Authors must be no younger than 18 and no older than 30
years old before October 18).

• Asia: WYMD.ASIA (at) GMAIL.COM
• Central and Eastern Europe & Eurasia: WYMD.EURASIA (at) GMAIL.COM
• Middle East & North Africa: WYMD.MENA (at) GMAIL.COM
• Latin America & Caribbean: WYMD.LAC (at) GMAIL.COM
• Sub-Saharan Africa: WYMD.AFRICA (at) GMAIL.COM
To submit essays via fax, please fax: +1.202.378.9889. Provide your details on
the cover sheet.
Timeline
* August 12, 2010 – Launch of the Essay Contest
* October 18, 2010 – Deadline for the essay submission
* December 10, 2010 – Announcement of 15 Semi-finalists
* January 2011 – Semi-finalist essays posted on WYMD Web site
* February 2011 – Announcement of 2 Global Winners
* July 2011 – Global winners attend Community of Democracy Ministerial Meeting

Review Process
The submitted essays will be reviewed by regional committees each of which will
determine three regional semi-finalists. The semi-finalists will be announced on
Human Rights Day (December 10). If
needed the each of the regional committees will also translate 3
semi-finalist essays into English to post on the World Youth Movement
for Democracy Website. Essays will be evaluated based on: Composition;
Clarity; Creativity; and Practicality.
* Essays must be based on your own personal experiences and must be your own
original work. Please do not use outside sources without citing properly.
Prizes
The Two Global winners will be announced and provided with a sponsorship to
cover travel and othere expenses related to their participation in the Community
of Democracies Ministerial Meeting in
Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2011. (www.community-democracies.org)
The 15 Semi-Finalists (3 from each region) will be announced and their essays
will be posted on the World Youth Movement for Democracy Web site.
For further information on the Global Youth Essay Contest, please visit:
www.wymdonline.org. If you have any specific questions, please contact Cecilia
Andersen at: ceciliah (at) ned.org.
This essay contest is generously sponsored by the Hurford Foundation.
See http://www.wymdonline.org/contest/contests_English.html

Call for Applicants-Scholarships and Postgraduate Courses for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Countries

DAAD: Scholarships and Postgraduate Courses for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Countries

Opportunity type: 

Fellowships and Scholarships

Opportunity closing date: 

Friday, October 15, 2010

With its Postgraduate Courses for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Countries, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has created an educational programme that has set several milestones on the way to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. This is because well-trained local professionals who are networked with international partners play an important role. They are the best guarantee for a better future with less poverty, more education, and good health for all.
For these courses, the DAAD sponsors selected persons from developing countries by awarding them scholarships that enable them to acquire an internationally competitive degree in a postgraduate course with close ties to practical experience.
Detailed Information on the Programmes can be found here.
The main goal of the postgraduate programmes is promoting the higher qualification of young, employed professionals in fields related to development policy. This next generation elite are offered the opportunity to acquire an internationally recognized university degree in Germany. When these scholarship holders return to their home countries, ideally back to the same organizations or government agencies, the knowledge that they acquired during the postgraduate course should put them in the position to contribute toward the further development of their countries. The university degree acquired in Germany thereby fills the formal requirement allowing programme participants to move into decision-making positions after the completion of their studies.
Young professionals (generally no more than 36 years old) with a first academic degree and several years of work experience in a governmental ministry, central agency or subordinate authority, in a chamber of commerce and industry, an enterprise or business, or as the employee of an NGO or development help project, are the primary, desired clientele of this programme.
Dates and deadlines:
For admission of the university course into the DAAD funding programme:
Scholarship applicants from developing countries (on the DAC List of the OECD (*.pdf)) can apply at the German embassy or DAAD regional office, directly at the DAAD in Bonn or directly to the university.
General closing dates for applications:

• German Embassy/DAAD Regional Office: 31 July
• DAAD in Bonn: 31 August
• University: 30 September or 15 October

Applicants should be sure to check information regarding application closing dates directly with the individual universities (*.pdf) because they may vary from the general deadlines listed above.
The selection process generally takes place at the universities in the period from November to February.
Scholarships are usually awarded for the following winter semester.
For more information and advice, please contact:
DAAD-Office Johannesburg
Dr. Ralf Hermann
University of the Witwatersrand
Department of Literature and Language Studies
P O Box 269
Wits 2050 Johannesburg /Südafrika
E-mail: daad@wits.ac.za
DAAD Lektor
Iris Vernekohl
School of Government FL
University of the Western Cape
Private Bag X17
Belleville 7535, Cape Town
E-mail: vernekohl.daad@gmx.de
For other opportunities, refer to www.ngopulse.org/group/home-page/other-opportunities.