Call for Proposals: Learning Materials on Effective Campaigning Skills, 07/01

The Adilisha project seeks to strengthen the campaigning and organ- isational capacities of human rights organisations in southern Africa using a mixture of regional workshops and computer- and internet- based distance learning methods.

The capacity building programme covers human rights skills as well as institutional capacity building components, including courses on:

Fact-finding and investigation; Monitoring and reporting; Making representations; Campaigning; Leadership, Management; Fundraising; Financial management; Use of the internet for research and advocacy; and Training of trainers.

The purpose of the course is to enable human rights activists to de- fine, develop and run effective mass-based / popular campaigns for the protection and promotion of human rights and the promotion of re- spect for human dignity. In broad terms we envisage the course might cover issues such as (but not necessarily limited to):

Understanding the context; defining the problem; defining the changes required; assessing strengths and weaknesses of allies and opponents; defining meaningful messages; understanding different campaigning tools; defining actions to be taken and what campaigning tools to be used; dealing with paradigms; developing campaign strategies and techniques; collecting and analysing information; planning and preparation; managing alliances; managing campaign meetings and other public actions; encouraging public participation; managing authorities; managing the media; producing and dissemination of campaign information; training others; gender and division of labour; public speaking; using the internet; giving feedback; writing reports; evaluation.

This course will be complementary to the courses on Fact-finding and investigation, Monitoring and reporting, and Making representations that are already being developed. As the course materials on Making representations focuses on materials relating making direct represen- tations to decision makers and power holders, we anticipate the Cam- paigning course will focus mainly on social mobilisation.

A fee of up to GBP 6,000 is available (plus GBP 600 for research ex- penses is available for the right person). The author will be ex- pected to work closely with other authors and the project team in- cluding attending meetings in the region (the costs of which will be met by the project).

Those interested in applying should familiarise themselves with the project summary at: http://www.fahamu.org/ad_projsum.html

Applications, including CVs, should be sent to <info@fahamu.org>, and should include a 3-5 page proposed course outline listing topics to be covered and associated learning objectives, together with a bibli- ography of relevant literature not exceeding one page.

Closing date for applications: 14 July 2001.

The Adilisha project is supported by grants from the European Union, the British Department for International Development (DFID), the Ca- nadian International Development Research Centre, and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

-- Firoze Manji mailto:firoze@fahamu.org