Current Articles
" alt="Illiteracy costs SA in potential GDP" />Illiteracy costs SA in potential GDP
Illiteracy costs SA up to R550bn annually in potential gross domestic product, says a report by four Stellenbosch University academics.The report says: “Policy makers and researchers should pay attention to how SA can obtain nationally representative, objective measures of adult literacy.” It estimates the figure at a “plausible” 75%.
Read more at the Financial Mail.
Education MEC Creecy to meet retired teachers
11 March 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm The Gauteng MEC for Education Barbara Creecy is inviting retired teachers and principals to a retired teacher’s seminar that will be held at Gallagher Estate on 11 March 2009.
The seminar will involve teachers who taught in mathematics, science, accounting, technology, English second language, geography and biology. Those interested in volunteering a portion of their time will be registered on a database that the department can draw upon when needed.
The department recognises that retired teachers who are physically fit have a wealth of experience and are a resource that we can tap into. The aim of the meeting is to provide retired teachers with an opportunity to debate if there is any contribution they can make, how they would like to do it, and the assistance that the department can offer.
There are various ways in which retired educators can assist, including sharing their experience and abilities, assisting local children with homework, and with Saturday classes. The emphasis is on retired teachers volunteering some of their spare time and, in some cases, a small stipend can be paid to cover local transport and lunch.
The call is in line with President Jacob Zuma’s and Premier Nomvula Mokonyane’s statements that education is a priority for the country and province. The Gauteng Department of Education is committed to ensuring that every learner does well at school and leaves our institutions with the values, knowledge, skills and qualifications that will give them the best chance of success in adult life.
Retired teachers who are interested in attending are kindly requested to contact the following officials to RSVP:
Thebe Khumalo
Tel: 011 355 0225Tebogo Tlholoe
Tel: 011 355 0310
How do grant beneficiaries participate in financial markets?
The 14 million people who receive social grants usually make intelligent choices on how to spend their money, according to new research conducted for Finmark Trust, a lobby group which aims to find ways of extending financial services to the poor.
Though they save and borrow more, they use formal financial services, like banks or micro lenders, less than people who don’t receive grants.
While the Finmark report makes the case for social grants, it also underlines the inappropriate nature of formal banking institutions for the poor. Interestingly, Actuary Rob Rusconi, who contributed to the research for Finmark, says that alternative channels such as cellphone banking are clearly the way for the future.
Read more about the findings of the research at Financial Mail.
" alt="South Africans ignoring HIV prevention" />South Africans ignoring HIV prevention
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said yesterday that it was important to refocus on efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has stated his concern that South Africans do not appreciate prevention as the best treatment for HIV and Aids.
The minister said prevention was the mainstay of fighting against any disease and only once that had failed should treatment become paramount. “The treatment we announced is because of the load we are having, but we want to stop that from happening and so we need to send that message out that regardless of the amount of money you have got, you have to prevent the disease.”
He continued, saying that government needs to intensify its campaign to reduce new HIV infection rates as it could not sustain big increases in its budget for HIV/AIDS treatment.
Read more at Independent Online and Business Day.
" alt="Cellphones a tool to beat HIV/Aids in Africa " />Cellphones a tool to beat HIV/Aids in Africa
Cellphones may become a key weapon in the war against HIV and AIDS in Africa, allowing counsellors to reach greater numbers of people, says the chief of the United Nation’s AIDS agency.Africa, which despite widespread poverty has a relatively large numbers of cellphone users, should take advantage of the digital revolution to reach out widely, he said.
A major mobile telephone operator in Nigeria already runs a toll-free call scheme that links callers to counsellors on HIV/AIDS concerns.
Read the full article on TimesLive.
According to SouthAfrica.info, South Africa has over 14 million mobile phone and almost five million fixed line subscribers, so it will be interesting to see whether a local pilot project may be introduced in the near future.
" alt="South Africa's national bird threatened by illegal trade" />South Africa’s national bird threatened by illegal trade
The Blue Crane is classified as Vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red Data List.
In the latter part of February 2010 alone, nine Blue Cranes were confiscated in four separate incidences of illegal removal from their Karoo habitat.
“Sadly, this is likely just the tip of the iceberg, ” says Kerryn Morrison, Manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s African Crane Conservation Programme (EWT-ACCP). “People often don’t realise that one needs a permit to trade in and own cranes. It is illegal to take cranes out of the wild.”
Legally-owned Blue Crane pairs are often used as a front to move illegally-captured chicks. A legal pair of Blue Cranes is kept, and crane chicks are then illegally removed from the wild and sold under the premise that the legal pair reproduced the chicks in question.
International Women’s Day 2010
8 March 2010 Equal rights, equal opportunities, progress for all.
International Women’s Day is a day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women. 
" alt="NGO partnership to address environmental impact of wind energy" />NGO partnership to address environmental impact of wind energy
Wind energy is not without negative environmental impacts – particularly on our bird populations.
The challenge is providing wide-scale, clean, renewable energy into the future. The answer, say the industry’s pioneers, is wind energy.
This is particularly true in South Africa, which has an abundance of wind resources, and a power provider looking to diversify energy supplies as much as possible. Add to that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (NERSA) announcement of feed-in tariffs in 2009, and it is understandable why applications for wind energy developments, made increasingly by independent power producers, have been gaining momentum.
Khumbulani Craft goes to the Design Indaba
In anticipation of the world’s eye being on South Africa this year, the Design Indaba is counting the days until the opening of its biggest exhibition to date. The 2010 exhibition features over 244 of the country’s best creative talents, showing off uniquely South African design.
One such exhibitor is Khumbulani Craft, a local NGO that contributes towards poverty alleviation through the design, production, marketing and sale of traditional and contemporary craft. The company currently works with approximately 350 crafters in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Many of these people live in the most remote of rural areas, where it is impossible to market their goods.
As well as displaying a range of stone, beaded and ceramic products, two new items will launch at the Design Indaba – BarberOsgerby stools produced under license by weavers in KwaZulu-Natal and exquisite white pots entered into the expo’s “The Most Beautiful Object in South Africa” competition.
Laurette, Mandla and Bonita look forward to meeting you at the Khumbulani Craft stand in Hall 1, Stand A1.
The Design Indaba Expo 2010 is open to the public from Friday 26 February to Sunday 28 February 2010 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
MES Thursday Tours
11 February 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 11 March 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 14 May 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 3 June 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 8 July 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 9 September 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm 14 October 2010 9:00 am to 1:00 pm MES (Metro Evangelical Services) is inviting anyone interested in their activities to join them for an informative tour of their programmes and facilities on Thursday mornings in the coming year.
MES is a registered non-profit organisation that has been serving the homeless and destitute community in the city of Johannesburg for the past 23 years. The organisation started as a feeding programme in 1986, handing out food parcels to the homeless and unemployed community of Hillbrow. At that stage, MES was part of the outreach project of the Dutch Reformed Church.
Booking is essential for planning purposes, so if you are interested in joining a tour or require further information, please email kevin@mes.org.za.
Visit MES online at www.mes.org.za.
