For this month we have the following information which we’re highlighting.

For the AARTG Sect 1 (find overseas work overseas) I’ve added two websites, namely www.indevjobs.org and www.developmentAID.org

For overseas agencies, I’ve added the new CARE www.careclimatechange.org website, where they’ve just brought out a great new report entitled ‘ A Report on the Humanitarian Implications of Climate Change’.

There are a number of new courses by Australian training providers highlighted in the training section, in particular :

- The FDC two year program called Bottom Up Governance Leadership Programme for Wowen in the Pacific (BGLP), aimed at women in four S. Pacific nations

- The International Water Centre (supported by others) is hosting a two day ‘Creating Water Sensitive Cities in Australia’ in five Australian cities throughout Feb 2009

- Other training providers such as the Antares Foundation, IDSS, Clear Horizon, RedR Australia are finalising their 2009 programs, with this information hopefully appearing in the Dec or Jan AARTG

Other items of note:

- Hand-Up Congo, is a DRC NGO, and the Sydney Development Circle (SDC) Convenor, Lucy is (with another lass) taking up the Congo Canoe Challenge next month …paddling 500 kms up the Congo to raise money for medical equipment and supplies for the regional hospital located in Lotumbe (rather them than me !). Fantastic cause, so if you want to sponsor this contact Lucy on lucy@claypartners.com

- A number of fascinating field project officer jobs have recently come up with agencies such as the Central Land Council www.clc.org.au based out of Alice Springs. I personally feel that some of the best Aussie practical Community development (CD) practitioners now work up in the Northern Territory, and positions such as these are ideal ways of cutting one’s teeth at field level (eg ideal for returning international volunteers who want to develop a career in the aid/CD field)

- ELD (Education, Learning & Development Training Programs) are running Project Proposal Writing and Reporting Skills & Professional Writing workshops in Bangkok from the 1-5 Dec & 8-12 Decd respectively, and these are geared up at the national CD practitioner..they seem very useful

- The French NGO Action Against Hunger France (ACF-F), with the support of UNICEF, is organizing a number of Regional Workshops on the Right to Water and Sanitation in Emergencies, during Jan/Feb, one of these being in Bangkok (23/24 Feb). Interested people should contact c.lanord@missions-acf.org 

- FDC are supporting the ITU Asia-Pacific Centres of Excellence Training Workshop on Effective Use of Telecommunications/ICT in Response to Disasters: Saving Lives” that will be held at ITU CoE UUM Node in Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia from 24 to 28 November 2008 immediately prior the 3rd Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Interested people should contact wisit.atipayakoon@itu.int

- This last months New Internationalist (AARTG p.6), had a great series of articles and background information on Afghanistan…

- The October issue of the Forced Migration Review (FMR, see p. 10) also focussed on Climate Change and Displacement, which was equally stimulating…

- Finally just to add that the advocacy group AVAAZ – www.avaaz.org – see AARTG p.8, continues to highlight some key advocacy issues affecting our lives. I encourage you to check out their website, and join up with them if you feel so inclined…

- I’m off to Aceh this weekend to facilitate a DRM workshop there next week (we’ve had to postpone our planned Bangladesh DRM until next May), and our PPM in Alice Springs in next month (9-11 Dec) is filling up fast. Finally just to say that I’ve updated three of our key diagrams, namely the Project Management Cycle (PMC); Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DRMC); and Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRR), and these can both be found on the TorqAid website (under diagrams), and at the following links.

http://www.torqaid.com/images/stories/PMCXV.pdf

http://www.torqaid.com/images/stories/DRMCVII.pdf

http://www.torqaid.com/images/stories/CDRRVI.pdf

Keep well

Chris