NPA in Africa

First external course at Entoto Training Centre

Between 31 May – 8 June the first external course was conducted at Entoto Training Centre by Ethiopian Mine Action Office (EMAO) with assistance from NPA MA Ethiopia. 9 representatives from South Sudan Demining Authority (SSDA), United Nation Mine Action Office in Sudan (UNMAO) and NPA MA Sudan participated in a Mine Detection Dog Introduction Course.

Women Can Do It Regional Conference In South Africa April 26th – 28th 2010

NPA’s Women Can Do It regional conference in Johannesburg, gathered NPA staff, WCDI trainers from Norway, and WCDI partner organisations from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania and Rwanda. Despite language barriers, the experience sharing and discussions in the conference were interesting, inclusive and positive for all 51 participants.

Case study: Restoring women’s positive customary rights

The position of women in Southern Sudan is weak and vulnerable, particularly in the rural areas with regard to access of their legal rights and human rights in the areas of family, marriage, succession and inheritance and land laws

First strategic gender plan ever

In October, last year, Norwegian People's Aid in collaboration with the local authorities in Central Equatoria State, hosted a participatory workshop for the development of the first ever strategic plan for the Department of Gender.

Women Can Do It secured female election victory

The Elections in Sudan are finally over. As results slowly trickle in, there is good news that Madam Nyandeng Malek has succeeded in winning the governors position for Warrap State on an SPLM ticket.

Monitoring the coverage of sudan 2010 elections - preliminary report

The campaign period for the multi-party elections in Sudan was extensively covered by mass media in Sudan. The coverage of electoral candidates and parties increased substantially as the campaign period neared its end.

Fearing Environmental Oil Catastrophe

In Kadeth Payam of Guit County, Unity State, cattle keeping, subsistence farming and fishing are the main economic activities that provide livelihood and food security to the local people. Environmental hazards due to discharge or leakage of contaminants from oil extraction sites into drinking water could have reached catastrophic levels threatening people’s lives as well as their livelihood and food security.

Oil leakage kills 27 in Padeth Payam, Unity State

Chiefs and community leaders in Kadeth Payam, Guit County of Unity State revealed to the media that 27 of their people started to die on the 04th March 2009. This, according to them, was due to oil leakage into drinking water used by people and cattle.

Previous LRA children soldiers win in the East Africa Cup

“This is a fantastic and extremely useful event for us all! We get more knowledge of other cultural groups in our region and internationally. We learn how to interact with each other. And we learn how to involve ourselves constructively in our home communities. The seminar activities are becoming more attractive than even the football!”. The statemen comes from Mike Letti, the team leader from Uganda.

Escalation in threats against civil society

Despite what was thought to be the dawn of a new era for human rights defenders with the formation of a Government of National Unity, the last three months have seen an escalation in the number of threats, intimidation and harassment levelled against members of civil society in Zimbabwe.

Sudanese journalists in training to cover first elections in 24 years

More than 300 journalists and media houses across Sudan will be trained to cover elections by a consortium of six national and international organisations in the lead-up to Sudan's nationwide elections in April 2010.

Sudan is looking for You!

We are looking for independent and neutral monitors to monitor the media prior to the elections and during the elections 2010 on a voluntary basis.

16 days of activism

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

NPA Secretary General visits Ethiopia

Mr.Petter Eide, Secretary General of Norwegian People’s Aid, is visiting projects run by the organisation within Mine Action and Development.

Mine Action Sudan - Third Quarter 2009 Report

The 3rd quarter of 2009 has been a good period for the programme. The late arrival of the rain has kept productivity on a good level, even if our MineWolf had an incident in August while working on high contaminated ground in Lainya Project, and got damaged.

Doing a Decent Job? A New Report on the IMF Shows a Leopard who Cannot Change its Spots

Despite changes in rhetoric, IMF policy advice and conditions are still having the same detrimental effects on social protection, decent work and poverty in countries forced to take out loans due to the financial crisis, a new report released today shows.

Fuelling Mistrust: The need for transparency in Sudan's oil industry

Oil production figures underpinning Sudan’s peace agreement don’t add up, warns Global Witness.

Our man in Kigali

A Norwegian General Consulate has been founded in Rwanda following approval by Rwandese authorities on June 18.

Mine Action Sudan Second Quarter 2009 Report

The second quarter of 2009 was much influenced by the tragic accident the programme had in BAC team 1 on 13 May. During sub surface search one of our operators stepped on a suspected Anti Personnel Mine, which resulted in his left foot had to be amputated just over his ankle.

Women-only demining teams tackle South Sudan's legacy of war

- When Faiza Annet waves her daughter off to school, it's the seven-year-old who warns her mother to take care.

East Africa Cup Blog: It Started With A Kick

Like the Confederations Cup it used to be about all about the football. But three years ago something changed.

Tender

Bid for tender: Supply of 7 station wagon vehicles’ and 5 motor cycles

Old problems in the new south

Southern Sudan is becoming bloodier than Darfur

Portfolio 2009

The portfolio contains all countries we're currently involved in with Mine Action activities.

NPA Mine Action Opens Up Southern Sudan

Kajo Keji is a beautiful little market town, tucked away in the hills of Southern Sudan; the town has a small market and a couple of schools and is covered with large mango trees supplying the residents with much needed shade from the hot Sudanese sun.

Productive quarter for mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia

More than half a million square metres were cleared from January until the end of March 2009.

Ethiopia completes destruction of stockpiled mines

On April 2nd 2009, the Ethiopian Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that the country had completed their destruction of stockpiled Anti-Personnel Mines, two months before the Global June 1st deadline.

Rebuilding starts in the ground

Houses are still standing. The fields are still green. But no-one can use them before the ground is safe to walk on. Danger lurks under 10 centimetres of soil.

Womens rights project: Call for proposals

In its strategy for 2008-2011, the Norwegian Peoples Aid Southern Sudan Program has identified women’s empowerment as a key area of engagement.

Wants bids for survey on health care

The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) has received funds from the Multi Donor Trust Fund and is using part of the funds for the conducting of a Base line Survey on Health Care services at Community Level in Central Equatorial State.

Learning how to reach out

NPA is building the capacity of the Southern Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) aimed at transfoming it from a movement to a member-based party. Information is an important component in a party, and on March 7th, 43 SPLM graduated after a two week training on how to use information as a tool to reach out.

25 years in Zimbabwe

Last year NPA celebrated its 25th year of solidarity work in Zimbabwe

Ready for the field.

They were the youngest dogs ever to be sent from the Global Training Centre in Bosnia. After 9 months of training and acclimatization on the Entoto Mine Action Training Centre in Addis Ababa, they have been tested according to International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and are now ready for “the real stuff”: sniffing for mines in the field.

Press statement: Media bills urgent

A press statement from Association for Media Development in Southern Sudan (AMDISS) and partners adressed to President Salva Kiir, urges the president to expedite several new media bills for Southern Sudan through the legislasive assembly to secure freedom of expression and prevent cencorship.

More dogs in more places.

With 2008 lagging towards its end, NPA Mine Action in Ethiopia has taken more steps in developing the program according to the plan- to make partner EMAO fully responsible.

How to form a policy on land rights?

This and many more questions were presented and discussed in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at the Norwegian People`s Aid land rights conference from 12th to 14th of November 2008. The land rights seminar had the objective of furthering the awareness, knowledge and information on land rights. In addition various countries shared their learning experiences from various Norwegian People`s Aid country programmes.

Mine Action Rwanda - Phase 2 Report

The Rwanda Demining Project is now half way through, according to the initial time schedule. The team has cleared half of the dangerous area.

A smart move

TTTM (Tsotawi Tekelakay Mahber) was able to fit in twenty residents at the safe house they are running for women who have been exposed to gender based violence. With support from Norwegian People’s Aid, they moved their office away from the safe house. That move gave room for more residents, meaning that the organization can help more people.

Signing hope for democracy

The signing ceremony the 15th of September 2008, between the three political parties, MDC-T, MDC-M and Zanu PF, became a historical chapter in Zimbabwe. It should be noted however that while it has indicators of bringing democracy and peace, its celebrations should be taken with caution.

Female Deminers Can Do It!

It has been a hectic week for Senya Jane and her female demining team. They have received their yearly accreditation and they have participated in a Women Can Do It workshop.

If they can find them here, they’ll find them anywhere.

Take a mine-detection dog from the desert of the Somali region, to 3000 meters above sea level at Entoto Mine Action Training Centre. Make him used to the new and very different environment, and re-test him. Then you can be sure that he will operate according to international standard procedures.

NPA Sudan starts mine clearance in Rwanda

In August NPA Mine Action Sudan was operational with the Mine Wolf mechanical demining machine at Kanombe Minefield, just outside Kigali.

More information means less devastation

Where is the way to go in a Rift Valley where the climate is changing for the worse and resources are under pressure? Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) is finding out the truth on the ground before the NGO embarks on a major research that will result in a new program and action that can cope with the changing eco-system in the area.

Gender training is more than workshops

Around 20 million Ethiopian women have experienced violence at some point in their life. That’s why NPA wants ordinary people to understand that gender should be considered as part of life, and not just a high flying academic term. Instead of inviting selected people to a workshop, NPA and our partners put the message in a guideline for gender trainers, so they again can train others.

What do you want knowledge for? You’re a girl……

NPA’s partner HIBIR offers courses in self-esteem and self defence. Many patrticipants feel more independent and responsible after attending such a course. That comes in handy when they face the everyday-strain of being a girl in Ethiopia.

MELCA: New partner for NPA in Ethiopia.

Melca is working to protect the culture and knowledge of people in areas where their way of life is being challenged.

Positive End-Review

–We have been waiting for the End-Review to take place for quite some time, and are naturally very pleased with the conclusions being so positive for NPA and EMAO, says Mr Per Breivik, Mine Action Program Manger for NPA in Ethiopia.

Women Can Do It for the staff - a success

For five days, women from Norwegian People’s Aid met up in Angola to participate in a Women Can Do It course and to get an introduction to budget management with particular focus on sexual equality. For several of the participants, it was the first time they had visited an African country and, even for those participants from neighbouring countries in the region, there were many new impressions and experiences to digest.

Statement from Sudanese women

As a side event to the Sudan Consortium held in Oslo, 40 women from Sudan met and through a three day workshop they produced a statement.

Exhibition: Forest is more than trees

Lasse Berre opens an exhibition with photos from Borena in Addis Abeba ion April 23rd at 4 pm.

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