SAFDEM


SAFDEM
	Southern African civilian standby roster for Humanitarian Relief and Peacekeeping Missions Training for Peace and SAFDEM (Southern African Civilian Standby Roster for Humanitarian Relief and Peacekeeping Missions) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2003 that provides for a mutually supporting relationship where TfP provides training for civilian specialists whilst SAFDEM provides and maintains a Civilian Stand-by Roster for those that have been trained. Background Similar resource banks for democracy and human rights are well established in several developed countries and these have been used extensively by international agencies such as the United Nations bodies and international Non-Government Organizations requiring civilians for international missions. Traditionally, Africans have been under-represented in international missions as it has been difficult for northern hemisphere based agencies to identify suitable candidates from Africa for such missions. NORDEM (established 1993) and CANADEM (1997) undertook to oversee the establishment of a resource bank for Southern Africa, which will recruit skilled Africans for international missions. From this initiative, SAFDEM was born. An office and database were set up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in April 2000, which is supported by a network of Regional Representatives in South Africa and Zambia, who assist in the identification and recruitment of suitable candidates for the database. Candidate Profile African civilians recruited from within the southern African region include: Election monitors and observers; Human rights activists and monitors of abuse; Gender specialists; Legal specialists with a human rights background; Researchers and programme evaluators; Community development workers; Public health professionals. SAFDEM candidates are available to work worldwide. However, the current famine in the southern African region requires the participation of Africans in the relief work. As a result, SAFDEM is actively recruiting the following type of candidates: Food distribution managers/supervisors; Nutritionists; Public health specialists; Logistics personnel. Screening Applicants All applicants are carefully screened and interviewed before being accepted onto the database, to ensure that only qualified and experienced personnel are available for international civilian missions. Screening applicants thoroughly provides SAFDEM with an in-depth knowledge of the skills and capacity of its candidates in order to: 1. enable SAFDEM identify more effectively those candidates whose skills and knowledge best meet the staffing needs of particular field operations or other international placements; 2. enable SAFDEM to react rapidly when international organizations are seeking appropriately qualified candidates. Deployment To place candidates in field missions, SAFDEM head office: Identifies posts on missions; Short-lists suitable candidates; Checks that candidates are interested in a specific mission; Forwards their CV to the international agency. Thereafter, the choice of candidate rests with the recruiting agency, which contacts the candidate directly for further interview or negotiations. Contact SAFDEM SAFDEM 702 Charter House Leopold Takawira Street Bulawayo Zimbabwe PO Box 819, Bulawayo Zimbabwe Tel: 263 9 76033 Tel/Fax: 263 9 76075 Email: admin@safdem.org.zw or deploy@safdem.org.zw
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