WOUGNET Update Newsletter - November 2002 ************************************************** Here is a list of what's new at the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) website - http://www.wougnet.org For comments or queries, please contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To subscribe/unsubscribe to the WOUGNET Update Newsletter, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the following command in the subject or body of your message: subscribe/unsubscribe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT'S NEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA NAWODA presentation, Femmes sans frontieres, October 9, 2002, Montreal, Canada Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA) responded to a call for presentations of community networking initiatives at Femmes sans frontieres. The Federation nationale des femmes canadiennes-francaises and Cybersolidaires invited presentations of feminist community initiatives during the third Congress on Community Networking in the Digital Era. http://www.wougnet.org/Documents/NAWODA/nawoda_gcn.html ALFA Ministeries report on the WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP), August 27, 2002 - September 27, 2002 ALFA Ministeries has had the WorldSpace satellite radio equipment for two months now. During this time they have been able to access audio and data programs from the Africa Learning Channel (ALC). A report of the successes and challenges experienced during the first month is available at: http://www.wougnet.org/Documents/ALFA/alfawsrp1.html For information about the WSRP, visit: http://www.wougnet.org/Support/WSprogram.html 2. DOCUMENTS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN UGANDA Gender and Soil Fertility Management in Mbale District, Southeastern Uganda This paper explores gender-related aspects of agriculture and agricultural change in a densely populated, high potential area in eastern Uganda, particularly in relation to declining productivity in the region. Much recent literature has investigated the impacts of specific agricultural policies and projects on women farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. In many cases, these policies and projects have resulted in unexpectedly negative consequences for women - and often failed in other objectives as well - to a large extent because they did not adequately consider the critical and complex roles that women play in most African agricultural systems. http://www.wougnet.org/documents.html#GSFM 3. LINKS AND RESOURCES a) Agriculture CTA: Gender and Agriculture in the Information Society In September 2002, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) hosted a consultative Observatory meeting on the theme of gender in the context of ICTs for agricultural and rural development. Available online (PDF format) are workshop documents including background papers and workshop presentations as well as a statement on Gender and Agriculture in the Information Society prepared by workshop participants. In partnership with the International Service for National gricultural Research (ISNAR), a briefing paper has been produced on the theme of gender and ICTs in agriculture and rural development. Its aim is to attract the attention of policymakers, donors, researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and farmers' organizations to the need for dialogue and action on issues of ICT and gender in the context of food security, poverty reduction, and sustainable development. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/agriculture.html#CTA LEISA: Changing information flows in agriculture in developing countries LEISA, the biggest international magazine for the exchange of experiences on low external input, sustainable agriculture, has published a special issue on ICTs and the changing information flows in agriculture in developing countries. The articles describe how ICTs play an increasingly prominent role in agricultural communities in developing countries. Included also are several examples illustrating the importance of "old" technologies, such as newsletters and radio, and calling on the development community to use all available means to ensure that farmers have the information they need in order to continue to farm sustainably. LEISA Magazine is published quarterly by ILEIA, the Centre for Information on Low External Input and Sustainable Agriculture. This issue of LEISA was undertaken in collaboration with Bellanet. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/agriculture.html#LEISA b) Business BITS Africa BITS Africa is a mentorship initiative for young entrepreneurs, especially women who are starting a technology business. Each selected applicant will be mentored by a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) who will provide guidance and expertise to help grow the business. It is a pilot project designed to evolve into a sustainable business incubator for Africa. BITS Africa initiative is a program sponsored by the World Economic Forum Global Leaders for Tomorrow and the Africa Technology Forum - non-profit organization designed to promote technology in Africa and foster African entrepreneurship. The initiative addresses two issues identified by World Economic Forum (WEF) as critical for economic growth in Africa: entrepreneurship development and bridging the digital divide. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/business.html#BITSA Entrepreneurship and ICTs - The Art of Making Things Happen Produced by Balancing Act, the 'Entrepreneurship and ICTs' CD-ROM looks at the kind of ICT ideas that have fuelled the growth of ICT sector across Africa. It provides a list of questions that need to be answered for most new ICT business ideas and offers some templates for the structure of your business plan. Whether you're a first-timer or are already running your own business, these questions provide useful ways of thinking about new ideas or planned expansion. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/business.html#BA-EICT Oasis Information Service Oasis Information Service provides small-scale entrepreneurs with the latest news on how to run their businesses, improve skills and deal with customers. Targeted groups are hairdressers, dressmakers, metal workers and wood and soapstone carvers. The firm's website is in English and Swahili. Based in Kenya, Oasis Information Service was started by Intermediate Technology Development Group with financial support from the Britain's Department for International Development. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/business.html#OIS c) Development Rapha Outreach Ministries (ROM) Based in Mbale, Eastern Uganda, Rapha Outreach Ministries's mission is to bring hope to vulnerable children through educational opportunities and spiritual growth through bible teaching. ROM is seeking partners and donors to support its mission. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/development.html#RAPHA d) Environment African Rural Energy Enterprise Development (AREED) The United Nations Environment Programme has initiated an African Rural Energy Enterprise Development (AREED) initiative. AREED seeks to develop new sustainable energy enterprises that use clean, efficient, and renewable energy technologies to meet the energy needs of under-served populations, thereby reducing the environmental and health consequences of existing energy use patterns. The AREED approach offers rural energy entrepreneurs a combination of enterprise development services and start-up financing. This integrated financial and technical support allows entrepreneurs to plan and structure their companies in a manner that prepares them for growth and makes eventual investments by mainstream financial partners less risky. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/environment.html#AREED e) Health Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) CPAR is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that is inspired by the vision of a healthy planet, where health is broadly defined to include human well-being, environmental integrity, and social justice. We are dedicated to supporting vulnerable, low-income people in the developing world in their efforts to achieve good health. CPAR works toward this end by helping individuals, communities and grassroots organizations to become increasingly self-reliant. With established field offices in four countries (Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia), CPAR implements community-based programs in a wide range of development sectors including: Primary Health Care, Water and sanitation, Food security and nutrition, Natural Resource Management, Income Generating Activities, Peace building and Reconciliation. To mitigate against the impact of the armed conflict, CPAR-Uganda has begun a creative peace-building program in Gulu, Apac and Lira districts which includes exploring how to make information accessible to war-affected youth living in northern Ugandan. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/health.html#CPAR f) Women & Gender Gender & Women's Studies for Africa's Transformation The Strengthening Gender & Women's Studies for Africa's Transformation (GWS Africa) project web site is the first ever site, wholly dedicated to the promotion and development of Gender and Women's Studies on the African continent. The African Gender Institute has established www.gwsafrica.org in collaboration with the community of scholars currently engaged in gender studies all over the continent, and we invite ongoing dialogue and networking. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/aboutwomen.html#GWS New electronic journal - Feminist Africa In October 2002, GWS Africa announced the launch of a new electronic journal -Feminist Africa (FA), <http://www.feministafrica.org>. Feminist Africa is a publication which has grown out of the African Gender Institute's many years of commitment to capacity-building, research, networking and teaching in an environment in which market-oriented approaches now threaten to undermine progressive African gender initiatives. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/aboutwomen.html#GWS Africawoman Africawoman is a fully-wired women-led news and broadcasting service. The service currently operates in four countries - Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe - but will eventually include every African country. It is run by about 40 women journalists and activists. Africawoman's vision is driven by a monthly web-based newspaper that is distributed via the Internet to activists and community radio networks. It creates a distinctive African women's news agenda and enables news written by women to be accessed by rural women, using radio to by-pass the challenges of literacy and distribution. The project also involves training the women journalists in a monthly "virtual newsroom" to plan and write the next edition. Africawoman is funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID) and by the British Council. http://www.wougnet.org/Links/aboutwomen.html#AWN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EVENTS & NEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February 2003 New Media Awards aim to promote African Information Society Announced in October 2002, a media awards programme has been launched to promote and encourage more informed and consistent reporting and analysis of the information society and issues related to the development potential and impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The AISI Media Awards are aimed at individual journalists and media institutions that are promoting journalism that promotes a better understanding of the information society in Africa. Main financier of the awards is the Open Society Initiative for Southern (OSISA). The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) are also sponsoring special interest categories. The IDRC Award on Reporting ICT Research and Innovation is geared towards encouraging media practitioners to focus on issues related to ICT research and innovations in Africa under the framework of IDRC's Acacia Programme. IICD is supporting Awards on local content applications as well as a Media Award on local content. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2003. http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews03.html#ECA-MA To list your event/news on the WOUGNET website, send details about the event/news including contact information to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WSIS Gender Caucus ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) WSIS Gender Caucus documents WSIS Gender Caucus documents produced to-date are available online for download as WORD or PDF files. http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgcdocs.html UNESCO WSIS website Since the beginning of its preparation for the WSIS, UNESCO has involved NGO and civil society representatives in the preparation process for the WSIS. The UNESCO WSIS website is dedicated to the preparatory activities for the WSIS and includes information relevant to the position papers and events organised in the framework of the WSIS preparation. http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgc.html#UNESCO ~~~~~~~~~~ WebDesign ~~~~~~~~~~ Donated Website: National Association of Women Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) * URL: http://www.nawou.interconnection.org/ * Site designed and created by: Rebecca Yoo, Virtual Volunteer for InterConnection Established in 1992, NAWOU's mission is to promote a co-ordinated network of women organisations for the efficient use of resources for the improvement of the status of women in Uganda. http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/nawou.html Donated Website: Hope After Rape (HAR) * URL: http://www.har.interconnection.org/ * Site designed and created by: Sheena Salmon, Virtual Volunteer for InterConnection Established in 1994, HAR's mission is to facilitate the recovery of abused children, women and their families through training, research, advocacy and provision of psychosocial suport services. http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/har.html The WebDesign program is a partnership of WOUGNET and InterConnection to donate websites to WOUGNET members that meet InterConnection's criteria for website donation. Information about the WebDesign program, including an application form, is available at: http://www.wougnet.org/Support/webdesign.html To receive information by email, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TechTips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.wougnet.org/Support/techtips.html Featured Tip: Managing Your Email While e-mail is a great tool for information sharing and gathering, for convenience and for saving time and costs, sometimes e-mail can waste more time than it saves. The article "Managing Your E-Mail" on the Business Know-How site provides guidelines and helpful hints to maximize your time and minimize needless SPAM e-mails and administrative tasks. Suggestions such as sorting & prioritizing, using subject headers and knowing when not to e-mail can help you to streamline your work and manage information overload. "Managing Your E-Mail" is at http://www.businessknowhow.com/growth/manemail.htm. http://www.wougnet.org/Support/TechTips/techtip_6.html TechTips is a program to answer computer or IT-related queries of concern to WOUGNET members and our guests. We welcome contributions of tips and websites that have helped your organisation. Contributions can be submitted online from the TechTips page or via email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************************************** The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) website and mailing lists are hosted by Kabissa - Space for Change in Africa ******************************************************** ------------ ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. 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