[A12n-forum] FYI: "Time to Get Online" in Ghana

[dzo@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

July 31, 2003 

CONTACT: 
Kim Lowery 
+1 202 391 5889 
ttgo@xxxxxxxxxxx 

KABISSA LAUNCHES NEXT PHASE OF TIME TO GET ONLINE PROJECT IN GHANA 

PROJECT FOLLOWS SUCCESSFUL PILOT IN NIGERIA 

Washington, DC (July 31) ? Following a successful pilot in Nigeria 
earlier this year, Kabissa -- a nonprofit organization that seeks to use 
technology to strengthen organizations working to improve the lives of people 
in Africa -- has launched the next phase of its TIME TO GET ONLINE project in 
Ghana. The project is designed to enable West African civil society 
organizations to use the Internet more effectively in their work. 

Kabissa used the experiences of its members and other African nonprofit 
organizations as a basis for the project. It has learned that many 
organizations are still unaware of the power of the Internet for the nonprofit 
sector and remain frustrated by a lack of skills to take advantage of the 
technology. 

TIME TO GET ONLINE addresses these barriers by providing organizations 
with learning materials and the opportunity to attend capacity-building 
workshops that focus on building the awareness and skills necessary to use the 
Internet effectively. The learning materials allow organizations to work at 
their own pace through the stages of Internet usage -- from connecting to the 
Internet to using the Internet as an advocacy tool. A free, electronic version 
of the self-learning materials is available on the TIME TO GET ONLINE Web site? 
http://www.timetogetonline.org. The on-site workshops give these organizations 
the opportunity to ask questions and interact with an Internet expert, and 
provide Kabissa with an effective way to distribute its materials and collect 
feedback. 

In the current phase of the project, Kabissa plans to refine the 
learning materials and workshop curriculum based on feedback from pilot 
participants. The most significant change to the workshop format is the 
addition of an optional day of training, in which participants who are already 
Kabissa members will have the opportunity to receive training on Kabissa?s 
Internet services. 

For more information or to participate, visit Kabissa's Web site ? 
http://www.timetogetonline.org -- or contact Kim Lowery at ttgo@xxxxxxxxxxxx 

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ABOUT KABISSA 
Founded in 1999, Kabissa is a nonprofit organization that seeks to use 
technology to strengthen organizations working to improve the lives of people 
in Africa. Its programs focus on providing Internet services, building the 
capacity of organizations to use technology, and promoting interaction within 
the African nonprofit sector. Today, more than 750 organizations from over 30 
countries take advantage of Kabissa?s services. 

For more information about Kabissa, visit http://www.kabissa.org or send an e- 
mail to info@xxxxxxxxxxxx