WOUGNET Update Newsletter - August 2003

[Dorothy Okello <dokello@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - August 2003
**************************************************
A monthly electronic newsletter from Women of Uganda Network
(WOUGNET) - http://www.wougnet.org
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This month's contents:
1.    Women Organisations in Uganda
2.    Documents on Women's Issues in Uganda
3.    ICT Policy
4.    WSIS Gender Caucus
5.    Links & Resources
6.    News & Events
7.    TechTip
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WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA
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= Uganda Media Women's Association (UMWA)
UMWA launches new website, <http://www.umwamamafm.co.ug>
UMWA's mission is to provide a forum for media women to promote rights and
freedoms of the marginalised in society through capacity building, sharing and
dissemination of information for sustainable development.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/umwa.html



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DOCUMENTS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN UGANDA
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In the Stars - Women's Voices in War Zones
(Monica Arac de Nyeko, June 11, 2003)
"My mother used to talk about him; my Uncle Oryema. How she begged
him not to become a solider. "He didn't listen," she always said and
swallowed hard like she never forgave him for disappearing from our
grasp like raa smoke. He was so far away from home, somewhere in the
jungles, holding his rifle when death beckoned. A man brought the
news to my grandma. Said the gunfire had been heavy. ...."
Monica Arac de Nyeko comes from the Kitgum district of northern
Uganda, which has been affected by war since 1986. She is a member of
Transcend Art and Peace network (TAP). Women's World's contest,
"Women's Voices in War Zones," co-sponsored by the Nation Institute
with support from the Puffin Foundation, received 290 entries from 45
countries in answer to such questions as "Do you live in a war zone
or state of terror? Is it personal or public?" Ms. Nyeko's story was
First Prize winner.
http://www.wougnet.org/documents.html#ITS



Women Gain Inch in Push for Land Rights in Uganda.
Nicole Leistikow, Women's eNews
A new amendment to the 1998 Land Act in Uganda takes a small step
toward women obtaining land rights. The issue is expected to remain
on the national agenda, however, as candidates for president position
themselves to gain the women's vote.
http://www.wougnet.org/Alerts/domesticrelations.html#Enews



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ICT POLICY
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= "An Information Society for Uganda" - report online
The report from the April forum "An Information Society for Uganda
(ISUG)" is now available online in English and French. To download
copies of the report in WORD/PDF, visit
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/ug/isug.html#REPORT

The ISUG forum was organised to gather contributions to PrepCom 2
WSIS Working Documents and Uganda's Input document. In order to
channel the forum contributions to the WSIS Secretariat by May 2003,
draft copies of the report were given to the WSIS Africa Civil
Society Caucus, the WSIS Gender Caucus and the NGO Gender Strategies
Working Group.



= APC: FAQ about Conducting a National WSIS Process
APC has published a guide called 'FAQ about Conducting a National
WSIS Process' outlining the steps to take and key components
in organising a national consultation around information and
communications technology (ICT) policy, in this case specifically the
debates raised by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ictpolicy.html#APCFAQ



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WSIS GENDER CAUCUS
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= WSIS Gender Caucus launches website
On July 9, 2003, the WSIS Gender Caucus launched a new website -
http://www.genderwsis.org. The WSIS Gender Caucus aims to ensure that
gender dimensions are included in the process of defining and
creating a Global Information Society.
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgc.html#WGCweb


= WSIS Gender Caucus Sourcebook
The WSIS Gender Caucus Sourcebook is a guide to creating a national
gender programme in preparation for WSIS. The Sourcebook  provides a
background on WSIS, and outlines strategies for organising effective
national gender programmes.
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ictpolicy.html#WGCSB


= WSIS Gender Caucus response to WSIS Documents
The response from the WSIS Gender Caucus to the Declaration of
Principles and Action Points prepared by the WSIS Secretariat is
available online at:
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgcdocs.html



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LINKS & RESOURCES
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a) African/International Women Organisations

= Fontaine d'Espoir pour Filles et Femmes (formerly Centre d'Espoir
   pour Filles et Femmes)
Based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, FEFF advocates for the
rights and liberties of women, women's protection, women's sexual
independence and her self-sufficiency for her future. To educate a
woman is to educate the whole Nation!
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/africa_int.html#FEFF


= Canal Side women small-scale farmers association (CAWOSFA)
Based in Lagos State, Nigeria, CAWOSFA's mission is to enhance the
quality of lives of grassroots women farmers through the use of
Information & Communication Technology. Members are taught basic
computer skills and internet surfing skills and encouraged to surf
the net for information on agriculture and health.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/africa_int.html#CAWOSFA



b) Development

= Promoculture/Centre Africain D'Echange Culturel (PC-CAFEC)
PC-CAFEC est une organisation de développement des capacities et mise
en synergie des competences endogenes. (In French)
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/development.html#CAFEC



c) Health

= The International Baby Food Action Network
The International Baby Food Action Network, IBFAN, consists of public
interest groups working around the world to reduce infant and young
child morbidity and mortality. IBFAN aims to improve the health and
well-being of babies and young children, their mothers and their
families through the protection, promotion and support of
breastfeeding and optimal infant feeding practices. IBFAN was founded
on October 12th, 1979 after the joint meeting of WHO and UNICEF on
Infant and Young Child Feeding.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/health.html#IBFAN



d)  HIV/AIDS

= Report on Regional Conference on Leadership Challenges for African
   Women in the Campaign Against HIV/AIDS. Hadijah Namumbya,
   WOUGNET Information Officer. July 2003
The regional conference was organised by African Leadership Forum in
collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
Action Aid (Africa), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) and National Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA). The
conference was organised to elaborate on the need to expand the space
of engagement of women within the policy framework being used to
fight against HIV/AIDS and also to develop strategies that will
assist women across the continent to adequately respond to the
leadership needs required in curbing the pandemic. A copy of the
report including a listing of the key issues noted, the
recommendations, and the plan of action is available for download
(WORD format):
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/hivaids.html#ABUJAcnf
Hadijah's participation at the Regional Conference was generously
sponsored by the African Leadership Forum (ALF).


e) Human Rights

= Center for Dometic Violence Prevention (CDVP)
Operating within Kawempe Division, Kampala, CDVP's mission is to
transform the unequal power relations in the community through
raising awareness,collective visioning and concerted action among
community members. CDVP began as the Domestic Violence Prevention
Project, a partnership between the National Association of Women's
Organizations in Uganda (NAWOU), Raising Voices and ActionAid-Uganda
in August 2000. Due to the success and increased demand for the work,
the project became an independent NGO in January 2003.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/rights.html#CDVP



f) ICT Resources

= iNETWORK Uganda - July 2003 issue
iNETWORK Uganda is a quarterly newsletter of I-Network Uganda. The
primary target audience consists of I-Network members, IICD project
holders and beneficiaries, practitioners who use ICT to promote
development and poverty eradication in these sectors - education,
agriculture, health, local and central government.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/ictresources.html#INUG



g) Women & Gender

= Telecenters and the Gender Dimension: An Examination of How
    Engendered Telecenters are Diffused in Africa
Telecenters have become an important component to development
programs that seek to narrow the digital and knowledge divides that
exist throughout the world. Despite the proliferation of telecenters
throughout Africa, women continue to be cut off from essential
info-communication resources that could improve their lives. Kelby
Johnson's thesis examines the relationship between gender
differences, telecenter design and women's accessibility to
information and communication technologies (ICTs). By examining how
these elements interact in the context of the diffusion model, the
thesis suggests that the incorporation of the gender dimension into
telecenter designs can enhance the diffusion of engendered
telecenters, thereby increasing women's access to ICTs and improving
their ability to contribute to the evolution of Africa's information
society.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/aboutwomen.html#TGD



= Women's Funding Network (WFN)
Founded in 1985 and located in the United States, the Women's Funding
Network is an international partnership of more than 90 women and
girls' funds and philanthropic organizations. Committed to changing
society by improving the status of women and girls locally,
nationally, and internationally, Women's Funding Network works to
strengthen and empower member funds.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/aboutwomen.html#WFN



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NEWS & EVENTS
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September 2003

= The APC WNSP and GKP Gender and ICT Awards:
    Recognizing Innovative and Effective Efforts
The APC Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP) and Global
Knowledge Partnership (GKP) Gender and ICT Awards aim to honor and
bring international recognition to the innovative and effective
projects by women to use ICTs for the promotion of gender equality
and/or women's empowerment.
The awards are open to projects from all around the world. The Gender
and ICT Awards will be launched, and winners will be showcased and
celebrated, at a special event and venue parallel to the WSIS in
Geneva, Switzerland, from December 10-12, 2003. A prize of US$8,000
will be awarded to one winner in four categories. Deadline for
application is September 10, 2003.
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews03.html#GICTA



January 2004

= The First African Conference on the Digital Commons
The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA), the
African Virtual Open Initiatives and Resources (AVOIR) project at the
University of the Western Cape and the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) invite you to participate in this seminal
event to be held in Capetown from 12th to 16th January 2004. The
conference will address the challenges and opportunities of the
creation and use of free / open source software and open content and
their development potential for Africa. The conference has both
strategic and practical objectives, bringing together participants
from government, education, business and civil society together with
the developer community.
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews04.html#ACDC



To list your event/news on the WOUGNET website, send details about
the event/news including contact information to: news@xxxxxxxxxxx



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TechTip
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Step-by-Step Guide to Proper PC Maintenance
Prepared by Rehema Baguma with editing by Kristine Visanen,
Netaid.org volunteer

Computers are one of the valuable assets in which companies and
individuals invest a lot of money. This investment is in anticipation
for high value output in processing and storing data, sending and
receiving emails, accessing the Internet etc. However sometimes these
expectations fall short, when computers crash losing all the vital
data or malfunction in the middle of an urgent assignment. Many of
these crashes and malfunctions could be avoided, or their impact
reduced.
http://www.wougnet.org/Support/TechTips/techtip_7.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
<http://www.wougnet.org/Support/techtips.html> or via email to
<techtips@xxxxxxxxxxx>.



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