WOUGNET Update Newsletter - September 2003

[Dorothy Okello <dokello@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - September 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.    TechTips
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA
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= Kabale Women's Guidance and Counselling Services (KWGCS)
   http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/kwgcs.html
Operating in four subcounties in Kabale District, KWGCS's mission is 
to empower women and girls psychologically, socially and economically 
through instilling confidence, self-esteem and self-confidence for 
personal development. 
http://www.wougnet.org/wo_dir.html#KWGCS


= Joint Women's Restoration and Welfare - Uganda (JOWORWU)
   http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/joworwu
Based in Aduku Township, Apac District, JOWORWU's mission is to 
uplift the standard of living with in the rural folk of Apac by 
introducing income generating activities with much emphasis on women 
and youth. 
http://www.wougnet.org/wo_dir.html#JOWORWU


= ALFA Ministries launches new website
ALFA Ministries launches new website at 
<http://www.alfaministries.org/home.html>. ALFA's programs include 
the Rural Women Empowerment program (including the ALFA Women's 
Groups) and the Rural Information and Communication Centre.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/alfawg.html


= WOUGNET Presentation: UNESCO EGM on Gender Issues
  in the Information Society
Held at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France, the Expert Group 
Meeting brought together gender issues specialists, academics, 
activists and policy and decision makers from around the world to 
share information and make concrete recommendations and suggestions 
as to how to improve women's participation in the Information Society 
through various capacity building, policy reform and alternative 
intervention actions at national, regional and international level. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Meetings/WOUGNETevents.html#UEGM03


= WOUGNET Presentation: Forum on ICTs and Gender
Held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Forum was a multi-stakeholder 
initiative, bringing together public, private and not-for-profit 
stakeholders to examine issues surrounding gender and information and 
communication technologies. In general, the purpose wa to foster a 
greater appreciation of the gender-related barriers that exist in 
developing and developed countries, to develop an understanding of 
why women need access to ICTs, and to discuss strategies for 
overcoming these barriers. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Meetings/WOUGNETevents.html#FGICT03



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DOCUMENTS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN UGANDA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=  Review of affirmative action in Uganda
    (Elizabeth Kharono, July 2003, Commissioned by Uganda Women's 
     Network (UWONET))

Implementation of affirmative action in political decision making in 
its present form in Uganda is closely associated with the coming to 
power of the NRM government in 1986. From the initial steps taken to 
have special district seats for women in the NRC and mandatory 
positions for women at the different levels of the 9-member RCs, 
these provisions were consolidated in the 1995 Constitution. The 
Local Government Act (1997) has operationalised aspects of the 
provisions for affirmative action dealing with representation of 
marginalised groups in local government structures. Implementation of 
affirmative action has resulted in a marked increase in the number of 
marginalised groups (women, people with disabilities, youth, and 
workers) in politics and decision making thereby changing the 
landscape of politics and decision making in Uganda. 
http://www.wougnet.org/documents.html#RAAU



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ICT POLICY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

= Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS

The Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS website,
<http://www.wsis-cs.org/africa>, has been created to share and 
disseminate information around the World Summit on Information 
Society (WSIS) and especially of direct relevance to Africa civil 
society organizations. On the site you will find the latest news and 
information including a list of civil society organizations active on 
the caucus. Should you wish to join, please add your details on the 
form provided. There are also mailing lists with information on how 
to join current debates on the process and to contribute your inputs. 
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ictpolicy.html#AWSIS



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WSIS GENDER CAUCUS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

= WSIS Gender Caucus Orientation Session
  13 September 2003, Geneva, Switzerland

The WSIS Gender Caucus is hosting the WSIS Gender Caucus Orientation 
Session, a one-day event to be held on 13 September 2003, in Geneva, 
Switzerland. The session is open to women  and men who work on 
advocacy issues for social justice and change in international 
organisations, governments, academia and civil society organisations. 
An estimated total of 50 participants from around the world are 
expected to participate in this orientation session and to ensure 
that the lobbying and advocacy geared to mainstreaming gender in the 
World Summit on Information Society process is successfully carried 
out at the WSIS Third Preparatory Committee Meeting, to be held in 
Geneva from 15-26 September 2003.               
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgc.html#WGCP3          



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LINKS & RESOURCES
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a) Business

= American & African Business Women's Alliance (AABWA)
AABWA is an organization whose members represent business and 
professional women from Africa and America engaged in trade and 
investment. Established in February 2001, AABWA fosters business 
opportunities and access to markets through networks, linkages, 
mentoring and leadership development for women. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/business.html#AABWA


b) General Resources

= Nairobi Secretariat on Small Arms and Light Weapons (NSSALW)
NSSALW's mission is to work with Governments, International Community 
and Donors, Regional and National Agencies, Private Sector and Civil 
Society towards a joint effort to regulate and eradicate possession, 
proliferation, illicit trade, trafficking and misuse of small arms 
and light weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/generalresources.html#NSSALW


= Economic Policy Empowerment Programme (EPEP)
EPEP is an initiative of the European Network on Debt and Development 
(EURODAD), aiming to facilitate the enhanced involvement of Southern 
civil society in bringing a more poverty-focused perspective to 
national processes and international debate on economic development 
policies, and promoting greater cohesion between social sector 
strategies and macroeconomic/structural policies.
EPEP is mapping national economic policy processes and actors in a 
wide range of countries to provide essential background information 
for those wishing to engage in economic policy. In Uganda, a mapping 
study - Mapping of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Involvement in 
Economic Policy Empowerment - commissioned by EPEP in partnership 
with NGO Forum has been finalised.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/generalresources.html#EPEP


c) Health

= Youth AIDS Association (YAAC)
Based in Kwania county, Apac District, YAAC's mission is to have a 
community practicing positive behaviour change free from 
HIV/AIDS/STDs infection through community sensitization and 
empowerment. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/health.html#YAAC


d)  HIV/AIDS

= Domestic violence intensifying spread of HIV in Uganda. 
   Gloria Katusiime. August 13, 2003
In a report released by the Human Rights watch, thousands of Ugandan 
women are becoming infected with HIV and will eventually die of AIDS 
because the government is failing to protect them from domestic 
violence. The report reveals that women whose husbands rape or 
physically attack them are unable to protect themselves from 
infection or get access to HIV/AIDS services. The government of 
Uganda was also blamed for failing to criminalize or prosecute 
violence against women in the home thus contributing to Uganda 
women's vulnerability to HIV infection. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/hivaids.html#DVHIV


e) Human Rights

= Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the 
   Rights of Women in Africa                       
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on 
the Rights of Women in Africa was adopted by the Second Ordinary 
Session of the Assembly of the Union on July 11, 2003, in Maputo, 
Mozambique. The Protocol shall enter into force thirty (30) days 
after the deposit of the fifteenth (15) instrument of ratification.   
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/rights.html#PAC
             

= Promoculture/Centre Africain d'Echange Culturel launches website
Promoculture/Centre Africain d'Echange Culturel launches website at 
<http://www.web-africa.org/promoculture>. Based in the Democratic 
Republic of Congo, Promoculture/Centre Africain d'Echange Culturel's 
mission is to introduce and to teach ICTs for the promotion of human 
rights. 



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS & EVENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

September 2003

= World Bank Videoconference - "Young Women & Development - 
    Realising their Potential", September 21,2003

On September 21, 2003, the Dubai Women's College, Dubai, will host a 
videoconference as part of the World Bank annual meeting activities. 
The videoconference will involve the participation of young 
university women in Afghanistan, Dubai, Jordan, Turkey, Yemen and 
Uganda. The objective of the videoconference is to initiate dialogue 
and discussion with young women on how they perceive development. The 
Uganda center for the videoconference is the Global Distance Learning 
Centre, Uganda Management Institute. The key questions for the 
videoconference are:

a) In both industrial and other nations, women are still 
underrepresented in Parliaments and in managerial positions (whether 
it is in academic institutions, Government agencies, or the private 
sector). In your opinion, what are the two key barriers that young 
women face in trying to achieve positions of leadership?
b) How can these barriers or constraints be overcome and who needs to 
address them? 
c) How can information and communication technologies (ICTs) better 
help you empower yourselves to overcome these barriers? 

This announcement is for participation at the Uganda center. The 
target audience is university students, with particular focus on 
young women students. Government officials, academic staff, policy 
makers, and members of the civil society are also welcome to 
participate in the videoconference. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews03.html#WBYWD



= Reminder -- 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



November 2003

= 16 Days of Action against Gender-based Violence - 
   Violence Against Women Violates Human Rights: Maintaining the 
   Momentum Ten Years After Vienna (1993-2003)
   November 25  - December 10, 2003

In June of 1993, representatives of nations and NGOs from around the 
world gathered in Vienna, Austria for the United Nations World 
Conference on Human Rights. Women's human rights advocates had worked 
for two years nationally, regionally and globally to ensure that 
women's rights were recognized as human rights there and that 
violence against women was included in the discussion. The resulting 
document, the Vienna Declaration and Platform of Action signed by 171 
states, was historic in its emphasis on the global pervasiveness of 
gender-based violence and in its compelling appeal to governments and 
the United Nations to take action to eliminate such violence. The 16 
Days Campaign is an international campaign originating from the first 
Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for 
Women's Global Leadership in 1991. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews03.html#16DAYS



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



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TechTips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=  Online Scams and Spam
    Prepared by Craig Knott, Netaid.org volunteer 

This two part TechTip instalment will introduce you to the most 
common, and possibly most irritating scams out there today on the 
world wide web. It will cover what to look out for, and go into some 
detail on how to get around them. Part I addresses online scams and 
Part II addresses spam. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Support/TechTips/techtip_8a.html


=  Blogging: What You Need to Know to Get Started 
    Prepared by Kristine Visanen, Netaid.org volunteer

A blog is a web page made up of usually short, frequently updated 
posts that are arranged chronologically- like a "what's new" page or 
a journal. The content and purposes of  blogs varies greatly - from 
links and commentary about other web sites, to news about a 
company/person/idea, to diaries, photos, poetry, mini-essays, project 
updates, even fiction. 
http://www.wougnet.org/Support/TechTips/techtip_9.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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