WOUGNET Update Newsletter - August 2005

[Dorothy Okello <dokello@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - August 2005
******************************************************************************************
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. World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
3. ICT Policy
4. Links & Resources
5. Project News and Events
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WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA
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= Disabled Women in Development (DIWODE)
   http://www.wougnet.org/wo_dir.html#DIWODE
DIWODE's mission is to promote self help 
initiatives by providing training and 
micro-credit facilities to the marginalized 
groups especially women with disabilities, women 
living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and the destitute 
for them to have self sustainability and live a meaningful life.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/diwode.html


= Uganda Women's Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO)
   http://www.wougnet.org/wo_dir.html#UWESO
UWESO's mission is to improve the quality of life 
of needy orphans empowering the local communities 
to meet the social, moral and economic needs of 
these children in a sustainable manner.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/uweso.html



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
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WSIS Online Forum: Paving the Way to Tunis, July 11 - 29, 2005

In July 2005, WOUGNET hosted an online forum on 
key issues for the World Summit on the 
Information Society (WSIS) to share views, 
experiences, knowledge and concerns. In 
particular, the forum focused on ICT policy 
priorities for Uganda as well as the two 
outstanding issues for the WSIS - internet 
governance and financing mechanisms. A report on 
the forum will be available shortly and will be 
posted to the forum web page at:
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/ug/WSIS2005/wsis2005forum.html


= Consultative Workshop: The WGIG Report ­ Issues for Uganda

In collaboration with the Uganda Communications 
Commission, and as a follow-up to the WSIS 2005 
Online Forum, a consultative workshop is being 
organised to discuss the WGIG Report and the 
issues for Uganda. Tentatively scheduled for 24 
August 2005, the output from this workshop will 
feed into Uganda's preparation for the WSIS 
PrepCom III, September 19-30, 2005, in Geneva. 
The first WSIS Summit established a Working Group 
on Internet Governance (WGIG) to address the following issues:
        - Develop a working definition of Internet governance;
	- Identify the public policy issues that are 
relevant to Internet governance;
	- Develop a common understanding of the 
respective roles and responsibilities 
of 	governments, existing international 
organisations and other forums as well as the 
private 	sector and civil society from both 
developing and developed countries.
The WGIG report is available online at 
<http://wgig.org/docs/WGIGREPORT.pdf>. For more 
information or to indicate your interest in 
participating in the workshop, send email to ictpolicy@xxxxxxxxxxx


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ICT POLICY
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= Broadcasting Policy available online
A copy of the Broadcasting Policy (draft final) is available online at:
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ug/ugictpolicy.html#DNBP

The Broadcasting Council Secretariat has also 
made available the following documents:
1) Comments on the National ICT Policy
This document presents a review of the National ICT Policy from the
perspective of the Broadcasting Council. It concludes that "the ICT
National policy despite the over head advantages and importance has not
cast the broadcasting industry ... in light of being a priority and
therefore needs as a matter of policy to expand 
on its objectives and roles."
2) Building a sustainable Public Service Broadcaster
This document is a statement by the Chairman of the Broadcasting Council
regarding the proposed Television licence fee and 
the need for a viable and
acceptable funding structure for the public broadcaster.

3) Local Content in the Ugandan Media, January 2004
The Broadcasting Council is in the process of consulting with various
sectors of the Ugandan public on issues pertinent to broadcast policy and
regulation. One of the key issues to be considered is the availability and
scheduling of local content on Uganda's radio and television stations.

4) Analysis of the Present State of the Media, 
Challenges and the Way Forward
Liberalisation of the airwaves has opened up political space for more
discussion in the public and thus given a larger percentage of
constituents, the ability to easily and quickly transmit their opinions on
public policy to their representatives. By empowering ordinary citizens to
participate more directly in their political system, the electronic media
in Uganda has increased the role of the citizen in the policy making
process at the expense of the political "middlemen" who historically have
provided the forum through which ordinary citizens could make their
interests on specific issues known through interest aggregation and
representation.
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ug/ugictpolicy.html#DNBP



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LINKS & RESOURCES
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a) Business

= East Africa Small Enterprise Fund
Following the July 2005 G-8 meeting in Scotland 
and the Live 8 concerts, both focused on 
eradicating poverty, Shell Foundation and GroFin 
Capital (an African financial firm) jointly 
announced the creation of the East Africa Small 
Enterprise Fund intended for African 
entrepreneurs with the potential to expand and to become major businesses.
The $100 million fund is not intended for 
start-ups nor is it a source for microloans. 
Beginning in Uganda and Kenya, the fund targets 
established African small businesses poised for 
growth with loans ranging from $50,000 to $1 million.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/business.html#EASES



b) Development

= Seed Foundation - Uganda (SFU)
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/development.html#SFU
SFU is a faith-based organisation whose mission 
is to offer psycho-social and economic 
empowerment to its beneficiaries. Seed Foundation 
- Uganda is committed to a holistic Christian 
community of love and care for the poor women and 
girls living on the margin of their communities 
in Uganda, to promote wholeness of life for all God's people.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/seedug.html


= Mazinga Muslim Social Reform Society (MMSRS)
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/development.html#MMSRS
Operating in Mazinga-Buwunga, Masaka District, 
MMSRS's mission is to promote the education, 
health and social development of members who 
originate from and are resident in the area of operation.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/mazinga.html



c) Health

= Family Planning Association of Uganda (FPAU)
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/health.html#FPAU
FPAU's mission is to address the unmet needs, and 
demand for quality sexual and reproductive health 
services and promote sexual and reproductive 
rights in a gender sensitive manner, with the 
primary focus on the youth. FPAU envisions a 
society, which enjoys full Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/fpau.html



d) Human Rights

= Empower Children and Communities Against Abuse (ECCA)
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/rights.html#ECCA
Operating in Kampala, Wakiso and Rakai districts, 
ECCA's mission is to empower children, men and 
women to work together against all forms of 
gender-based violence. ECCA's major objective is 
to build and strengthen the capacity of 
individuals, communities, and children to address 
the problem of abuse in Uganda. ECCA has launched 
its website at <http://www.eccauganda.org>.
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/eccaug.html



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PROJECT NEWS AND EVENTS
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January 2006

= Africa Source II, Kampala, Uganda, January 8 - 15, 2006
Africa Source II will seek to foster the growth 
of FOSS expertise amongst technical support 
professionals working in Africa and facilitate 
knowledge sharing and exchange around successful 
implementation of FOSS. Africa Source II will 
bring together nearly 100 technology support 
professionals, trainers and consultants working 
with the non-profit sector from across Africa. 
The participants will all have a history of 
working with service and advocacy NGOs, 
educational organisations, NGO resource centres, 
community centres and health information 
organisations. The aim of the event - which will 
be held in East Africa, January 2006 - is to 
facilitate learning and exchange between these 
communities, in particular around the practical 
deployment of Free and Open Source Technologies. 
The intention is to move beyond conceptual 
discussions of the benefits of FOSS and 
technology in general, and to test out these 
ideas and focus on practical skill sharing 
between technology implementers in the region.
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews06.html#ASII



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