WOUGNET Update Newsletter - Special Edition

[Dorothy Okello <dokello@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - Special Edition
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A monthly electronic newsletter from Women of 
Uganda Network (WOUGNET) - http://www.wougnet.org
For comments or queries, contact info@xxxxxxxxxxx

To subscribe/unsubscribe to the WOUGNET Update 
Newsletter, send a message to 
wougnet-update-request@xxxxxxxxxxx with the 
following command in the subject or body of your message: subscribe/unsubscribe
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This month's contents:
1. Launch of new WOUGNET website
2. New strategic direction for WOUGNET
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As we begin a new year, we take this opportunity 
to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year 2008!
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Launch of new WOUGNET website
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WOUGNET has launched its newly redesigned website 
- http://www.wougnet.org. With a new look and 
feel it is better suited for engaging with 
WOUGNET members, partners and visitors. The new 
site retains its wealth of information from the 
old site (and a link to the old site is also made available).
The key feature with the new website is to allow 
members and registered users contribute directly 
to the website content, participate in forums, 
and be part of the WOUGNET website development. 
Please join the current forum to discuss the new 
changes to the WOUGNET website - you need to 
register first in order to participate in the 
forum. We would also like to hear your 
suggestions on how we can expand or improve the site.
As a result of all these on-going changes, there 
will be an interruption in the Update Newsletter 
for this first quarter. The next issue of the 
WOUGNET Update Newsletter will be in April 2008.


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New strategic direction for WOUGNET
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Having existed for more than seven years, WOUGNET 
deemed it imperative to develop a new three-year 
strategic plan, 2008 - 2010. WOUGNET is a 
non-governmental organization initiated in May 
2000 by several women?s organisations in Uganda 
to develop the use of information and 
communication technologies (ICTs) among women as 
tools to share information and address issues 
collectively. The new Strategic Plan has the following elements:
Vision
=====
A society in which women are empowered through 
the use of ICTs for sustainable development.

Mission
======
To promote and support the use of ICTs by women 
and women organisations in Uganda, so that they 
can take advantage of the opportunities presented 
by ICTs in order to effectively address national 
and local problems of Sustainable National Development.


Overall Goal
=========
Women and Women Organisations able to 
strategically and innovatively use ICTs for sustainable development

Purpose
======
Access and application of ICTs by women and Women 
Organisations in Uganda promoted and supported for sustainable development

Specific Objectives
==============
1.     To facilitate access to relevant 
information by WOUGNET members in urban and rural access
2.     To provide technical support to WOUGNET 
members in accessing and applying ICTs in their activities
3.     To advocate for the integration of gender 
issues into ICT policies and programs
4.     To build and strengthen WOUGNET?s 
institutional capacity to implement WOUGNET programs

Expected Results
============
1.     Improved information access by women and 
women organisations in both rural and urban areas
2.     Strategic and innovative application of 
ICTs by WOUGNET and members in their activities
3.     Gender-responsive ICT policy processes in place
4.     WOUGNET Board and Staff Capacity 
strengthened to effectively and efficiently manage and implement programs


New Program Areas
===============

1. Information Sharing and Networking

Information sharing and networking in both urban 
and rural areas will be conducted in a variety of 
ways including through an electronic mailing 
list, a monthly electronic newsletter with 
updates on the activities of WOUGNET members and 
the secretariat, an interactive WOUGNET website 
with facilities to enable members to directly 
contribute their own stories and activities, a 
quarterly print newsletter ?WOUGNET News?, 
regular SMS messages as well as online and 
face-to-face workshops. The secretariat also 
houses a Resource Centre with a variety of 
information on ICT for development. In addition, 
projects will be conducted to improve access to 
information, building upon existing projects such 
as the project on ?Enhancing Access to 
Agricultural Information using Information and 
Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Apac 
District? which was initiated to develop and 
improve information and communication systems so 
as to enable easy access to agricultural 
information for rural women farmers via a variety 
of ICTs including mobile phones, radio cassettes, and community radio.

2. Technical Support

This program aims at supporting women 
organisations to strategically and innovatively 
access, utilise and apply ICTs in addressing 
their development problems. Under this program, 
WOUGNET activities will include providing 
technical support to WOUGNET and WOUGNET members 
(such as designing simple websites for members, 
provide Tech Tips of a variety of computer 
related queries), providing training in ICT and 
in information management, facilitating access to 
ICT tools (both software and hardware), 
identifying and testing new technologies for 
potential adoption by WOUGNET and WOUGNET 
members, as well as identifying and matching ICT 
volunteers with WOUGNET and WOUGNET members.

3. Gender and ICT Policy Advocacy

Improvements in the ICT policy processes in 
Uganda are expected to result in the increased 
availability of and/or improved access to timely 
and relevant information. Hence this program area 
is a core activity in the long-term 
sustainability of WOUGNET efforts to promote and 
support the access and use of ICTs by women and 
women organisations in Uganda ­ WOUGNET members 
in particular. WOUGNET?s advocacy activities 
include sensitizing policy makers, ICT experts 
and the media to articulate gender issues in the 
on-going ICT policy processes, data gathering and 
documentation on ICT use from a gender 
perspective, advocating for gender sensitive ICT 
policy processes, as well as producing and 
disseminating advocacy materials on gender 
mainstreaming on ICT policy process. WOUGNET also 
serves as secretariat for the Uganda Women?s 
Caucus on ICT (UWCI) that undertakes advocacy 
activities geared towards addressing gender 
concerns within the ICT Policies and programs.


Strategic Partnerships
=================

WOUGNET?s vitality and relevance depends on the 
input and participation by members. One of the 
key mechanisms to enhance the effectiveness of 
WOUGNET as well as to improve WOUGNET performance 
will be the formation of strategic partnerships. 
WOUGNET strategic partnerships are targeted at three levels:
Women and women organisations that are (potential) WOUGNET members
Partnerships with community, local and national 
organisations specialising in ICT and/or in 
WOUGNET?s key thematic areas, namely, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Health
Partnerships with regional and international 
organisations and networks specialising in ICT4D, 
WOUGNET?s key thematic areas, and/or gender issues
For more information, please write to info@xxxxxxxxxxx


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The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) website and
mailing lists are hosted by Kabissa - Space for Change in Africa

WOUGNET is supported by APC, CTA, Dimitra/FAO and Hivos

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