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Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET): Using ICTs for economic and social development among women in Uganda

Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET): Using ICTs for economic and social development among women in Uganda. Gender & ICT Gender and the Digital Divide Seminar Series November 5, 2002. Brief on WOUGNET.

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Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET): Using ICTs for economic and social development among women in Uganda

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  1. Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET): Using ICTs for economic and social development among women in Uganda Gender & ICT Gender and the Digital Divide Seminar Series November 5, 2002

  2. Brief on WOUGNET • NGO established in May 2000 by women organisations in Uganda. WOUGNET website and mailing lists are hosted by Kabissa. • Goal: Develop and promote use of ICTs among women as tools to share information and address issues collectively. • ICTs: Primarily email and the web, with interest in integration with traditional means such as radio, video, print for wider outreach.

  3. WOUGNET Activities • Administer electronic mailing lists for: - discussion e.g. WOUGNET mailing list - networking e.g. WSIS Gender Caucus • Maintain a website to profile members and their activities as well as links to resources of interest to members and general public. • Produce a monthly e-newsletter with information on members’ activities, upcoming events, funding opportunities, etc. • Technical support programs to address computer/IT-related queries and to develop websites for members.

  4. WOUGNET Challenges • Limited outreach due to primarily online operation. • Availability of relevant information (content) for members’ economic and social development needs. • Creating awareness about the viable potential of ICTs for information exchange and dissemination. • Providing training and hands-on demos on the usage and application of ICTs. • The need by members to have more face-to-face collaboration in addition to the online networking. • Staffing and institutional capacity to support WOUGNET programs

  5. WOUGNET: Way Forward • Key issue from WOUGNET conference Information Access for Rural Women: WHICH information - For WHICH purpose - To serve WHICH needs? • Key consideration: bulk of Uganda’s communication infrastructure based in urban areas. • WOUGNET seeks to strengthen and broaden organisational capacity to support networking and information sharing nationwide.

  6. WOUGNET: Way Forward (cont.) • Member feedback indicates website and mailing list serve useful purpose as vital link for information and networking. • WOUGNET developing “information hub” to provide internet access to members without own access. Members could also have linkages with the hub via telephone, fax, postal mail, etc. • WOUGNET has initiated WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP) to make WorldSpace radio equipment available to members lacking ready internet access.

  7. “How to conduct a virtual conference” • IARW online (email) conference hosted with support from ENDA (Senegal) and several volunteers • Objective: facilitate exchange of ideas and experiences on information access for rural women • 264 participants - about 80% female • 53 countries - from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America • Languages: English, French, Spanish. (Final report also available in Swahili)

  8. IARW Conference Themes • Specific themes chosen to guide weekly discussions Week 1: information needs and role of ICTs for rural women Week 2: challenges/difficulties in making ICTs available and accessible to rural women Week 3: lessons learned, best practices and recommendations • Summary prepared at end of each week to synthesize contributions and facilitate following week discussions http://www.wougnet.org/Events/iarw.html

  9. IARW Conclusions • ICTs can be empowering tools for women in rural areas, with the right approach (appropriate, accessible, participatory) and attention to gender issues. • The online conference was itself an example of the role of ICTs in supporting information access for rural women. “we took these ideas and challenges brought in this conference as a reference in our efforts … for rural information centres” • Participants noted: • Conference was effective and economical means of getting a good variety of participants and contributions. • More needs to be done to get more input from rural women themselves.

  10. IARW Lessons Learned • Plan, plan, plan. • Have a reference group - review discussion material, motivate discussion. • Make discussion material and conference participation guidelines available in advance. • Have a contact address for participants to report difficulties.

  11. WOUGNET References • WOUGNET website: http://www.wougnet.org • WOUGNET online conference - Information Access for Rural Women: http://www.wougnet.org/Events/iarw.html • WOUGNET WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP): http://www.wougnet.org/Support/WSprogram.html • WOUGNET Coordinator: Dorothy Okello, dokello@wougnet.org

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