Pamoya

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - September 2003
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A monthly electronic newsletter from Women of Uganda Network
(WOUGNET) - http://www.wougnet.org
For comments or queries, contact info [at] wougnet [dot] 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
. 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

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DOCUMENTS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN UGANDA
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= 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

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ICT POLICY
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= Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS

The Africa Civil Society Caucus on WSIS website,
, 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

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WSIS GENDER CAUCUS
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= 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

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LINKS & RESOURCES
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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
. 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.

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NEWS & EVENTS
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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 [at] wougnet [dot] org

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TechTips
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= 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
or via email to
.

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