Pamoya

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - December 2004
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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. Links & Resources
5. Project News and Events
6. WOUGNET News

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We take this opportunity to wish you all a happy holiday season and a happy
and prosperous 2005. Kindly note that the WOUGNET office will be closed
from December 20, 2004 to January 2, 2004.

The next issue of the newsletter will be in February 2005.

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WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA
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= UWONET: Roundtable Meetings with Political Parties in Uganda
As a follow-up of the "Women's Minimum Demands to Political Parties and
Organizations" compiled and launched in October 2004, UWONET started round
table meetings with parties on issues raised in the women's demands. The
first round of meetings were held with five parties, namely, Forum for
Democratic Change (FDC), Uganda People's Congress (UPC), Democratic Party
(DP), Conservative Party (CP) and National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Copies of the meetings' minutes and a summary of the issues raised (WORD
format) are available online at:
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/uwonet.html#RTP11

= UWONET: DRB Coalition Position on the Domestic Relations Bill
As a follow-up of the Domestic Relations Bill (DRB) Harmonization Workshop
held earlier this year (March 24-25, 2004), a DRB position paper was
compiled. The DRB Coalition was granted an appointment by The Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs Committee to present their views on Thursday 25th
November 2004. Copies of the position paper and the presentations to the
Parliamentary Committee are available online at:
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/uwonet.html#DRB11

= CEEWA ­ Uganda: Public Dialogue on Â"Empowering the Ugandan Rural Woman:
Accelerating the engine for developmentÂ"

On November 19, 2004, the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women of
Africa (CEEWA ­ Uganda) organised a public dialogue under the theme
Â"Empowering the Ugandan Rural Woman: Accelerating the engine for
developmentÂ". The dialogue was an activity to mark the end of the CEEWA
week. It was also aimed at fundraising for CEEWAÂ's Rural Outreach Program.
Over 50 participants from the civil society and government as well as CEEWA
members attended the dialogue.

The CEEWA-U Chairperson, Ms. Edith Mwanje, disclosed that in an effort to
mitigate the factors hindering womenÂ's development, CEEWA undertakes
activities and programs that specifically focus on women concerns. These
were Agriculture, Finance, Advocating for gender positive budgeting (Women
and economic decision making) and Entrepreneurial development through
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this regard, CEEWA
operates ICT sites in Buwama, Nabweru, Mukono, and Kampala. CEEWA will also
move to Kamuli as well for enterprise development.

She disclosed that CEEWA had managed to lobby for 30% inclusion of the
womenÂ's program into the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).
She also said that CEEWA carries out gender sensitization seminars and runs
an empowerment studio where women are provided with skills on how to make
public speeches, and how to dress professionally amongst others.

For more information about the public dialogue, send email to:
info [at] ceewauwires [dot] org

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DOCUMENTS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES IN UGANDA
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= Commercialisation and Gender Roles among Lake Victoria Shore Fishing
Communities in Uganda, Aramanzan Madanda, December 2003
This study set out to establish the effect of commercialisation on the
roles of women and men in the fisheries. This would be done through an
analysis of the dynamic and changing gender roles in the fisheries sector
resulting from commercialisation by focusing on the experiences of two
fishing Lake Victoria Shore communities namely Majanji in Busia District,
Eastern Uganda and Katosi in Mukono District central Uganda. A copy of the
study report is available at:
http://www.wougnet.org/documents.html#CGRLV

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ICT POLICY
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= UCC Consultative Workshop on the Review of the Telecommunications Sector
Policy, December 2004

On December 6, 2004, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) held a
public consultative workshop to review the Telecommunications Sector
Policy. The current policy and regulatory environment in Uganda was
established through the telecommunications sector policy of 1996, and
operationalised by the Uganda Communications Act, 1997 (Laws of Uganda Cap
106). The Telecommunications Sector Policy review was initiated by a
recommendation by the UCC to the Minister of Works, Housing and
Communication about the need to review policy at this point in time. Copies
of the Consultation Document on the Telecommunications Sector Policy and
presentations made during the consultative workshop are available online.
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ug/ugictpolicy.html#UCC-TPR

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LINKS & RESOURCES
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a) HIV/AIDS

Who Cares for the Care-Givers? Respond to WomenÂ's Voices and Cry for
Support. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Regional Program Director, UNIFEM East and
Horn of Africa
The world celebrates International World AIDS Day, with the appropriate
theme Â"Women, Girls, HIV and AIDSÂ". The vulnerability and risk of women and
girls to infection, the horrifying statistics of the increasing orphan care
issues; the daily cry of greater access to health care, treatment and
nutrition for people living with HIV & AIDS are the main stories of the
day. What is rarely seen, said and adequately responded to are the needs
and rights of the care givers? With what resources do these mostly elderly
women and girls provide support and care to the infected and affected
family members and friends? Where do they derive their daily strength to
nurture, to love and to support our sick and dying? What nourishes their
spirit as they wake up everyday and respond to the call to serve humanity?
Who actually cares for the care-givers?
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/hivaids.html#WCCG

b) Human Rights

= The Notion of Peace and Security must embrace Zero-tolerance to Sexual
Violence
Africa has just emerged from a review of the progress made ten years after
the Beijing Conference on women whose theme was equality, peace and
development. November 2004, the world will commence the 16 days campaign
against gender-based violence, an annual event that remains more relevant
today especially with the reality of conflict, wars and political violence,
which seem to accompany most elections in Africa. Violence against women
and especially sexual violence remains a gross violation of rights of women
irrespective of the global regional and national commitments made to
address this issue. Women continue to organize and advocate for concrete
and lasting solutions to eliminating gender based and sexual violence.
http://www.wougnet.org/Links/rights.html#NPSSV

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PROJECT NEWS AND EVENTS
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February 2005

= Knowledge Sharing for Development: Africa Regional Program, Global
Development Network, Cairo, Egypt, February 27-28, 2005 (Application
deadline: December 21, 2004)

As part of its program of supporting the generation and communication of
research from developing countries ­ GDN is organising a practical workshop
to enhance the knowledge sharing and research dissemination capacity of
research institutes and networks in Africa.

This workshop, which will be held in English and French, will bring
together people from across the continent who are responsible for
communicating the wealth of research knowledge currently being produced in
Africa ­ these may be librarians, administrators, information officers,
knowledge managers or researchers.

Drawing on success stories from within Africa, the workshop will explore
the practical aspects of knowledge sharing, relevant strategies, tools and
methodologies that have proven successful in development organizations. It
will:
- focus on knowledge sharing success stories, including strategies for
communicating with policy makers
- address regional specific requirements: environment and constraints
- explore practical approaches to knowledge sharing and research dissemination
It will also provide an opportunity to create an online community to
continue to nurture and showcase locally produced research and output.

Applicants for the workshop should be from a national institute working in
the field of social science research and must be resident in a sub-Saharan
African Country. Priority will be given to those who are responsible for
research communication at an organisational level and a balance of
participants from different countries represented will be sought.

Applications are available from the GDN website, and must be completed and
sent by email to: dhalaby [at] gdnet [dot] org. The deadline for submissions is
December 21st, 2004.
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews05.html#KSD05

October 2005

= AWID Call for Participation: Â"How does change happen?Â", The 10th AWID
International Forum on WomenÂ's Rights in Development, Bangkok, Thailand,
October 27-30, 2005

The Association for WomenÂ's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum is not just
another conference. Instead, it is a space for policy makers, researchers,
students, funders and activists to come together across generations,
regions, issues, and sectors to celebrate and strengthen as a movement.
Anyone committed to womenÂ's rights and gender and development is welcome to
participate in the AWID Forum, either by attending and engaging, or by
organizing a session in the program.

In the global struggle to improve the lives of girls and women, our
successes and failures are most meaningfully measured by actual, concrete
changes in the day-to-day lives of women around the world. When girls go
to university, when women no longer feel the constant threat of violence,
when womenÂ's voices are heard in policy discussions, or when families have
enough food on the table, we know that we have moved forward.

At the 10th AWID Forum, we want to unravel the complexities by exploring
the many ways in which change happens and is sustained. Through workshops,
debates, plenaries, and multi-media presentations, we will share lessons on
key change processes and candidly evaluate our efforts toward gender
equality. We will also look more critically at our theories and histories
of change, as we move toward shared visions of the future. In doing so, we
intend to learn more about how to effect the kinds of transformation that
result in full human rights for women, economic justice, clean environments
and an end to armed conflict.

To organize a session, submit a proposal by March 1, 2005 that explores one
or more of the issues for the 10th AWID forum in a way that enables both
critical reflection and creative learning. Sessions at the AWID forum can
be interactive presentations, skills-building workshops, structured
debates, creative sessions or inputs, visual essays, and film or video.
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/projectnews05.html#AWID10

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WOUGNET News
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= Annual WOUGNET January Meeting, January 19, 2005

The Annual WOUGNET January Meeting will be held on January 19, 2005 at
Hotel Africana, Kampala. The overall objective is to review the WOUGNET
Action Plan 2005 and to get membersÂ' input for the way forward. Further
details will be communicated in due course.

= WOUGNET @ ITU Exhibition, October 1-5, 2004

WOUGNET was invited to exhibit at the October 2004 International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) exhibition at Speke Resort Munyonyo in
Kampala. The exhibition was intended to showcase ICT initiatives in Uganda
to delegates to the Public Private Sector Partnership (PPP) which was held
November 1-2, 2004, and to delegates to the 5th Forum on Telecommunication
Regulation in Africa which was held November 3 - 5, 2004. Exhibiters
included MTN ­ Uganda, One2net, Multichoice­Uganda, I-Network in addition
to WOUGNET. The exhibition and the PPP/5th Forum were organised by the
Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) and ITU.

= Reminder - Call for expressions of interest: Refurbished Computers

As a result of the WOUGNET ­ Computer Aid Partnership, a shipment of
refurbished Pentium II and III computers is expected to arrive in Kampala
on December 15, 2004. A total of 210 computers are available for NGOs,
non-profit organisations and schools. The computers are priced at 100
Pounds Sterling each and come with a 1-year warranty. All interested please
contact the WOUGNET program officer, Milton Aineruhanga, by email at
info [at] wougnet [dot] org or call 041 256832 for more details and to make a booking.

= Reminder - Call for volunteers: Refurbished Computers

WOUGNET invites those that would like to volunteer their technical skills
in helping the various beneficiaries of the WOUGNET-CAI partnership setup
their computers. All interested, please get in touch with Milton
Aineruhanga as indicated above.

= Reminder - Launch of WOUGNET News: Call for articles

With support from Hivos, WOUGNET will launch a print quarterly newsletter
in an to reach out and share information with a wider audience than can
currently access the Internet. As preparations towards the second World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) step into high gear, the maiden
issue will focus on gender concerns with ICT policy processes in Uganda. A
copy of Uganda National ICT Policy Framework is available online at:
http://www.wougnet.org/ICTpolicy/ug/ugictpolicy.html
For information on how to contribute to the newsletter, send email to
.

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