Pamoya

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - Special Edition
***********************************************************************

A monthly electronic newsletter from Women of
Uganda Network (WOUGNET) - http://www.wougnet.org

For comments or queries, contact info [at] wougnet [dot] org

To subscribe/unsubscribe to the WOUGNET Update
Newsletter, send a message to
wougnet-update-request [at] wougnet [dot] org with the
following command in the subject or body of your message: subscribe/unsubscribe

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-
This month's contents:
1. Launch of new WOUGNET website
2. New strategic direction for WOUGNET
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-

As we begin a new year, we take this opportunity
to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous new year 2008!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Launch of new WOUGNET website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New strategic direction for WOUGNET
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 womenÂ'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 WOUGNETÂ'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 Â"WOUGNET NewsÂ",
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 Â"Enhancing Access to
Agricultural Information using Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Apac
DistrictÂ" 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. WOUGNETÂ'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 WomenÂ's
Caucus on ICT (UWCI) that undertakes advocacy
activities geared towards addressing gender
concerns within the ICT Policies and programs.

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

WOUGNETÂ'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
WOUGNETÂ's key thematic areas, namely, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and Health
Partnerships with regional and international
organisations and networks specialising in ICT4D,
WOUGNETÂ's key thematic areas, and/or gender issues

For more information, please write to info [at] wougnet [dot] org

***********************************************************************

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

***********************************************************************