Pamoya Beta

WOUGNET Update Newsletter - April 2008
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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

To subscribe/unsubscribe to the WOUGNET Update
Newsletter, send a message to
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This month's contents:
1. Women Organisations in Uganda
2. ICT Policy
3. Links & Resources
4. Project News and Events
5. Tech Support
6. WOUGNET News

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*** Call for feedback on the 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 discussion forum to discuss the
new changes to the WOUGNET website - you need to
register first in order to participate in the
forum at
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=67.
We would also like to hear your suggestions on
how we can expand or improve the site.

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*** Getting the most out of the WOUGNET website -
Weekly Hands-on Training Sessions ***

Following the launch of the newly redesigned
website - http://www.wougnet.org, we look forward
to more engagement by all on the website. 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. If you
are comfortable using MS WORD or OpenOffice, you
should be comfortable editing your organisational
profile on the WOUGNET website, contributing news
articles, providing information on your upcoming events, etc.

If you already have your organisation profile on
the website and/or if you would like to register
and become a contributor to the website, we are
conducting hands-on sessions at the WOUGNET
Secretariat to get you acquainted to the new
website. The hands-on sessions which are free of
charge will be conducted twice a week on
Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 - 5:00pm at
the Secretariat which is located at Plot 53 Kira
Road, Kamwokya. The first hands-on session was
held on Wednesday 12th March 2008.

For more information, please send email to
info [at] wougnet [dot] org, call 041-4532035, or simply stop by the office.

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WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA
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= AMwA: New Regional Coordinator, Africa Programmes

Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) announce the
appointment of Ms. Christine Butegwa Acuc who
joined as the Regional Coordinator, Africa
Programmes with effect from 3rd March 2008 based
at our New Head Office in Kampala, Uganda.
Christine is the first Regional Coordinator,
Africa Programmes in line with the structure of the repositioned AMwA.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=143...

= EASSI Women's Day Campaign

The Eastern African Sub-regional Support
Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI)
conducted an SMS Women's Day campaign from 25th
February 2008 to 14th March 2008. EASSI is a
woman's organisation that monitors the
commitments Governments in the Eastern African
countries have made to advancing women's
concerns. The SMS campaign reflects on the girl
child in Kenya and the region that has suffered
unbearable atrocities as a result of the
post-election violence. We stand together with
her and others and offer our support to Kenya and
the region for peace and political progress. The
postings made during the campaign are available at:
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_mamblog&Itemid=83

= Isis-WICCE Resource Centre - February 2008

Isis-WICCE Resource Centre Update: A current
awareness bulletin for selected new information
materials received in the Resource Centre. February 2008.
ABOUT THE CENTRE: Isis-WICCE Resource Centre was
founded by a group of three women who were
documentalits in Geneva, Switzerland in 1974.
Their aim was to enable women of the world
communicate with one another, generate knowledge
and share information in order to break the
isolation and overcome gender inequality. Read
more about the move to Africa in the next issue.
The new materials are listed according to category.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategor...

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ICT POLICY
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= Making e-Gov work: A gender-responsive enabling ICT environment

In his closing remarks at the end of the Second
Annual African e-Gov Forum 2008, Hon. Dr Ham
Mukasa-Mulira, Minister of ICT, identified a
gender-responsive ICT enabling environment as a
key issue that will need to be addressed by the
Ministry in its ICT policy priorities and in
implementing eGovernment in Uganda.

The Second Annual African e-Gov Forum 2008 was
held from 4 - 6 March 2008 at the Serena Hotel in
Kampala. The event was organised by the
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
(CTO) in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT
and the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
Following on from the successful inaugural event
in Accra, Ghana, in March 2007, which was
attended by 150 key ICT decision makers from both
the Private and Public Sector, the CTO is
building support for this vital conference. The
2008 topic of "Utilising ICT for more efficient,
effective and inclusive governance" was selected
by the CTO for these key reasons: (1) good
governance is critical in any nation,
principality, or community; (2) the CTO firmly
believes that connectivity and harnessing the
potential of ICT is the enabler to make rapid
improvement in this; and (3) to achieve this
improvement it is vital that the Public and
Private Sectors develop understanding and
partnerships so that real benefits can be felt by
both administrations and the citizens they serve.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

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LINKS & RESOURCES
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= Citizen Journalism in Africa

The Citizen Journalism in Africa project (CJA -
www.citizenjournalismafrica.org) is a three-year
initiative funded by both Hivos - www.hivos.nl
and the EU. Hivos is working with SANGONet -
www.sangonet.org.za (South Africa) on this
project. The aim of the project is to increase
civil society organisationsÂ' use of and
interaction with various forms of media. This
will help them maximise their communication
strategies and reach. It is hoped that this will
strengthen the organisationsÂ' use of media and
increase quality information dissemination
capacity using multiple platforms. The project is
targeting six countries i.e. South Africa,
Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and
Tanzania. In each of these countries, two Country
Focal Points (CFPs) will act as country hubs,
working with 15 local organisations. The focus of
the interaction with local organisations will be
knowledge sharing, learning journalism skills,
media, publication skills and information
dissemination. It is hoped that these
organisations will also learn how to use these
skills and resources effectively.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategor...

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PROJECT NEWS AND EVENTS
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= Call for Submissions: Mashariki Innovations
Local Governance Awards Programme (MILGAP)

The Mashariki Innovations Local Governance Awards
Programme (MILGAP) is a biennial sub-regional
(Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) awards programme
that seeks to promote excellence in public
service delivery through recognising and
rewarding innovative projects in local governance.

The main objectives of MILGAP are to: identify
and highlight innovative examples that promote
the principles of good local governance; reward
projects that focus on eradication of poverty;
publicize innovative community projects;
facilitate the adaptation, replication and
scaling-up of projects; present role models of best practice.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

= EVS Annual Africa Day, Saturday, April 19 2008
Evert Vermeer Stichting (EVS -
www.evertvermeerstichting.nl) is an
Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation that
believes that all people in the South and North
have the same rights to provide for their basic
needs, to reduce poverty, to develop democracy,
and to natural resources and the environment. EVS
focus is on international cooperation and sustainable poverty reduction.

On 19th April 2008, Evert Vermeer Stichting will
organise the Annual Africa Day. This is a day
full of workshops, lectures and other activities
on Africa, and is usually visited by Africa
professionals and interested citizens. This year,
Hivos - www.hivos.nl together with Africa
Interactive will organise a workshop on Citizen
Journalism during the Annual Africa Day. This
workshop will look at a definition of citizen
journalism and its' impact on civil society
organisations and mainstream media in Africa.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&...

= Club of Madrid Mission in Uganda

The Uganda Women ParliamentarianÂ's Association
(UWOPA) in conjunction with Association of
European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) and
the Club of Madrid (CoM) organized a mission of
some of its members to Uganda from the 5th to the
7th of March 2008. The mission run for three (3)
days prior to the International WomenÂ's Day due 8th March 2008.

The Club of Madrid is an independent organization
dedicated to strengthening democracy around the
world by drawing on the unique experience and
resources of its Members – 70 democratic former
heads of state and government. In partnership
with other organizations and governments that
share its democracy-promotion goals, the Club of
Madrid provides peer to peer counsel, strategic
support and technical advice to leaders and
institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation.

This mission to Uganda focused on gender
legislation and was graced by the former
President of Ireland, Mary Robinson and the
former Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik.
The three day visit in Uganda by the Club of
Madrid delegation held from 5th to 7th March,
2008 ended on a good note with the President of
Uganda, H.E Yoweri Museveni making an appeal for
the re-tabling and passing of the Domestic
Relations Bill and the Domestic Violence Bill to
deal with family relations and domestic violence.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122...

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Tech Support
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= Jaxtr - Low cost internet calls

On several mailing lists in Uganda there have
been requests to join friends in making free
calls using Jaxtr, however many are unaware about
this application, so here is a brief on how it
works. Jaxtr is a California-based company
developed an application that allows you to make
and receive phone calls through the Internet.
Initially launched in December 2006, the
application Â"jaxtrÂ" is a social networking VOIP
service, which connects users to their online
communities. When you subscribe to jaxtr, you are
assigned a number. Others can then call you by
dialing this phone number. It works for both
mobile phones and fixed/landlines. Users can also
receive text messages and voicemail, but it is
through the website rather than a user's mobile phone.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=119...

= Things To Consider When Buying A Printer

This article discusses at various issues one
needs to consider when buying a printer:
1. Faster Speed May Require USB 2.0.
2. Consider a Multifunction Unit.
3. Always Buy Extra Toner or Cartridges.
4. Separate Colored Ink Cartridges.
5. Make Sure it Fits on Your Desk.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&se...

= Some Viruses Come Pre-Installed

From iPods to navigation systems, some of
today's hottest gadgets are landing on store
shelves with some unwanted extras from the
factory ­ pre-installed viruses that steal
passwords, open doors for hackers and make
computers spew spam. Computer users have been
warned for years about virus threats from
downloading opening suspicious e-mail
attachments. Now they run the risk of picking up
a digital infection just by plugging a new gadget into their PCs.
Recent cases reviewed by The Associated Press
include some of the most widely used tech
devices: iPods, digital picture frames, external hard-drives
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategor...

= Time Is Right For Linux PCs To Emerge

The free Linux operating system handles big tasks
like running supercomputers and ATMs. Now Linux
has a chance to finally crack Microsoft Corp.'s
hold on desktop computers and laptops because of
the rise of innovative, inexpensive machines.
Linux gets high marks for security and stability
and is widely used behind the scenes in corporate
servers, making it a natural candidate to steal
desktop thunder from Microsoft's dominant Windows.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategor...

For more information or for assistance in
managing your computer and in using the Internet,
contact techsupport [at] wougnet [dot] org

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WOUGNET News
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= Access, Influence and Empowerment: The 1st
Swedish Workshop on ICT, Gender and Development

The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions
(SPIDER) together with the Sida Gender Helpdesk
at Stockholm University organized a workshop on
''Access, Influence and Empowerment'', the First
Swedish Workshop on ICT, Gender and Development.
The workshop took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 6, 2008.

The aim of the workshop was to get an overview of
(potential) actors and activities in Sweden in
the area of ICT and gender with bearing on
development countries issues, and to find areas
where ICT could promote and create equality among
women and men. The one day workshop gathered
participants from a wide variety of organisations
such as universities, authorities, NGOs and
private enterprises. WOUGNET was invited to share
experiences on our work in the area of Gender and
ICTs from the perspective of a developing country.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144...

= Consultative Meeting of Women Leaders with
Brother Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social
Development organised a Consultative meeting of
women with Brother Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi,
held on Tuesday 18th March 2008 at 2:00 pm at
Serena Conference centre. Women were invited to
participate in the meeting and among them were
Ministers, Members of political parties, Local
Council Leaders, CSOs, Members of Parliament,
University Students, Women Special Presidential
Advisers, Judges, Armed Forces, Headmistresses
and Special Presidential Advisers. WOUGNET was
among the twenty women leaders selected by the
National Association of Women Organisations in
Uganda (NAWOU) to participate in the consultative meeting.

The visitors were welcomed by Honourable Lukia
Nakadama, who said that women had been invited to
show solidarity to our brother leader Colonel
Gaddafi, thank him for the work he has done in
empowering women and the Youth in Africa. She
expressed gratitude to the women mobilisers, who
responded in a short time and were able to
respond and mobilise women to come for this meeting.
http://www.wougnet.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategor...

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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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