Dorothy Okello
This case study presents the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) as an example of local appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by women and womens organizations in Uganda.
Local appropriation of ICTs is about communities and groups selecting and adopting communication tools according to the different information and communication needs identified by them, and then adapting the technologies so that they become rooted in their own social, economic and cultural processes.1
Through appropriation, communities select and transform media technologies and content to fit their needs, rather than to reflect the interests of external groups.
WOUGNET is a non-governmental organization established in May 2000 to develop the use of ICTs among women. ICTs include e-mail, the Internet, radio, television and print media. However the focus of this study is on e-mail and the Web, and how these technologies can be integrated with traditional means of information exchange and dissemination for maximum outreach.
WOUGNETs vision is to improve the living conditions of Ugandan women by enhancing their capacities and opportunities to exchange information and to collaborate. Currently the NGO operates primarily online and so most members are based in Kampala, where Internet access is relatively easy. The few offline members (in rural areas or lacking immediate access for other reasons) rely on an old-fashioned network of contacts to act as information conduits and all members can interact with WOUGNET by telephone, fax, and post or at the WOUGNET office. Nevertheless, outreach to rural areas remains a major challenge.
The role of information and communication technologies in rural development
ICTs are transforming activities to support rural development and food security2 as opportunities grow for individuals and communities to be information producers as well as consumers and as new media are incorporated into existing structures, such as radio and television.
The FAO First Consultation on Agricultural Information Management (COAIM) has noted that there is still an incomplete understanding of the use and impact of ICTs. Nevertheless several potential benefits of these new technologies have been identified:3
two-way and horizontal communication and new communication channels for rural communities and development organizations that support them
grassroots articulation of development needs and perceptions
integration of global and local knowledge and information
the creation of or support for interactive and collaborative networks that overcome physical barriers to knowledge and information sharing
support to policy and advocacy by meeting information needs of officials, decision-makers, interest groups and grassroots organizations
an enhanced partnership with the mass media - particularly relevant for resource-poor community media
ICTs have an important and positive role to play in rural development, but only if rural communities are equal and active partners in the production and dissemination of information. The crucial question to be asked by these communities is, What can technology do for us? rather than, What can we do with this technology?
This means that communities should be empowered to define their needs in terms of:4
a) communication
(who wants to communicate? With whom? Why? How?)b) information
(what information is needed? Who by? When? Where? Why?)c) education and training
(who needs what? When? Where? How?)
A participant of the WOUGNET online conference, Information Access for Rural Women, commented on the special needs of rural communities by saying, At the urban level the space is larger, the media are broader but at the rural level there is a need to tailor the message much more precisely.
Increased womens access to accurate and timely information means increased food production, better hygiene and increased participation in local economic and social development. The Government of Uganda recognizes this and has factored it into the national Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) and the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA).5
However, information is of limited use unless it is appropriately packaged and communicated. Packaging relates to factors such as the use of local language, culturally sensitive material and access to illiterate community members. Communication relates to the choice of technology based on factors such as speed of transmission, cost, reach and appropriateness.
ICT Initiatives in Uganda
The ICT industry is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in Uganda and one of the eight priority areas earmarked for export development through strategic partnership between the Government and the private sector and development partners.
ICTs are also being used in social development programmes. Examples include SchoolNet Uganda, the Telemedicine Project and the Acacia Initiative telecentre project. SchoolNet Uganda provides high-speed Internet connectivity to rural schools and training on the maintenance and networking of computers. The Telemedicine Project aims to link Mulago Referral Hospital to other hospitals in Uganda via videoconferencing facilities. The expected benefits of the project include improved access to and quality of medical care, reduced professional isolation and lower travel costs for patients.6
Perhaps the most widely known ICT initiative targeting community needs is the Acacia Initiative.7 This is a programme set up by the International Development Research Centre in Canada in 1997 to support research in and the use of ICTs in national development and poverty eradication. Uganda was one of four pilot countries selected, along with Mozambique, Senegal and South Africa, and telecentres have been built at Nakaseke, Buwama and Nabweru.
These provide access to ICTs to local communities, ranging from the Internet to telephones. Several womens organizations such as the Council for Economic Empowerment of Women of Africa (CEEWA-Uganda) and Isis-Womens International Cross-Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE)8 have used the telecentres for training, research and advocacy.
In 1999 CEEWA initiated the Womens Information Resource Electronic Service (WIRES),9 an Internet-based resource centre providing business information to small-scale women entrepreneurs in Uganda.
The service has produced at least three quantifiable and noticeable benefits:
a) Improved household nutrition and income generation
Household-level nutrition has improved significantly as women have accessed information on food values and farming practices. They have learned how to make better use of available land through poultry production and vegetable gardens, for example, and to increasing household income through the sale of surplus produce.
b) Increased access to markets
The WIRES service helped to create networks of women producers and organizations, enabling women to create and access local markets. For example, women could use the telephone to contact suppliers or clients and use the Internet to search for market information.c) Increased recognition of ICTs
Technology is usually controlled by men and women are excluded from ownership or access. WIRES enabled women to understand technology and use it to improve their lives. For example, they saw how an e-mail could cut down on the need to travel long distances, saving time, money and energy.
WIRES and the Acacia Initiative demonstrate the ability of ICTs to promote economic empowerment. They also identified three major challenges:
the lack of access to communication services
the need to ensure that relevant content that is packaged to suit the needs of a community
the importance of incorporating gender perspectives in the planning, implementation and evaluation of ICT projects
The regulatory environment in Uganda
Ugandas communication infrastructure has developed significantly over the past decade but most of this development has taken place in urban areas, benefiting a small percentage of the national population. For example, the draft National ICT policy reveals that while MTN Uganda (one of two national telecommunication operators) provides 65 percent national coverage, 93 percent of that is in urban areas.
The goal of the Government is a Uganda where national development, especially human development and good governance, are sustainably enhanced, promoted and accelerated by efficient application and use of ICTs, including timely access to information.10 The status of information technology is influenced by various policies and regulations including the 1996 Electronic Media Statute, the 1997 Uganda Communications Act, the 2001 Rural Communications Development Policy and a proposed National ICT Policy, which was drafted in 2001.
The primary objective of the Uganda Communications Act is to increase the penetration and level of telecommunication services in Uganda through private sector investment. It allows two national corporations to monopolize the provision of landline, mobile, data and Internet services for a period of five years from July 2000, although other companies can obtain licenses for Internet service provision. The two national operators are Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) and MTN Uganda. UTL was formed in 1995 and was privatized a year later with the government of Uganda retaining 49 percent shares.
Table 1: Communications Sector
Comparative Figures for 1996 - 2002
Service |
Dec 1996 |
Oct 1998 |
Dec 1999 |
Jul 2001 |
Dec 2002 |
|
Fixed telephone lines |
45 145 |
56 196 |
58 261 |
56 149 |
59 472 |
|
Mobile phone subscribers |
3 000 |
12 000 |
72 602 |
276 034 |
505 627 |
|
Internet/e-mail subscribers |
504 |
1 308 |
4 248 |
5 999 |
6 500 |
|
National telecom operators |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Mobile phone operators |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
VSAT international data gateways |
2 |
3 |
7 |
8 |
8 |
|
Internet service providers |
2 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
17 |
|
Private FM radio stations |
14 |
28 |
37 |
112 |
117 |
|
Private television stations |
4 |
8 |
11 |
20 |
22 |
|
Private radio comm. licenses |
453 |
530 |
688 |
800 |
1 225 |
|
National postal operator |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Courier service providers |
2 |
7 |
11 |
10 |
11 |
Table 1 presents the Uganda communications sector figures from December 1996 to Dec 2002.11 It shows the huge increase in the number of subscriptions to mobile services - 16 000 percent compared to the 32 percent increase in the number of fixed lines. The table also reveals the impact of the Communications Act. Since 2000, the numbers of national telecommunication operators and international data gateways have remained fixed. On the other hand, there has been an increase in the number of ISPs and private radio and television stations.
Rural communications in Uganda
Ugandas teledensity (mobile and fixed) has grown to about 1 line per 100 people from 0.21 per 100 people at the end of 1996.12 However communication services are usually limited to a 10 km radius from district headquarters or major towns.
In 2001 the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) developed the Rural Communications Development Policy13 with three general objectives:
to provide access to basic communication services within a reasonable distance to all people in Uganda
to ensure effective use of the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF) to promote investment in rural communication development
to promote ICT usage in Uganda
The RCD programme was launched in February 2003. Under it, service providers will operate in areas that already receive signals from existing telecommunication operators or that have cellular network coverage but that do not have public access services.14 The private sector will be the primary implementers of the RCD programme and to-date four firms have been selected as follows:
Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL) will establish Internet Points of Presence (POPs) nationally at district level in all 56 districts. So far one POP has been established in Mbale District, Eastern Uganda
MTN Publicom will establish 73 public telephone booths across the country. Currently 19 are planned for the Central Region, 20 for the Eastern Region and 30 for the Western Region. Site selection was made on the basis of signal availability, commercial viability and sustainability
Uganda Home Pages Ltd will develop District Information Portals to offer comprehensive business and cultural information on each district
Equator Telecom Uganda will set up Internet cafés at district headquarters or vanguard institutions
The RCDF is managed and administered by the UCC and funded by Commission budgetary allocations, donations and grants from development partners, government inputs and contributions from all service providers.
In 1998 a Uganda-wide survey by UNESCO showed that most information sources are either out of reach of rural women or fall short of their information needs.15 This is a finding that still holds true and is compounded by the additional challenges women face in accessing ICTs.
Obstacles should not be perceived as deterrents however. Until 2000 there were no organizations in Uganda to facilitate information exchange, but womens organizations had already been using the Internet to share news and research and the decision to establish WOUGNET in May 2000 as an Internet-based womens development forum was a logical next step.
WOUGNETs Web site and mailing lists remain key sources of information about and for women in Uganda. Annex 1 presents a current list of member organizations.
WOUGNET activities
WOUGNET activities are e-mail-based, Web-based and offline. E-mail-based activities include the WOUGNET mailing list as a virtual forum. Information posted has included conferences and workshops, requests for information on current developments in various fields such as gender, agriculture and technology, and volunteer job postings. As of July 2003 there were 215 subscribers to the mailing lists, including representatives from 25 womens organizations.
WOUGNET also produces a monthly e-newsletter, WOUGNET-Update, which provides details of national activities, upcoming conferences, workshops, training programmes, funding opportunities and tips on computer/Internet usage. The WOUGNET-Update is distributed via the mailing list, a subscription list and mailing lists with an ICT and/or gender focus.
WOUGNET has hosted the following e-mail-based online discussions:
a 3-week-long conference, Information Access for Rural Women,16 in June 2002. A report of the online conference was presented during deliberations on Rural Women and Telecentres at the July 2002 Kampala Know How Conference,17 an international conference on information collection and dissemination for and by women
on An Information Society for Uganda in April 2003 to facilitate Ugandas contributions to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) working documents18
The WOUGNET Web site is the core Internet-based activity. It profiles Ugandan womens organizations and contains practical information on various topics and projects in Uganda and internationally. The site was the winner of the 2003 African Information Society Initiative (AISI) Media Awards in the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) Local Content Applications category.19
The Awards Web site describes www.wougnet.org as, ... a good source of information, knowledge, best practices and lessons learned on womens issues and a variety of socio-economic issues. The collection of information and Web resources on ICT policies, for example, informs the audience of key ICT for development issues, such as open source and the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Gender Caucus.
Another Internet-based activity is the WebDesign programme, which was started in April 2001 in collaboration with InterConnection.org, to develop Web sites for WOUGNET members.20
WOUGNETs offline activities support and strengthen online ones and include:
sourcing relevant information (from organizations, newspapers, the Internet, etc.) to post on the WOUGNET Web site and/or via mailing lists
conducting research (online or otherwise) pertinent to WOUGNET members, staff and partners
contacting WOUGNET members for news and reports on projects to be added to their online profiles
promoting WOUGNET membership to womens organizations in Uganda
An important offline activity is the WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP),21 which was set up in August 2002 to make WorldSpace radio available to members with difficulties accessing the Internet.
The WSRP is the only service for which WOUGNET charges its members - a nominal fee is levied for equipment maintenance, transport costs and installation. The NGO runs on a shoestring budget and relies primarily on volunteer support and on resources provided either in kind or as donations. These include:
low-cost Internet and e-mail hosting from Kabissa - Space for Change in Africa
volunteer Web site design for the WebDesign programme from InterConnection.org
volunteer moderation of online discussions sourced via Netaid.org and Idealist.org
an evaluation of WOUGNET activities using Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) toolkit by the Association for Progressive Communications Womens Networking Support Program (WNSP)
a grant in 2003 from the Global Fund for Women (GFW) to strengthen WOUGNETs capacity to support networking and information-sharing
Worldspace receiver on loan to the AFLA Ministries Kasaka, (2003)
Clare OFarrell
Challenges to using ICTs for communication among women in Uganda
Feedback from WOUGNET members reveals that the information shared and exchanged has been beneficial to their projects and/or research programmes. For example:
the Lungujja Womens Association (LWA) received an e-mail about KITE,22 an NGO based in the USA that supports information technology and education initiatives - including by providing a years free Internet access to organizations in developing countries.23 LWA became the first international KITE partner in March 2002 and has been able to make electronic calculations of its micro-credit scheme, research business strategies online and network with other organizations.
In August 2002 a WOUGNET member was selected as a finalist for BITSAfrica,24 a programme sponsored by the World Economic Forum Global Leaders for Tomorrow and the Africa Technology Forum. The purpose of the BITSAfrica initiative is to assist African technology entrepreneurs in building a sustainable venture that will have an impact on the society around them. The member learnt of this programme via the WOUGNET mailing list.
WOUGNET member, Lungujja Womens Association, by Florence Kaddu The goal of the Lungujja Womens Association (LWA) is economic empowerment through group savings and solidarity. Major activities include training in baking, health, nutrition, domestic crisis management and record keeping. The training is offered by volunteers and via group discussions. Each member is asked to find information on a chosen subject and present it to the group at the next meeting. The Association was formed in 1996 as a funeral group to help women manage crises when a family death occurred. It was made up of women whose husbands had wealth but who had not directly benefited from this except for having good homes and education for their children. The women would collect cash and keep it with one of the members selected at a meeting so that it was easily accessible should the need arise. There came a time when too many people needed cash at the same time and more women were asked to join to help the group. They did so, and the women considered opening a bank account but decided instead to set up a rotating credit fund to provide start-up funds for new businesses or liquidity for existing ones. In this way the money was always working for one or more of the groups members. Soon everyone wanted to borrow cash and there was not enough to go round. The group approached a Micro Finance Institution (MFI), Food for the Hungry Uganda (FAULU U) for help. As well as lending money, MFIs have to capacity build and FAULU U trained one member as a treasurer to handle the loan repayments and savings. But each week the treasurer was forced to miss the proceedings as she was calculating repayments and interest rates during the meeting. The group therefore decided that they needed a computer. LWA found out about KITE, an organization that donates computers and IT packages to community development initiatives, through WOUGNET. One of the group members met WOUGNETs Dorothy Okello via a mailing list and she became a friend as well as a colleague. In March 2002 LWA became KITEs first international recipient of a computer and free Internet access for a year. |
In spite of these success stories, WOUGNET continues to face major challenges:
limited outreach due to the organizations online focus
limited availability of information relevant to members development needs
lack of awareness in rural areas of the benefits of ICTs as development tools
a need for training on the use and application of ICTs
limited resources to complement online networking with face-to-face meetings and advocacy
In January 2003 participants at a WOUGNET meeting in Kampala identified the following challenges to using ICTs and of being WOUGNET members:25
WOUGNET information resources are only available in English, and not in any local language
typically NGOs have one computer and one person who knows how or is allowed to download information
WOUGNETs focus on the Internet instead of more established media such as the radio marginalizes those groups who lack computer access and skills
technophobia is prevalent among women and girls, especially in rural communities
men can deny women access to the telecentres because they think that they should stay at home
WOUGNET runs several mailing lists and there is a danger of providing too much, irrelevant or poorly managed information
Information access for rural women
The demand for information in rural areas is increasing and ICTs have an important role in opening up channels for the exchange of new and indigenous knowledge and information with and among these communities. However rural womens lack of access to and skills in ICTs present major challenges.
Significant inequities in access exist for disadvantaged populations - the poor, rural, female and aged. Cost is one factor, but others include: poor infrastructure; lack of basic facilities; poverty; illiteracy, particularly among women; cultural perceptions of womens roles; little or no government support; the urban bias in development; lack of ICT skills; and instability and conflict.
Radio is essential for information sharing and dissemination in rural areas but it is important to recognize the role played by gender in this medium. For example in a meeting between AMARC-Africa, WOUGNET, and women in the community served by Radio Apac,26 the following issues were identified:
women need their own radios since the men take theirs with them when they go out
women lack transport to travel to the station to participate in broadcasts
women and children are very vulnerable during periods of crisis and there is a need for peace and conflict radio programmes
a lack of womens programmes addressing issues such as good farming practices and HIV/AIDS
a lack of tape recorders so that the women can prepare their own programmes for community radio
low literacy levels among women hinders programme development
Several WOUGNET members have programmes addressing information access for rural women, including the two organizations below. Both subscribe to the WOUGNET mailing lists and are profiled on the WOUGNET Web site.
ALFA Womens Groups, a project with ALFA Ministries27
ALFA Ministries was set up in 1999 in a rural area with no landlines or mobile phone access, frequent electricity blackouts and limited radio ownership. ALFA Ministries works with six womens organizations to promote projects that focus on participation, capacity building and women.
The NGO has set up a rural information and communication centre (RICC) with 13 computers and printers, a photocopier, a digital camera, a WorldSpace satellite radio and a video camera. The lack of landlines means that Internet surfing is via a mobile phone line and the main communication channels within the community are printed images and words, spoken words, music, dance and drama.
Kasaka, ALFA center, computer training for rural women
Clare OFarrell
The purpose of the RICC is to enhance community participation, promote cultural knowledge and assist communities to work together for their own social and economic well-being. ALFA Ministries makes the following recommendations for assessing the information needs of rural communities:
all community development work should recognize the importance of information access for rural communities
rural information and communication centres should be set up, with full community participation, wherever possible
governments should make affordable electricity available to rural households and establish a supportive ICT policy environment
Isis-Womens International Cross-Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE)28
Isis-WICCE was founded in 1974 to communicate ideas, create womens solidarity networks and share information to overcome gender inequalities. It moved to Africa in 1993 to focus on supporting women in developing countries who lack access to information and ICTs and has developed as one of its focus areas the challenges facing African women in conflict and post-conflict situations.
While documenting womens experiences during a crisis, Isis-WICCE researchers realized that access to information about sexual, reproductive and psychological health and rights was almost entirely lacking for women in post-conflict societies. In 1998 the NGO worked with local womens groups in rural Uganda to set up three rural information units equipped with reading material, a tape recorder and tapes for women to record both human rights violations and community success stories. The units are still operational and the contents of hundreds of tapes have been transcribed by Isis-WICCE and disseminated via e-mail lists from Kampala - a necessary step because of the lack of e-mail connectivity in rural areas.
Mama FM radio station works hard to attract both female and male listeners. Womens Media Centre, Kampala (2003) (a)
Roberto Faidutti
Mama FM radio station works hard to attract both female and male listeners. Womens Media Centre, Kampala (2003) (b)
Roberto Faidutti
Two of the units also use television and video to record and disseminate womens experiences in war. These run on car batteries during blackouts, or in remote areas. The women have identified music, dance and drama as effective communication channels, and have produced several dramas highlighting key issues that affect their communities.
Isis-WICCE has recorded some of these plays for dissemination beyond the communities, but poor roads and transport costs are usually prohibitive. However the NGO believes that these initiatives are vital to overcoming technophobia and ensuring that ICTs can play an important role in post-conflict environments and providing women with access to new and relevant technical skills.
Reliable statistics exist to map the growth in teledensity and communications infrastructure in Uganda over the last six years. But little research has been done on the impact of this on gender relations, thus limiting opportunities to engender ICTs at the policy level. This problem is not unique to Uganda, as was noted at the Working Group on Gender Issues (WGGI) of the International Telecommunication Union in July 2003.
The ICT Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) is one of several being developed to address the lack of research on ICTs and gender. GEM is produced by the APC Womens Networking Support Programme (WNSP)29 and in October 2002 WOUGNET became one of the GEM testers in Africa, along with AMARC, the African Womens Development and Communications Network (FEMNET), Fantsuam Foundation, SANGONeT, WomensNet, Isis-WICCE and the Zimbabwe Womens Resource Center and Network (ZWRCN).
Overview of WOUGNET Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) Project
WOUGNET is using GEM to evaluate how its Web site and mailing lists have been used by womens organizations in Uganda. Specifically, the evaluation project will seek to:
assess the relevance of the information provided through WOUGNETs ICTs
identify information needs and gaps within existing WOUGNET programmes
assess the effectiveness of the Web site and mailing lists in information sharing and dissemination
WOUGNET will use the results of the GEM evaluation to improve its Web site and mailing lists to increase its membership and the number of services offered to members, and improve existing programmes. An important goal is to integrate Internet-based technologies with established media, such as radio and print. Communication services developed will not only increase information sharing and dissemination via the Internet but also via integration with traditional media, including radio and print.
The GEM evaluation is made up of three components. The first was a questionnaire distributed online and offline from May to July 2003. The second was a review of the WOUGNET Web site and an analysis of hits. Finally, a Focus Group Discussion was scheduled for September 2003. This section presents the preliminary findings from the questionnaire and the Web site review.
Analysis of the survey results was hampered by a low response rate (16 percent) to online questionnaires, although the response rate to hard copy questionnaires was 48 percent. The results of the survey cannot therefore be seen as representative, but they will still provide valuable insights into the use of ICTs by womens organizations. Indeed, the return rate is in itself an important indicator of the need for multi-media information channels.
Findings of WOUGNET GEM evaluation
Most respondents represent organizations involved in womens issues ranging from economic empowerment, leadership, cultural development and capacity building to health, education and violence against women and children. Several organizations promote the use of ICTs for social justice and economic development.
The number of womens organizations belonging to WOUGNET has increased from 18 in 2000 to 41. Fig.1 shows the trends for subscriptions to mailing lists and the monthly e-newsletter, WOUGNET-Update, from 2000 to June 2003. Note however, that few rural womens organizations are able to subscribe to online information resources.
Figure 1: Subscription trends for WOUGNET mailing lists
Fig. 2 shows how often respondents read and/or disseminate postings from the mailing lists and how often they access the Web site. It indicates that while 87 percent of the respondents read the postings, significantly fewer than 50 percent use the lists to disseminate information via the lists and 63 percent only visit the Web sometimes.
Figure 2: Frequency of accessing WOUGNET Web site and mailing lists
Respondents were also asked how information is shared within their organizations and with other organizations. The answers included word-of-mouth, meetings, workshops, telephone, newsletters, internal memos, radio, e-mail and the Web. These strategies highlight opportunities for intermediaries to bridge the online-offline information access gap.
Impact of WOUGNET membership
One of the evaluation objectives was to assess the impact of WOUGNET membership with respect to the Web site and mailing lists. Evaluation respondents noted benefits in six areas: communication, networking, advocacy, outreach, participation, and awareness. The comments below are representative of overall responses:
increased awareness of and participation in several activities, especially ICT development
training opportunities, workshops and conferences, funding opportunities for womens organizations
I can speak more knowledgeably about the landscape I am working in even though I am far away
a number of organizations have accessed our e-mail address and we can work with sister organizations
outreach, where we may not have reached, we reach through WOUGNET
through the mailing list and Web site, we are aware of what is happening elsewhere
Several respondents noted obstacles to accessing the Web site and mailing lists:
organization lacks computers and/or Internet access and options such as Internet cafés are very expensive or located some distance (50 km in one instance) away
not all members of organization/network have Internet access so information dissemination is limited
too much or too technical information, not all of which is relevant to organizations needs
difficulty repackaging information to suit needs of organizations target audience or to follow up the various opportunities identified
Respondents were asked to recommend ways for WOUGNET to improve service delivery and promote the use of ICTs among members. The recommendations are broadly classified below:
(a) Provide ICT information, equipment and/or training
information about donor agencies that assist CBOs/NGOs to acquire ICT equipment and training
computers and other ICT equipment for use by members
training for members and grassroots organizations
(b) Facilitate Internet access
solicit funding to help rural organizations access the Internet at their respective locations
diversify the media for information dissemination - especially offline
(c) Improve WOUGNET mailing list and Web site
provide information that is relevant to the nature of work of a given organization.
promote the use of local languages, either by encouraging members to post in local languages or by translating information to local languages
(d) Enhance WOUGNET networking and services
facilitate networking and provide more opportunities for interaction with WOUGNET staff
conduct awareness training sessions to encourage more women to use WOUGNET services to share information about their activities as well as for networking and advocacy
continue to provide techtips to prevent members being conned by people who use the Internet to take advantage of NGOs
meet with members offline to track new developments and changes in contact information
make use of the Discussion Groups (D-Groups) platform
WOUGNET will try to incorporate this feedback to strengthen and broaden its capacity to support networking and information sharing among women in Uganda.
A key lesson learned so far has been the need to consider a variety of ICTs in reaching out to women and womens organizations in Uganda. The response rate among organizations that received printed questionnaires was 48 percent compared to the 16 percent online response rate. This disparity would seem to indicate that print distribution is more effective, but it is difficult to say whether these 50 would have responded to an online survey if they had had access.
Figure 3: How evaluation questionnaires were returned
Most responses were received by e-mail, followed by physical collection of questionnaires by the GEM team. But overall most questionnaires were received via non-Internet methods, especially delivered by hand - an indication of the benefits derived from the establishment of the WOUGNET office in Kampala with funding from the Global Fund for Women.
In general respondents agreed that WOUGNET had contributed to raising awareness of womens issues in Uganda and abroad through the repackaging and dissemination of information. They defined a need for more local content and languages and for more offline member participation.
The WOUGNET GEM evaluation ends in November 2003 and a detailed action plan will be drawn up for WOUGNET. Some of the elements to be included in this plan are:
the development of an information hub for members to source or disseminate information online by submitting a request or information via telephone, fax or letter
an integrated information sharing and dissemination project, running from the information hub, to support womens programming at community radio stations
in partnership with members, WOUGNET will seek to develop theme-based mailing lists for focused and more interactive information sharing and discussion among members
the development of awareness raising and training programmes about ICTs and WOUGNET services
WOUGNET members defined a need for ICT awareness and training programmes, greater networking among members, consideration of other media for information sharing/dissemination, especially in rural areas, and support in acquiring ICT equipment and Internet services.
Preliminary results from the GEM evaluation support the general conclusion that while the local appropriation of ICTs offers important benefits to a community, further research is necessary to clearly understand their impact. This research will also support the design of innovative programmes that address the ICT needs of all members of a community as well as promote best practices on ICT usage.
Member profiles can be accessed via http://www.wougnet.org/wo_dir.html
Akina Mama wa Afrika-Uganda (AMwA-U)
ALFA Womens Groups
Association of Uganda Women Lawyers (FIDA (U))
Association of Uganda Women Medical Doctors (AUWMD)
Coalition on Violence Against Women (CVAW)
Council for Economic Empowerment for Women in Africa - Uganda (CEEWA-UGANDA)
Crisis Pregnancy & Counseling Center (CPCC)
Disabled Women in Development (DIWODE)
Eastern African Sub-regional Support Initiative for the Advancement of Women (EASSI)
Forum for African Women Educationalists - Uganda (FAWEU)
Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE)
Gender Advisory Board - Africa Region Secretariat
Hope After Rape (HAR)
Isis-Womens International Cross-Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE)
Kassanda Development Initiative
Kyakabadiima Womens Group
Law and Advocacy for Women in Uganda (LAW-U)
Lungujja Womens Association (LWA)
The Mifumi Project
Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA)
Nakazadde Ward Women Development Association (NAWDA)
Namalemba Bugweri Association (NABA)
National Association of Womens organizations in Uganda (NAWOU)
National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda (NACWOLA)
Ntulume Village Womens Development Association (NVIWODA)
Pan African Women Liberation Organization (PAWLO)
Rurama Womens Handicraft Society (RWHS)
Safe Motherhood Initiative in Uganda (SMIU)
Slum Aid Project (SAP)
Uganda Gender Resource Center (UGRC)
Uganda Media Womens Association (UMWA)
Uganda Muslim Womens Vision (UMWV)
Uganda Private Midwives Association (UPMA)
Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL)
Uganda Womens Network (UWONET)
Uganda Women Tree Planting Movement (UWTPM)
Uganda Women Writers Association (FEMRITE)
Women and Childrens Crisis Center (WCC)
Women Engineers, Technicians and Scientists in Uganda (WETSU)
Women in Law and Development in Africa - Uganda Chapter (WiLDAF - U)
Womens Organization for Development and Conflict Resolution (WODREC)
1 Sabine I. Michiels and L. Van
Crowder
Discovering the Magic Box: Local appropriation of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) SD Dimensions, June
2001
FAO Sustainable Development
Department
http://www.fao.org/sd/2001/KN0602a_en.htm
2 The role of information and communication
technologies in rural development and food security
SD Dimensions, November
2000
http://www.fao.org/sd/CDdirect/CDre0055.htm
3 Sabine I. Michiels and L. Van Crowder. op. cit.
4 The first mile of connectivity: Advancing
telecommunications for rural development through participatory
communication
SD Dimensions, July
1999
http://www.fao.org/sd/cddirect/cdre0025.html
5 Proposed Uganda National Information and
Communication Technology Policy, July
2002
http://www.logos-net.net/ilo/150_base/en/init/uga_1.htm
6 Bridging the Digital Divide - Ugandas
experience
Uganda Communications Commission
Proceedings of the 12th East
African Regional Postal Telecommunication Operators (EARPTO) meeting, Nairobi,
Kenya, March 2003
7 Acacia
Initiative
http://web.idrc.ca
8 ISIS-WICCE, Womens Information
Cross-cultural Exchange
http://www.isis.or.ug
9 CEEWA Womens Information Resource
Electronic Service (WIRES)
http://www.ceewawires.org
10 Ugandas Working Document for the Second
Preparatory Meeting for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS),
Geneva, Switzerland, February
2003
http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsispc2/c/S03-WSISPC2-C-0086!!PDF-E.pdf
11 Communications Sector Comparative Figures for
Dec 1996 to Dec 2002
Uganda Communications
Commission
http://www.ucc.co.ug/marketInfo/about.html
12 ibid
13 Rural Communications Development Policy for
Uganda
Uganda Communications Commission, July
2001
http://www.ucc.co.ug/rcdf/about.html
14 Rural Communication Development
Fund
Government of Uganda
http://www.dip.go.ug/rcdf.htm
15 Rural Women and Information in Uganda
Ruth
Ojiambo Ochieng
Paper presented at the FAO High Level Consultation on Rural
Women and Information, Rome, Italy, October 4-6,
1999
http://www.fao.org/docrep/X3803E/x3803e23.htm
16 Information Access for Rural Women
WOUGNET
online conference, June 3-21,
2002
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/iarw.html
17 Kampala Know How Conference 2002: A safari into
the cross-cultural world of womens knowledge exchange, 23-27 July,
2002
http://www.isis.or.ug/knowhow
18 An Information Society for Uganda
WOUGNET
online conference, April 14-30,
2002
http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/ug/isug.html
19 2003 AISI Media
Awards
http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaawardWinners.htm
20 WOUGNET Web Design programme
http://www.wougnet.org/Support/webdesign.html
So far five WOUGNET members have had their sites designed under this programme:
1 - Association for Uganda Women Medical Doctors (AUWMD)
http://www.auwmd.interconnection.org/
2 - Hope After Rape (HAR)
http://www.har.interconnection.org/
3 - National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda (NAWOU)
http://www.peoplink.org/nawou/
4 - SOS Sudan Association (SOSSA)
http://www.interconnection.org/sossa/
5 - Uganda Media Womens Association (UMWA)
http://www.interconnection.org/umwa/text.htm
21 WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP)
http://www.wougnet.org/Support/WSprogram.html
22 Key to information technology and
Education
http://www.kiteinc.org
23 Lungujja Womens
Association
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/lungujja.html
24
BITSAfrica
www.wougnet.org/links/business.html
25 Information Sharing on the Application of
ICTs
WOUGNET meeting, January 15,
2003
http://www.wougnet.org/Events/wougnetmeeting1.html
26 Radio Apac, a community radio station in
northern Uganda, was established in 1999 with support from the Commonwealth of
Learning (COL)
http://www.interconnection.org/radioapac
27 ALFA Womens
Groups
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/alfawg.html
28 Isis-Womens International Cross-Cultural
Exchange
(Isis-WICCE)
http://www.wougnet.org/Profiles/isis.html
29 Womens Networking Support
Programme
http://www.apcwomen.org/