NAWODA presentation, Femmes sans frontières
October 9, 2002, Montréal, Canada
In October 2002, NAWODA responded to a call for presentations of community
networking initiatives at Femmes sans frontières. The Fédération nationale
des femmes canadiennes-françaises (http://www.franco.ca/fnfcf/) and
Cybersolidaires
(http://www.cybersolidaires.org)
invited presentations of feminist community initiatives during the third
Congress on
Community Networking in the Digital Era (http://www.globalcn.org/), Montréal, Canada, October 8-12, 2002.
Name of the project: Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA)
Address: P.O. Box 1051, Nakaseke, Kampala, Uganda
Phone: 256-41-630238 / 256-71-843308
Contact person of the project: HENRY SERUNKUMA, Coordinator
E-mail: hmelanin@yahoo.com
Web page: www.wougnet.org/Profiles/nawoda.html
Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA) is a Rural Community
Based Organization established on 1st August 2001. After realizing the role
of our Mothers (Women) in the development process, fuelling the need for
Women Economic Independence was inevitable.
Mission
Nakaseke Women Development Association is aiming at empowering Women by
training and integrating the use of ICTs in Communication and Information
sharing in their daily income-generating activities for development. This
will reverse the current trend of unequal gender access to new
Technologies. This among others will address the shortage of Rural-African
Women resources in new Technologies and empower women with resources that
can produce high-income employment and provide entrepreneurial opportunities.
Programs
Nakaseke Women Development Association (NAWODA) is targeting Nakaseke
Women, to provide them with information, training in ICT skills for
development. NAWODA empowers women through approaches that will enable them
to reap the following:
Linking Nakaseke Women to International and National women
Organizations, and other donor organizations. This will level platform for
Women Cross-Culture with all its impacts on women development.
Educating rural-based women on infectious disease prevention and
reproductive and child health.
Sensitizing women on their rights in relation to political freedom,
combating domestic violence sexual and Child abuse.
As a group, NAWODA will increase opportunities of securing
Assistance from Government and other National and International donor
Organizations.
NAWODA anticipates increasing the quality and quantity of Women
products with emphasis on handicrafts. This will create favorable
competition on local and International markets.
NAWODA will test and demonstrate the use of ICTs in the rural women
development process.
With the availability of the computing power, NAWODA will focus
mainly on Training Women in new Technologies for sustainable development.
NAWODA also focuses on training Rural women in using Traditional
means of communication i.e Telephone, Fax, Radio and Television, all to
harness the Access of information as "a developed society is an Informed
Society".
NAWODA aims at extending free Access to appropriate and relevant
information to the entire women community of Luweero District and Uganda at
large.
Nakaseke women status
Nakaseke Women started using computers and also developed a culture
of reading and writing, as a result of accessing Nakaseke Tele-centre
services. This has also benefited their families as they have encouraged
their children to develop a culture of reading from home, hence improving
on their academic performance. Some women as a result of appreciating the
value of education have registered for adult education classes. Some are
also attending computer literacy classes at the Tele-centre, though money
is a constraint.
In this regard, Nakaseke Women forward their appreciation to International
Development Research Centre IDRC and Mrs. Anne Walker Executive Director
International Women's Tribune Centre (IWTC) who developed a CD-ROM entitled
"Rural Women in Africa: Ideas for Earning Money" Once a graphic or text box
is clicked, the women hear a voice speaking in their own language, -
Luganda. This has eased their learning.
About Twenty Women have trained as Traditional Birth Attendants.
This has improved their health and reduced the high mortality rates in the
villages.
Nakaseke Women have engaged them selves in hand craft making and if
exposed to markets, they will earn a living out of their products, as they
tend to be on high demand on both local and International markets.
Nakaseke Women have got enough land to exploit for income
generating activities.
In the process disseminating information to a large audience,
Nakaseke women have embarked on educative drama and cultural music festivals.
NAWODA has created a link with Between Sisters foundation that has
promised to Market handcrafts and establish a website for Nakaseke Women.
This will expose Nakaseke Women works globally and gain access to
interested donor Organizations and individuals who share their commitments.
Challenges
In order to integrate ICTs in income generating activities, there
is need to have Nakaseke Women fully trained in computer skills. This is
still unrealized because we are using one computer, which is made available
by the Tele-centre i.e. women crowd around one computer. We need to seek
for more computers, to enable Nakaseke Women have free computer access in
favor of their convenient time schedules.
Searching for donor Organizations and Individuals, who will link
NAWODA to markets of its products, invest in new Projects and boast
fundraising for sustainability of NAWODA.
NAWODA requested for Computers from Computers for Africa and the
eligibilities to qualify for 2002 offer are as follows:
To prepare a site of 10 computers lab.
A minimal fee of $40 US per computer for shipping and Handling.
Approximately $300 US for voltage stabilizers and converters.
NAWODA needs to solve its Internet connectivity. This could become
an attractive location for call centres and develop on-line Tele-services
that attract e-business development. Connectivity will also fuel the such
for information and smoothen the platform of cross-culture and information
sharing.
Because of the low literacy levels of women in Nakaseke, NAWODA
activities will be hindered. There is therefore need to seek for
sponsorship, and integrate adult literacy in the programs of NAWODA.
NAWODA women are also grateful to Ms. Dorothy Okello, Coordinator of
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) the Umbrella body of NAWODA for her
technical advise, practical help and appropriate information on which
NAWODA is basing.