Project News & Upcoming Events: 2005

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February 2005

Knowledge Sharing for Development: Africa Regional Program, Global Development Network (GDN), Cairo, Egypt, February 27-28, 2005
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:
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@gdnet.org. The deadline for submissions is December 21st, 2004. For more information, contact:
Contact:
Dina El Halaby
Email: dhalaby@gdnet.org
Website: http://www.gdnet.org/activities/gdnet/communications_capacity_building/Africa_Regional_Program.html



Gender and Agriculture/Rural Development in the Information Society - Announcing Round 2 of GenARDIS
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) and the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos) are inviting applications for the second round of the GenARDIS small grants programme. GenARDIS is a small grants fund to address gender issues in Information and Communication Technologies for Agricultural and Rural Development in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP Countries). Proposals can be aimed at: Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria: This is a competitive call for applications for 10 non-renewable grants of up to 5,000 Euros. The deadline for receipt of applications is 25 February 2005. Proposals can be submitted in English and French. Please note that only organizations in ACP countries are eligible for consideration under the GenARDIS programme. For a list of ACP countries, please see http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/country/country_en.cfm

GenARDIS application forms are available online at http://www.cta.int/about/genardis_round2.htm or by sending a request to GenARDIS@cta.int. All submissions must be received before the deadline of 25 February 2005. Submissions via e-mail are preferred - e-mail applications should be sent to GenARDIS@cta.int.
Submissions by post should be sent to:
GenARDIS Small Grants Fund
c/o Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
Attn. Dr. Dorothy Okello
P.O. Box 4411
Kampala, Uganda
Fax: + 256 (0)41 234924




March 2005

Prix Ars Electronica: Digital Communities Award
For the second time, Prix Ars Electronica will honor important achievements by digital communities. This category focuses attention on the wide-ranging social impact of the Internet as well as on the latest developments in the fields of social software, mobile communications and wireless networks.
The "Digital Communities" category is open to political, social, and cultural projects, initiatives, groups, and scenes from all over the world utilizing digital technology to better society and assume social responsibility. It is meant to recognize the initiators and propagators of these communities as well as the developers of the relevant technologies, and to honor those whose work contributes to the establishment and proliferation of Digital Communities as well as provide understanding and research into them.
The prizes in this category will total 20,000 Euros: one Golden Nica (10,000 Euro), two Awards of Distinction (5,000 Euros each) and up to 12 Honorary Mentions.
For further information, please check: http://www.aec.at/en/prix/communities/communities.asp
Online submission: http://www.aec.at/en/prix/registration/index.asp
Extended deadline for submissions: March 18, 2005



May 2005

Understanding Human Rights Systems: The Domestic Implementation of International, Regional and Local Human Rights Systems -- Training for Human Rights Organisations and Practitioners, Seeta, Uganda, May 23 - 27, 2005
Uganda is a signatory to a number of international human rights treaties and a member of a number of international human rights organizations. This membership is in simple terms a promise that it will improve the lives of its citizens by ensuring that their human rights and dignity are observed, promoted and respected. The treaties to which Uganda is a state party recognize the role-played by citizens and the civil society in monitoring and implementing the standards set by these treaties. It follows that members of civil society can only play a meaningful role if they fully understand and appreciate the international and regional human rights systems. The training will examine international and regional mechanisms for human rights protection. It will highlight the mechanisms for human rights protection under the United Nations System, but will however put more focus on the African Human Rights Systems to which Uganda is a state party, with the aim of finding ways of domestically implementing these treaties through Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
The training course is intended for members of HURINET (U), a network of NGOs in Uganda working for human rights, but open to other interested organizations at a fee of US $ 500. (The fee covers tuition, training handouts, and full-board accommodation and lunch). This will exclude their transport to and from the training venue, Ridar Hotel, Seeta, a few kilometers on Jinja High way.
The deadline for applications is May 15, 2005. To obtain an application form or for additional information, contact:
Contact:
Agnes Kabajuni
Capacity Building Officer, HURINET-U
Tel: 256-41-286923 or 256-77-368850
Email: info@hurinet.or.ug




June 2005

Call for papers and Invitation to a sub-regional conference: "Library automation to reduce the digital divide: present and future trends for University libraries in East and Southern Africa", Kampala, Uganda, June 6 - 8, 2005
A workshop was held in South Africa in July 2004 on the theme ‘Sustainable use of ICTs in African Libraries’ for both University and national/public libraries, and a report entitled ‘ICTs and the Library’ was written after the workshop. Several issues emerged which need further investigation, while some of the issues were not fully covered. This conference is a follow-up on that workshop.
There is a growing need to share the experience of automating university libraries with limited human and financial resources, but amidst a growing number of users. Makerere University Library is planning to hold a three-day regional conference on the above theme early June this year. It has secured some funding from Sida/SAREC to sponsor paper presenters and the production of a book that will be published after the conference.
This is to invite all those interested in the above theme to submit abstracts of not more than 300 words on preferably research based papers focusing on one of the conference objectives, by 4th May. Selected full papers should be submitted by 30th May 2005. Participants who would like to attend the conference without contributing papers are welcome. This category of participants should apply for funding from their employers or other sources.
The key objectives of the conference are:
  1. Share experiences of library automation (including digitization) with and between University libraries in the region, and identify key challenges faced in the implementation and effective utilisation of an automated and digital library system.
  2. Identify ways of determining appropriate training methods to suit different user needs and capabilities.
  3. Get feedback and experiences from key library stakeholders and user community on what library automation has so far benefited them.
  4. Plan for sustainability of automated and digital library systems.
Librarians/information professionals involved in implementing library automation and digitization in East and Southern African University libraries are expected to attend the conference. For more information, contact:
Dr Maria G. N. Musoke
University Librarian
Makerere University
P. O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-41-533735
Fax: 256-41-540374 or 530024
e-mail: universitylibrarian@mulib.mak.ac.ug 		     Mrs Liz N. State
Secretary MakLIBIS committee
Makerere University
P. O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-78489677
Fax: 256-41-540374
e-mail: state@mulib.mak.ac.ug 		     Mrs Prisca Tibenderana
Deputy Univ librarian
Makerere University
P. O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-41-531041
Fax: 256-41-540374
e-mail: ptiben@mulib.mak.ac.ug




July 2005

2005 AISI Media Awards
The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its partners are pleased to announce the 2005 AISI Media Awards. The AISI Media Awards were introduced in 2003 to encourage more informed coverage of the information society and ICT for development issues in Africa as part of ECA’s Information Society Outreach and Communication Programme. The Awards are aimed at individual journalists and media institutions based in Africa that are “promoting journalism which contributes to a better understanding of the information society in Africa. Although the media in Africa are beginning to report on ICT issues, there is still a wide gap in their knowledge and comprehension of the subject in relation to development trends within their national context. The aims are to:
-   Create greater awareness on the role of ICTs in the development process within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI);
-   Support African media to specialize and master ICTs and development issues thereby sharpening their skills and knowledge base;
-   Enhance access to information on this subject area by various African stakeholders, thereby raising greater awareness; and
-   Stimulate national debates on key issues and emerging trends.
The AISI Media Awards is intended to be an annual event to honour media institutions and professionals. The winners of the 2004 Awards were announced in September 2004 at the Highway Africa Conference held in Grahmstown, South Africa. Details of the 2003 and 2004 AISI Media Awards can be found at: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm.
Entries can be made in the following categories:
  1. The AISI/GTZ Media Awards 2005 - This Award has four sub-categories: radio, print, television/video and community media.
  2. AISI/IDRC Media Awards 2005 - This Award has two sub-categories: IDRC/AISI Reporting ICT Research and Innovation and IDRC/AISI Reporting on ICT Policy.
  3. AISI/IICD Media Awards 2005 - This Award has two sub-categories: IICD/AISI Award on Local Content Applications and IICD/AISI Media Award on Local Content.
  4. AISI/OSIWA Media Awards 2005 - This Award has two sub-categories: OSIWA/AISI Best Female Reporter on ICT4D Issues and OSIWA/AISI Reporting on ICTs and Rural Communities.
  5. AISI/GKP/SDC Media Awards 2005 - This is a special category under the 2005 AISI Media Awards programme aiming at recognising journalists reporting on the WSIS process and Africa.
The winning entries will be disseminated internationally and honoured at the second phase of the WSIS scheduled to take place in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005. Submissions can be in English, French, or Arabic. All material in a language other than French and English must have translation and/or transcription included in the submission. The closing date for the 2005 AISI Media Awards is 31 July 2005 and the closing date for AISI/GKP/SDC Special Category is 30 September 2005. For more information and for submissions, contact:
Contact
Ms. Kidist Belayneh
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA, AISI/GKP MEDIA AWARD
DISD, 5th Floor, ECA Building, ECA, PO Box 3001, Menelik II Avenue
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: kbelayneh@uneca.org
Website: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm



ActionAid International: 'Get on Board'
'Get on Board' by telling the world leaders what you think they should do to end poverty. Actionaid International is collecting messages from countries in the south to take to the G8 meeting which will take place in Scotland on 6th July. This is part of the Global call Against Poverty campaign. Get on Board is the epic journey of a small African bus. A journey that starts in Johannesburg on 31 March, and ends in Scotland on 6 July at the G8 gathering of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The Get on Board bus is one with a difference. Rather than transporting passengers we will be transporting the messages of people from south and east Africa and bringing these to the G8 leaders. These messages will form a challenge from the people of Africa to world leaders to support, and not undermine, Africa’s own efforts to overcome poverty and injustice. Get on Board will be meeting people living in extreme poverty ­ those whose voices are rarely heard.
The Get on Board team are from Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and the UK, and they will be driving 12,000 miles from Johannesburg, South Africa and through Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. People from these countries will be getting on board as the bus travels through. The bus will board a ship at Mombasa, and from there will sail up the north east coast of Africa, through the Suez Canal, and across the Mediterranean to Marseilles, France. From there, the bus will travel to Italy and then to the UK ­ reaching its’ final destination of the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland on 6 July.
It is certainly an epic voyage. We are doing it because we think there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to start to make poverty history at the 2005 G8 summit ­ but only if the world’s leaders are made to listen and act.
We are driving a people’s bus ­ a matatu, the most common form of public transport in Africa. It is very small ­ it takes a maximum of 16 passengers, and is not much larger than a builders’ white van in the UK, or a humvee in the US.
ActionAid and our partners are planning many amazing adventures during this journey. We are expecting to meet incredible people with unbelievable stories ­ of tragedy, as well as passion and real hope. We will join forces with people and groups during the journey as they mobilise to send powerful messages to the world’s ­ as well as their own ­ political leaders.
You will be able to follow the journey on-line, and add your message to that of thousands of people in Africa. Log on to our website http://www.actionaid.org/getonboard to send a message and receive regular updates from the bus. We will also record a documentary for G8 leaders to watch before they make their crucial decisions about Africa’s future.
We leave Mary Fitzgerald Square, central Johannesburg at 14:30 hours on 31 March. The bus arrives in Uganda on 7 May 2005 via Malaba and leaves on 15 May 2005 via Busia. ActionAid is a key player in the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and the Make Poverty History coalitions. We are calling for developed countries to give more and better aid, trade justice and to drop the debt. We are asking developing countries to invest in their future by improving basic healthcare and by providing free primary school education. For more information, contact:
Contact:
Rebecca Musoke, rebecca.musoke@actionaid.org
Web: http://www.actionaid.org/getonboard



Eastern Africa sub regional African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI), Kampala, Uganda, July 17-29, 2005
Akina Mama wa Afrika will be holding the Eastern Africa sub regional African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) from July 17th – 29th 2005, in Uganda. The AWLI aims to strengthen the personal and organisational capacities of young African women to influence policy and decision-making through training and networking. It serves as a networking, training and information dissemination forum for young women aged between 25-40 working on gender issues. Since it was established in 1997, the AWLI and its related programmes, has a network of over 700 alumni from all over Africa. The sub regional leadership AWLIs were developed to address context specific issues in each of the African sub regions. There have been important political and economic developments at these levels over the past few years, which require the active participation of women. The sub regional institutes take place over two weeks, and aim to bring closer ties and working partnerships amongst young women activists in the various sub regional contexts.
Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) is an international, pan-African, non-governmental development organisation for African women based in the UK with an East and Horn of Africa regional office in Kampala, Uganda. AMwA was set up in 1985 by women from different parts of Africa resident in the United Kingdom. Translated from Swahili, the name means `solidarity among African women', signifying African sisterhood. AMwA was founded to create space for African women to organise, and build links with African women active in the areas of their own development.
The countries from which young women will be selected to participate in this year’s Eastern Africa AWLI are: Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. The deadline for the receipt of applications for this unique and exciting training programme is: Tuesday May 17, 2005. For a copy of the application form or for further information, contact:
Contact:
Sarah Mukasa
Programmes Manager – East and Horn of Africa
Akina Mama wa Afrika
Plot 30 Bukoto Street, Kamwokya
PO Box 24130, Kampala, Uganda
Tel : +256 (41) 543 681
Fax : +256 (41) 543 683
Email: amwa@amwa-ea.org




September 2005

2005 Tanzania Gender Festival - ‘Gender, Democracy and Development: Popular Struggles for an Alternative World’, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, September 6-9, 2005
The 2005 Gender Festival [Tamasha la Jinsia] will focus on analyses of concrete efforts to promote alternatives to the present socio-economic structures and ideologies at all levels. Formerly known as the Annual Gender Studies Conference (AGSC), the 2005 Gender Festival is an open space for bringing together gender-focused groups, other civil society organizations, institutions, activists and other development actors working at various levels to meet, reflect and strategize on the progress made in struggles for gender equity, social transformation and participatory democracy in Tanzania. Discussions will take into account the present context of corporate-led globalisation and ‘free market’ ideology, and their impact on development and democracy in Africa and the world over. The event provides a major opportunity for civil society activists to take stock of achievements, constraints, challenges and potential opportunities for fostering joint action to build an alternative and better world. At the conference, participants from a wide spectrum will share their experiences, sharpen their skills and capacities, network and establish further linkages amongst and between them and other different development actors.

The proposed sub-themes for the 2005 festival are:

The Gender Festival is a collective capacity building, skills building and networking fora for civil society and development actors in and outside the country. Participation is open to all interested organizations and individuals, with the payment of a nominal registration fee (Tshs 5000/ for students, for all other residents of Tanzania; Tshs 25,000/ for international participants; US$ 150).
For information on participation and the registration process, visit http://www.tgnp.org


Pan-African Women Invent & Innovate (PAWII) Exhibition, Conference and Awards Ceremony: ‘Business Women Marketing A Wealth Of Ideas’, Accra, Ghana, September 6-8, 2005
The PAWII event is the first of its kind to target Africa’s most exceptionally creative, inventive and innovative women entrepreneurs while bringing together some of the most dynamic people in the world of international trade and intellectual property to share good practice and promote the importance of Innovation and Technology in Enterprise.
The event is organised by GWIIN in partnership for the first time with IFC GEM (Gender-Entrepreneurship-Markets) Women Mean Business in Africa program – co-sponsored by IFC – the private arm of the World Bank Group. This event is hosted and staged in collaboration with the Ministry of Women & Children Affairs Commission (MOWAC) Ghana. It will bring together over 200 innovative women entrepreneurs and supporting institutions from across Africa and the international world to discuss the issue of promoting the growth and success of African women SMEs through innovation and the appropriate use of technology.
For more information about the event, visit www.gwiin.com. For more information on IFC – the private sector arm of the World Bank Group please visit www.ifc.org.



October 2005

AWID Call for Participation: “How does change happen?”, The 10th AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights in Development, Bangkok, Thailand, October 27-30, 2005
The Association for Women’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 women’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 women’s voices are heard in policy discussions, or when families have enough food on the table, we know that we have moved forward.
We also know, however, that change brings with it its own threats and fierce resistances. Over the years, we’ve seen how women’s hard-won victories have been met with sustained backlashes against gender equality. Fundamentalist leaders are forcing women back into traditional roles, armed conflicts are increasing in many regions, and formidable economic forces are pushing hard to privatize everything from social programs to water.
The stakes for girls and women in this global push-pull process of change are exceedingly high. As small gains are overtaken by huge global shifts, women’s lives continue to hang in the balance.
At the 10th AWID Forum, we want to unravel these 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.
Sessions at the AWID forum can be interactive presentations, skills-building workshops, structured debates, creative sessions or inputs, visual essays, and film or video. 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. Feel free to engage with the full range of issues affecting gender equality and women’s rights today, but be sure to address the issue of change ­ economic, political, social, cultural, personal and organizational change. Keep in mind that AWID expects participants to see beyond the problems and delve into the paths to their solutions. Be inspired to use as much creativity, humour, passion, courage and even audacity in your proposals as you need! Proposals should be received in the AWID office no later than March 1, 2005.
For more information about the forum or the issues to be discussed, contact:
Contact:
The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
Attn: 2005 Forum Proposal
215 Spadina Ave., Suite 150
Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2C7
CANADA
Fax: 1-416-594-0330
Email: awidforum@awid.org
Web: http://www.awid.org



December 2005

The Stockholm Challenge 2006
The Stockholm Challenge welcomes ICT based projects from all over the world to enter the award and compete for the Challenge trophies. The Prize giving ceremony will take place in the Stockholm City Hall May 11th, 2006 and all finalists will be invited to participate in the event.
The Stockholm Challenge is a very successful international networking program for ICT entrepreneurs for almost ten years. It continues to be a leader in demonstrating how information technology can improve living conditions and increase economic growth. One of the main features of the Stockholm Challenge is the ICT prize, the Stockholm Challenge Award, which has attracted over 3,000 projects over the years.
The Challenge focuses on projects and programmes where ICT plays a significant role in the achievement of the objectives. It is open to any projects or programmes that qualify in any of the categories. The categories are; Public Administration, Culture, Health, Education, Economic Development and Environment. Entries are invited until 31st December 2005.
All participating projects must: All submissions must be made on line, using the official entry form available at:
http://www.stockholmchallenge.se/application/



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Last update: October-15, 2005