Dimitra Project expands its network in the East African sub-region

Introduction

The Dimitra Project is an information and communication project implemented by the Gender and Population Division of Food and Agriculture Organisation with the aim of empowering rural populations by building capacities and facilitating access to Information. The project works with local partners in Africa and the near East and is a tool to enable rural women through their associations and grassroots organisations to make their voices heard at the national and international level. Dimitra's main goal is to empower rural women and to improve their living conditions and status by highlighting the extent and value of their contributions. Modern and traditional information and communication technologies are used to encourage networking and share information.

The project provides a body of knowledge as well as tools, like newsletters, CD-ROMS and other various information, which enables rural women and their representative organisations to improve their information and communication techniques. Local Dimitra partners collect detailed quantitative and qualitative information on organisations and projects working with men and women in rural areas in their country or sub region. Through a partnership established since 1998, Dimitra has collected information on a variety of development projects and publications concerning rural women in Africa and the Near East. Each partner is the focal point for its country and sub-region.

In the East African sub- region, the Dimitra project covers the five countries of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Ethiopia. To coordinate the Dimitra project and its activities in the region, early this year, Dimitra established partnership with Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET). As the regional focal point in the sub region, WOUGNET will coordinate Dimitra activities, establish local partnerships and collect, encode and disseminate information on NGOs, research institutes and information activities pertaining to rural women or rural development with a gender approach.

In line with the project’s main vision of consolidating and extending its network in Africa, promoting information exchange by strengthening information and communication skills and updating and disseminating information on gender and rural development issues, WOUGNET has established National Dimitra partnerships in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

National Dimitra Focal Points

In Ethiopia, Women Support Organisation (WSO), a gender-based organisation with a strong focus on rural women development, is the Dimitra National Focal point. WSO is an indigenous, non-governmental and humanitarian organization, working in Ethiopia for the improvement of the social, economic, and physical well being of the poor, rural women in particular, and the community in general. The organisation was established in 1995.

WSO, first came into existence by providing assistance to destitute and displaced women living in the area called Garji, located in Wereda 17 of Addis Ababa Administrative Region. After three years of such involvement in the town, the organization expanded its interventions in the rural areas of North Shoa and Oromia Zones in the Amhara National Regional State (ANRS).

WSO works in partnership with Pact-Ethiopia, Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA), German Development Service (DED), Help Age International, Ipas Ethiopia, Future Forests Canada, Danish Church Aid (DCA), Canada International Development Agency (CIDA). The organisation also has close collaboration and excellent working relationship with governmental organizations at the federal, regional, zonal and Woreda levels, such as the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC), Health, Agriculture and Education Bureaus etc,. It is also a full member of CRDA, CORHA and Network of Ethiopian Women Association.

In Kenya, Arid Lands Information Network - Eastern Africa (ALIN), a network organisation of Community Development Workers (CDWs) involved in drylands development, is the Dimitra national focal point. ALIN supports CDWs by encouraging the exchange of ideas, information and their own experience on development work. With such exchanges, CDWs become more confident and effective in their work. ALIN members are drawn from government departments, non-governmental organisations and Community Based Organisations. They include, among others, community mobilizers, health workers, extension workers, etc.

The mission of ALIN is to improve the development practices of community development workers (CDWs) in the East African drylands by facilitating the exchange of experience among them, and disseminating appropriate information in a usable form.

In Tanzania, WOUGNET has partnered with Dodoma Environmental Network (DONET) as the local focal point for the Dimitra organization in Tanzania. DONET's mission is to sensitize, educate and involved any individuals and community based organizations in environment conservation so as to ensure and promote optimum and sustainable use of natural resources in Dodoma and Tanzania as a whole.

DONET was established as a non governmental organization and was registered by the Ministry of Home Affairs in March 1999. Its main goal is to sensitize, educate and involve individuals and community based organizations in environmental conservation so as to ensure and promote optimum and sustainable use of natural resources in Dodoma and Tanazia as whole. DONET is run by five key staff; these include Coordinator, Programme officer, Information officer, Accountant, Administrator and other three support staff.

DONET's activities is to raise and strengthen people's involvement in conserving the environment, facilitate coordination, integration and information sharing among communities and agencies working in environment related tasks and improve and alleviate the environmental crises in Tanzania by deliberately highlighting the problems to local communities and outsiders and seek support from national and international agencies and other key actors.

Using the three main working methods of the Dimitra project of Partnership, Participation, and Networking, WOUGNET and the National focal points in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania, will work closely to highlight local knowledge by promoting and supporting the exchange of good practices, ideas and experiences.

For Dimitra information in Kenya, please contact:
Noah Lusaka
Programme Manager
Arid Lands Information Network-Eastern Africa (ALIN-EA)
P.O. Box 10098, 00100 G.P.O. Nairobi, Kenya
AAYMCA Building, Along State House Crescent, Off State House Avenue
Tel +254 20 2731557
Telefax +254 20 2737813
Cell phone: +254 733 848246
Email: noah@alin.or.ke
Website: www.alin.or.ke

In Ethiopia, contact:
Mrs. Martha Nemera
Executive Director
Women Support Organisation
P.O. Box 101403
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: 251 -11-6182492
Email: wosuorg@ethionet.et

In Tanzania, contact:
Amandus T. Chitopela
Programme Officer
DONET
P.O. Box 1414
Dodoma, Tanzania
Tel: 255-(0)26-2324750
Fax: 255-(0)26-2324750
Email: donet95@yahoo.com

Further information

For further information about the Dimitra Project in the Eastern Africa region, please contact:
Dorothy Okello
Coordinator
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
Plot 53 Kira Road
Tel: +256-41-4532035
Fax: +256-41-4530474
Post: P.O. Box 4411, Kampala, Uganda
Email: info@wougnet.org

WOUGNET is also putting out a call to organisations interested in becoming a Dimitra focal point in Somalia to send an email to info@wougnet.org, with 'Dimitra Focal Point' in the subject line. The interested organisation should have an involvement in Rural development with a gender bias, and have an information, research component in their work.

---

Last update: October 26, 2007