1. WOUGNET Background
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) is a non-governmental organisation established in May 2000 by several women organisations in Uganda to develop the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among women as tools to share information and address issues collectively.
For eighteen months prior to the formation of WOUGNET, a mailing list was maintained through which women organisations in Uganda would share news and announcements, as well as tips on computer and Internet usage. Due to the increasing interest in the announcement list and after consultation with women organisations including Isis Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE), Uganda Women's Network (UWONET), Women Connect! - Uganda and Women Engineers, Technicians and Scientists in Uganda (WETSU), it was apparent that there was need for the following:
- A list that would facilitate exchange of ideas and information between women organisations
- A companion website that would profile women organisations and use the web to provide additional exposure to their activities
- Information and support on how to maximize the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within women organisations
In response to the above, a WOUGNET mailing list and website were set up. Indeed, access to information about best practices, appropriate technologies, ideas and problems of other groups working on similar concerns have been identified as critical information and communication needs of women organisations in Africa. By year-end 2000, the mailing list had fifty subscribers including eighteen women organisations while the website profiled twenty-five women organisations and women-related projects. Today, over fifty organisations are profiled.
While WOUGNET’s emphasis is directed towards Internet technologies, there is strong interest in how these technologies can be integrated with traditional means of information exchange and dissemination including radio, video, television and print media. The goal is to improve living conditions for women by enhancing their capacities and opportunities for exchange, collaboration and information sharing. Today, the website and mailing lists have become a key resource for WOUGNET members and other interested partners providing information about and for women's organisations in Uganda. In May 2003, the WOUGNET website was awarded the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) Media Award in the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) - Local Content category. The IICD Award on Local Content Applications aimed to "recognise users of innovative or pioneering applications of ICTs to local content defined as the ‘expression of the locally owned and adapted knowledge of a community’ in Africa” .
Furthermore, in September 2003, the WOUGNET website was nominated for the World Summit Awards in the e-inclusion category. The award is to be presented to the winner at the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, 2003.
