ChangeWaves

JOHANNESBURG (Esther Nasikye and Sally-Jean Shackleton for GenderIT.org)

While women’s rights activists have been at the forefront of making the private
crimes that occur at home – domestic violence, marital rape – public, new
technologies are making the private public in ways that disenfranchise, alienate
and violate women. ChangeWaves’Esther Nasikye and Sally-Jean Shackleton (WomensNet)  explore how ICTs,
privacy and domestic violence in South Africa are exposing problems in both
policy and practice.
See details here:
http://www.genderit.org/articles/south-africa-privacy-and-domestic-viole… [
http://www.genderit.org/articles/south-africa-privacy-and-domestic-violence-online-and
]

First was a loud cry. Then a gun shot that was followed by desperate screams that seemed from a woman begging for mercy but in a language I don’t understand. Time check, 4:10 am. The voices of the men then grew louder and louder also speaking a language I don’t understand. Just then, I remembered, a-woman-is-raped-every-twenty-six-seconds-in-South Africa statistics. If this was another addition to those statistics, I didn’t want to hear it.
The sound was so close. Since I live on the top floor, I imagined (more…)

August is Women’s Month in South Africa, my new home at the moment. While watching some of the women celebrate their achievements over the years and demand for what needs to be done, I remembered this piece that I read on Women’s Day back home in Uganda. Interesting piece!

Beyonce has a popular song – If I were a boy. Today on Women’s day you can sing about the things you would do if you were a man.  On this one day allocated to women, out of 365 days in the year,  why not behave today as though you were a man? If you were a man, today when you greet other men stand up at once and address them as Sir or Jadwong. When you greet women stay seated and don’t use any title or call them Mummy!
If you were a man, today you could walk into a meeting late and take the centre seat in the front row.
You would take it upon yourself to Chair the meeting, then look around for a pretty woman to act as secretary. If you were a man at a meeting, today you could put up your hand first to answer a question loudly and confidently even if you haven’t a clue what you are talking about.
If you were a man, today you could ask why your shirts are not ironed, your socks not paired, your trousers missing and you shoes not polished.
If you were a man, today you could complain loudly that the food is cold and unappetising and demand that your wife return to the kitchen and warm it immediately. (more…)

In about two hours time, all eyes around the world will turn to Africa as we witness the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We celebrate this outstanding leadership action demonstrated by South Africa’s  successful bid to host the World Cup in Africa for the very first time. This is a momentous day to be remembered in Africa and beyond.
ChangeWaves congratulates the young people, women, men and all African teams that have participated in the qualification process that started at least 8 years ago. We are proud of the African women who have raised such gallant sons and football icons who have contributed to holding the African flag high. We particularly congratulate South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, Africa’s participating countries at the 2010 World Cup, who have made us exceedingly proud. There will be one overall winner but to us you are all winners already! (more…)

Funding opportunity for Prevention of Gender-based violence projects
Deadline: 1 July 2010
Global
The US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) is requesting proposals from organizations to implement projects on prevention of gender-based violence…[more]

Freedom to Create Prize
Deadline: 15 August 2010
All Countries
Individuals from any part of the world or nationality can apply for the Freedom to Create PRize which celebrates the power of art to fight oppression, break down stereotypes and build trust in societies…[more]
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One of my greatest fears is traveling on water. I always tell people close to

my heart that I travel “over water and not on water.” Many times I have foregone promises of wonderful weekends with girlfriends on certain islands because of this fear. Never mind I know how to swim.
But June 4^th 2010, will forever be imprinted in my brain. For a week or so, I had been battling with the idea of visiting the world renown Robben Island made popular by Nelson Mandela a South African political activist and the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative (more…)

This is an informative piece that I thought I could share with people interested in ICT4D and telecentres for that matter. It is a piece posted by Sienna Miller to the Youthink blog on the World Bank website. Sienna has been doing research on traditional telecenter sustainability. She makes some interesting observations.

I have spent the past few days doing research on traditional telecenter sustainability. By traditional, I mean telecenters that charge a small fee for offline (photocopying, mobile charging etc.) and online services (Internet access) to meet their costs. While the news is rather bleak, I have stumbled across some interesting sources that might be of use to others:

- International Development Research Centre (IDRC): Regional leader in information and communication for development (ICT4D), their website boasts a wealth of information. I found their 2005 report on Telecenters, Access and Development very interesting (a bit outdated, but still useful). This link provides insight into a variety of information and communication technology (ICT) projects they are supporting (mind you, the articles are for communication so a little too positive for objectivity).

- The Centre for Internet and Society – India: I stumbled across them while looking for successful models of telecenters/Internet centers increasing community income. I found this article “Information and Livelihoods (2009)” very interesting. It shows how Internet access in a fishing village was used to offer information on weather patterns to fishermen. Mortality rates were significantly reduced, income increased and users learned more about the Internet. (more…)

“Patriarchy defines leadership from the perspective of public office but not a woman running 25 support groups in the village,” explained Nyaradzayi Gumbodzvanda in session she presented about patriarchy during day one of the Global NGO Forum in New York.
I have met many women in Uganda who are doing amazing work in their villages, towns, sub-counties but still work in isolation with little or no connection to like minded people whether in their town or country or even globally. But with technology fast advancing, how can a simple village woman take advantage of this? How can she be connected to international processes, influence policy and decision makers and connect with like minded people? (more…)

It is February 26. I am on a seven hour flight from London to New York and I have been reading for the past couple of hours. I decide to catch up on the news. In the headlines: “Mother and step father starve 8 year old to death: Wayne Bridge opts out of England World Cup squad: The raging debate on mercy killing or assisted suicide: Breast feeding mother told to get off the bus: Girl dies at the pool side after young lifeguard stopped trying to revive her! The list of the sad and depressing headlines seems endless. I decide to pick up a (more…)

A woman is at more risk in places where she is supposed to feel safe and with people she is supposed to trust the most.

The story of a 26 year old Brenda Karamuzi, who was allegedly murdered by her lover and thrown in a septic tank is still fresh in many a Ugandan’s mind. As a young woman, I quietly lay in my bed and imagined what one can do when Beloved’s hands become weapons of mass destruction. Brenda was murdered in an upscale suburb on the outskirts of Kampala city. The house was surrounded with a concrete wall and rather big compound. May be no one would hear her cry for help.

But my imagination is Brenda being a young working woman is at least among the 8million Ugandans who have mobile phones. Whereas we don’t know the circumstances surrounding her death, my initial thoughts were couldn’t she have used her mobile phone to call the police before Beloved hit her and brought an end to her otherwise short life?

While researching about Intimate partner violence and ICTs, I came across this paper written by Aramanzan Madanda (MUK) and WOUGNET’s Berna Ngolobe and Goretti Zavuga Amuriat. In the paper, the authors note that mobile phones “give women an opportunity to break male control by opening contacts to the outside world.” (more…)