Lwati January 2006, Number 19

The monthly e-newsletter of the Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT)

January 2006, Number 19

www.sangonet.org.za

"Lwati" is an isiSwati word meaning information.

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
<> STAFF NEWS
<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION SERVICES
<> TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH
<> CONTACT DETAILS

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS

Dear reader

Welcome to the 19th edition of SANGONeT's monthly e-newsletter!

I would like to wish all our stakeholders and Lwati readers a prosperous 2006. We look forward to engaging with you in finding innovative solutions to the ICT challenges facing civil society in Southern Africa.

During the first two months of 2006 our efforts will be dedicated to the final preparations for the second SANGONeT "ICTs for Civil Society"
conference that will be held from 7-9 March 2006 at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways, Johannesburg.

We expect more than 300 delegates to attend this event, and the programme will include a number of new and exciting dimensions. For detailed information about every aspect of the event, including registration, how you can assist us in shaping the programme and to submit research papers, visit the conference website - www.sangonet.org.za/conference2006.

We are especially interested in the ICT experiences of NGOs that could be presented and discussed at the conference. We also encourage all interested parties to register for the event as soon as possible as the "early bird registration", which includes a discount on the conference fee, closes on 1 February 2006.

The ultimate aim of the conference is to expose participants to a wide range of ICT-related issues that impact on the work of civil society organisations and the environment in which they operate.

Furthermore, as part of our objective to increase NGOs' awareness of the strategic importance of their websites, we invite South African NGOs to enter their websites for the "South African NGO Web Awards 2006". The winners will be announced at the gala dinner on 8 March 2005, and will also be featured in one of the conference sessions on 9 March 2006. Information on the Awards is available on the conference website. The closing date for entries is 10 February 2006.

Other than our work in support of the conference, the implementation and expansion of the SANGONeT NGO portal will continue to receive priority attention.We have strengthened and expanded the Civil Society Information Services team during the past few weeks and have various exciting plans and objectives for the portal in 2006.

We are also finalising the 2006 roll-out schedule for local and Southern African Thetha forums, and will announce specific plans in this regard at the SANGONeT conference. As mentioned before, we are expanding the Thetha forums to the rest of Southern Africa and five two-day events will be held during 2006 in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland.

As always, we are very interested in how you think we could best serve the NGO sector with relevant ICT products and services. Please send us your views, comments and suggestions.

Best wishes

David Barnard (dbarnard@sangonet.org.za)

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<> STAFF NEWS

# Vacancies

ICT Advocacy Manager.

This position presents a vital opportunity for an individual passionate about shaping the role and application of ICTs for development through policy advocacy and sensitisation. The incumbent will be responsible for informing the strategic ICT policy focus and activities of the organisation; networking and liaising with key government, private sector and civil society stakeholders; and developing, planning and hosting ICT forums in various Southern African countries.

Fax or e-mail your CV to SANGONeT's Executive Director, David Barnard, at (011) 403-0130 or dbarnard@sangonet.org.za.

Visit the "Vacancies" section on the SANGONeT portal - www.sangonet.org.za - for more details about the requirements of this position.

SANGONeT offers a competitive remuneration package based on qualifications and experience. The deadline for applications is Monday, 23 January 2006.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

# New Appointments

The following new appointments were made during the past month:

Diane Babak was promoted to Civil Society Information Services Manager.

Cathy Niken was promoted to Personal Assistant of the Executive and Deputy Directors.

Butjwana Seokoma and Badumile Duma were appointed as Information Services Coordinators.

<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION SERVICES

# NGO Portal

2005 was a year of dynamic change in the CSIS programme. The team worked industriously to developSANGONeT's Development Information Portal for and about the NGO Sector in South Africa. Developing the portal was enormously challenging and exciting. Better still is the extremely positive response received since its launch, which is a very rewarding experience for all SANGONeT staff members.

2006 represents a critical phase in the development of the portal. This will be the year that we consolidate theportal's content in relation to the needs and expectations of our target audience. Much of the future success of the portal depends on its relevance for the South African NGO sector both as an information source and as a platform to promote its ideals and impact.

In order to achieve our objectives, interaction with our constituency both in the online and offline environment is an important principle of our approach. Given challenges associated with the digital divide,our offline strategy, which in the past year has represented 50% of our programme objective,will continue to play an important role.

What can be expected in the coming months is acontinuationoffocus group discussions at a regionallevel concentrating on areasthat we have not visited in the past. At the less structured level, South African NGOs can expect ad hoc requests from SANGONeT for our staff to visit organisations to develop a better understanding of their development focus, challenges faced and successes achieved. We will also expand our content partnerships in addition to consolidating existing partnerships.

From an online perspective, the portal is set to become more interactive with monthly polls determining perspectives on a range of civil society, development and ICT issues. Expect to find more news emanating from the NGO sector as we chase development practitioners and activists for media releases and news about important campaigns and activities. Also expect to find more depth about the NGO sector as we pursue opinion pieces, feature articles and case studies.

Look out for our forthcoming series of NGO profiles, which kicks off next week showcasing the work of SANGONeT's content partners. In addition, we are in the last stages of finalising our validation exercise in relation to the PRODDER NGO and Development Directory, which is an important space for highlighting thework of South African organisations. We invite you to take some time to visit PRODDER to list your organistion and/or to validate existing details - www.prodder.org.za.

Also worth looking out for is the imminent launch of the Gauteng-based CEO Circle, which is a partnership between SANGONeT and Project Literacy. The CEO Circle will create a platform for discussion amongst the leadership of the South African NGO sector encouraging networking, collaboration and peer support. It will have a critical focus on common institutional and strategic development issues.

Finally, we take this opportunity to invite all South African NGOs working in the development arena to visit the portal and use the online facilities to submit information about events, vacancies, publications and media releases - www.sangonet.org.za.

For more information about the SANGONeT portal, kindly send a query to SANGONeT's deputy director, Fazila Farouk (fazila@sangonet.org.za) who is the editor of the SANGONeT portal.

Queries may also be submitted to the newly appointed CSIS manager, Diane Babak (diane@sangonet.org.za). She is responsible for ensuring the ongoing implementation of the portal's goals and objectives in relation to managing its structural and technical development as well as managing the CSIS team.

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<> TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

# NGO.ZA

A share call number has been installed for the mail.ngo.za Support Desk. Clients can call 086 011 1401 for technical support relating to dial-up, ISDN and ADSL connections. This service is anticipated to save cost and time for clients requiring technical support.

A total of 24 different products and services are currently offered, covering desktop support, applications, ICT training, websites and portals, hardware, e-mail and Internet, and technology consulting.

In order to consolidate content from various sources into the NGO.ZA portal, Rich Site Syndication (RSS) technology was used to gather local and international news feeds and display them in real time on the portal. A total of six news feeds are currently available on the portal.

NGO.ZA connectivity clients can also access their e-mail, change their password, use an online calendar, set up auto responders and check their ADSL usage on the portal. A 'Frequently Asked Questions' section has been compiled for the benefit of connectivity clients.

During 2006 SANGONeT will embark on a strategy to communicate with clients in order to better serve the NGO sector. Several new ICT products and services are anticipated to be added to the current offerings.

For more information on NGO.ZA, please visit www.ngo.za

# Central Case Management System (CCMS)

In 2005, SANGONeT's Technology Services programme launched an online Central Case Management System for the paralegal sector in South Africa - www.ccms.org.za.

During 2006, SANGONeT and the project stakeholders will conduct outreach programmes to publicise and demonstrate the CCMS to various roleplayers within the paralegal sector. The input and feedback generated will be captured, and a project plan will be implemented to add, modify or enhance the system's functionality. Future interventions in the next stage of this project will have two broad outcomes, namely to enhance functionality of the CCMS and to increase the paralegal community's access to and awareness of the CCMS.

# Technology Consulting

The African Transitional Justice Research Network (ATJRN) commissioned SANGONeT to conduct a technology intervention study on a one-stop portal and database for transitional justice researchers and CSOs in Africa. A comprehensive report was prepared and submitted to the ATJRN. It captured outputs from a user needs analysis, followed by a technology planning exercise incorporating a feasibility study and made recommendations on the proposed web portal.

The ATJRN aims to increase the capacity of local level researchers and civil society organisations in African countries to effectively inform and evaluate the transitional justice mechanisms and strengthen human rights advocacy.

SANGONeT offers a wide range of customised technology solutions, including open source software consulting, facilitation of website workshops and developing a technology plan for your organisation.

For more information on how we can assist you, please contact Joseph George on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or joseph@sangonet.org.za

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<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH

# SANGONeT's Technology Services Manager, Joseph George, attended the post-WSIS workshop organised by the Department of Communications on 8 December 2005 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.

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<> CONTACT DETAILS

SANGONeT
P O Box 31392
2017 Braamfontein
SOUTH AFRICA

29th Floor, UCS Building
209 Smit Street
Braamfontein

Tel: (+27) (11) 403-4935
Fax: (+27) (11) 403-0130
E-mail: newsletter@sangonet.org.za
WWW: http://www.sangonet.org.za

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CopyLeft. 2006. SANGONeT.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and modify this document. Please provide an acknowledgement to SANGONeT.

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