Lwati November 2005, Number 17

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

November 2005, Number 17

www.sangonet.org.za

"Lwati" is an isiSwati word meaning information.

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

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS

Dear reader

Welcome to the 17th edition of SANGONeT's monthly e-newsletter!

SANGONeT launched its much anticipated NGO portal on 24 October 2005 during a special event to celebrate World Development Information Day.

We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming local and international response to our new portal. Be that as it may, the portal is still a work in progress and we are committed to improving and expanding its current content and features further in the coming weeks and months.

The SANGONeT portal has the potential to make an ongoing strategic contribution to the future of the South African NGO sector by highlighting the scope and depth of its activities. Every effort will be made to encourage local NGOs to actively contribute content to the portal, as well as utilise it in support of their work.

Please refer to the Civil Society Information Services section for guidelines on how you can contribute information about your work to the portal. Your comments and feedback would be much appreciated.

Looking ahead, stakeholders from all over the world with an interest in "ICTs for Development" will convene from 16-18 November 2005 in Tunis, Tunisia, for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Although the international preparatory process leading up to the Summit had many problems and shortcomings, it is an important event, symbolising the recognition by the global community that ICTs can play a major role in social and economic development and contribute significantly towards poverty alleviation.

WSIS presents an opportunity to develop a framework for addressing key international issues such as Internet governance and financing mechanisms, while from a South African perspective, it is an opportunity to once again highlight local issues such as the high cost of telecommunications.

In the run up to the summit SANGONeT actively contributed to the WSIS process by hosting two Thetha forums (on 29 June 2005 in Braamfontein and 22 August 2005 in Cape Town) to discuss critical issues of concern to civil society in relation to the information society.
In addition, SANGONeT coordinated the compilation of a South African WSIS Civil Society Statement.

I will represent SANGONeT at the Summit and people are welcome to visit the SANGONeT stand which forms part of the South African Pavilion in the main exhibition area.

The SANGONeT Conference in March 2006, as well as future local and regional Thetha forums, will be used to provide feedback on the outcomes of the Summit and to discuss follow-up actions.

I would also like to invite you to the launch of our 2004/5 Annual Report on 24 November 2005 at the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown. Please refer to the Events section for more information in this regard.

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

SANGONeT is currently recruiting for the following three positions:

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.

Senior Web Designer.

SANGONeT requires an experienced Senior Web Designer to assess client needs, conceptualize web solutions, manage SANGONeT's web servers and DNS entries; render technical assistance to SANGONeT's NGO portal; and liaise with external technical service providers.

Fax or e-mail your CV to SANGONeT's Technology Services Manager, Joseph George, at (011) 403-0130 or joseph@sangonet.org.za.

Information Coordinator.

SANGONeT is looking to appoint an Information Coordinator for its NGO portal. The incumbent will have a solid understanding of the development sector and work within a team responsible for the further expansion of the portal's information in line with developing the institutional capacity of the NGO sector and promoting its development goals.

Fax or e-mail your CV to SANGONeT's Deputy Director, Fazila Farouk, at (011) 403-0130 or fazila@sangonet.org.za.

Kindly visit the SANGONeT website - www.sangonet.org.za - for the requirements and qualifications related to each of these positions.

SANGONeT offers a competitive remuneration package based on qualifications and experience. The deadline for applications is Monday,
21 November 2005. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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<> EVENTS

# Launch of SANGONeT Annual Report 2004/5 - 24 November 2005

SANGONeT will host a special event on Thursday, 24 November 2005, at the Sunnyside Hotel in Parktown to launch its 2004/5 Annual Report.
The event will start at 12h00 and conclude by 14h00.

Lunch will be served at the end of the event.

To attend, please contact Nandi Songca at SANGONeT on
(011) 403-4935 or nandi@sangonet.org.za

# Second Annual SANGONeT "ICTs for Civil Society" Conference and Exhibition

SANGONeT will host its second annual "ICTs for Civil Society"
conference from 7-9 March 2006 at the Indaba Hotel in Fairways, Johannesburg. Building on the success of the 2005 event, the next conference will focus specifically on a wide range of practical ICT solutions and applications relevant to the work of civil society organisations in Southern Africa.

SANGONeT invites anyone interested in participating in the event as a speaker or participant to register their interest at - info@sangonet.org.za

We are especially interested in receiving information on any case studies, technology solutions, etc. which could be incorporated into the conference programme.

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<> TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

# NGO.ZA Shopping Cart

The NGO.ZA portal has been upgraded with the addition of an online shopping cart facility. This facility enables visitors to browse ICT products and services on offer and place their orders.

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

For more information on NGO.ZA and to view the shopping cart facility, please visit http://www.ngo.za. NGO.ZA can also be accessed via the SANGONeT portal.

# Isango Low-cost Websites

Isango website solutions are now available through the NGO.ZA portal.
The Isango project aims to assist small to medium NGOs by providing subsidised website solutions. The project entails developing template toolkits for small websites, quick automated deployment and hosting.
Isango is an Nguni word meaning entrance, gateway or portal.

An Isango website consists of the organisation's logo, 5 content pages, a Contact Us page, own domain and hosting at R90 per month.

Organisations with Isango websites will be able upgrade to a more comprehensive web solution at a later stage.

For more information on SANGONeT's web services, please contact Joseph George on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or joseph@sangonet.org.za

# NGO.ZA Newsfeeds

The functionality of the NGO.ZA portal has been enhanced with the addition of several newsfeeds that are constantly and automatically updated using Rich Site Syndication (RSS) technology. News featured includes Broadband News, Linux News, Techsoup, Technology News and Breaking News.

These new features are transforming the www.ngo.za site into a one-stop portal for accessing the latest news and trends in technology.

# Technology Consulting

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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<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION SERVICES

# NGO Portal

October marked an exciting but challenging period for the CSIS team gearing up for the launch of the NGO Development Information Portal.

The portal was launched during SANGONeT's World Development Information Day event on 24 October 2005, via a four-city digital video conference (DVC) link between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, with a special link to Seattle in the United States. More than 80 delegates in the three South African cities were addressed by keynote speaker, Godfrey Mokate, CEO of the National Development Agency (NDA), who talked about the development challenges facing South Africa, relating these to the NGO sector. In addition, the link to Seattle was a groundbreaking initiative for SANGONeT as it enabled non-profit online specialist Michael Gilbert to talk to the South African audience about how to maximise the online environment to promote leadership and collaboration.

The portal's launch has filled an enormous information gap within the South AfricanNGO sector. More than 600 people visited the portal on its launch day, viewing a total of more than 8 000 pages. The portal continues to receive a consistently high number of daily visitors who viewed more than 20 000 pages in its first week.

NGOs and individuals working in the development arena are encouraged to engage interactively with the SANGONeT portal and we have developed some guidelines to assist. See below.

# PRODDER Directory

The first place that organisations can post information about themselves is on the PRODDER Directory. Kindly visit http://www.prodder.org.za to update or add your details to the directory. To submit an inquiry, send an e-mail to prodder@sangonet.org.za.

This is a free service for all NGOs in South Africa.

# SN-Announce

For the modest fee of R500, organisations can post an announcement on this e-mail advertising service. Repeat announcements are distributed for an additional fee of R150.

Please contact sn-announce@sangonet.org.za for more information about this service. It has a readership of more than 10 000 people.

# NGO Media Releases

Moreover, organisations can produce a media release about anything newsworthy that they are involved in and submit it to mediarelease@sangonet.org.za.

Please refer to the media releases section of the portal. This is a free service for all NGOs in South Africa.

# Development Issues

Interesting development case studies, research reports, articles, debates and publications or information about these issues can be forwarded to portal@sangonet.org.za. SANGONeT reserves the right to publish articles of relevance to our broad development goals.

# Radical Thinking

Letters to the "editor" can be submitted to portal@sangonet.org.za.
Complaints about workplace and development issues can be submitted online via the Weekly Whinge service.

# Publications

Send information about new publications, including books and newsletters to portal@sangonet.org.za.

# Events Calendar

An important feature on the SANGONeT portal is a comprehensive listing of forthcoming Southern African and international development conferences.

To have your event included in this facility, please forward details to info@sangonet.org.za

For more information about forthcoming conferences, please visit the "Events Calendar" on the portal.

# General Queries

Refer general queries to portal@sangonet.org.za.

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<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH

# SANGONeT's Executive Director, David Barnard, attended the APC Council meeting from 4-6 October 2005 in Varna, Bulgaria.
He also attended the PSO/Bond workshop on "NGO Networks:
how do we support learning and capacity building amongst our membership?" from 10-11 October 2005 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

# SANGONeT's Technology Services Manager, Joseph George, attended the second colloquium on telecommunication costs hosted by the Department of Communications from 12-13 October 2005 at Gallagher Estate in Midrand.

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<> CONTACT DETAILS

SANGONeT
P O Box 31392
2017 Braamfontein
SOUTH AFRICA

10th Floor
76 Juta 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. 2005. SANGONeT.

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

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