Lwati October 2007, Number 40

* LWATI *

The monthly e-newsletter of the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT)

October 2007, Number 40

http://www.sangonet.org.za

"Lwati" is an isiSwati word meaning information.

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS
<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION
<> ICT SERVICES
<> NETWORKING AND OUTREACH
<> CONTACT DETAILS

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<> EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTS

Welcome to the 40th edition of SANGONeT´s monthly e-newsletter!

Two very important dates on the international development calendar were celebrated during the past two weeks. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was celebrated on 17 October, and World Development Information Day (WDID) on 24 October.

In 2004 and 2005 SANGONeT hosted special events in Johannesburg to celebrate WDID and highlight specific initiatives aimed at raising the profile of the South African NGO sector. In 2006 SANGONeT and the National Development Agency (NDA) hosted a National Poverty Conference on 17 October to coincide with International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Although we have not organized any special events this year to coincide with these important dates, they continue to strategically inform and define the work of SANGONeT in general.

Two years ago, to coincide with WDID on 24 October 2005, SANGONeT launched the South African NGO and Development Information Portal (http://www.sangonet.org.za). Since its launch, this one-stop Internet information resource has cemented itself as a communication cornerstone for the NGO and development sector in South Africa, and continues to grow from strength to strength under the leadership of Badumile Duma, the new portal editor.

In the past two years, the portal’s readership base has grown considerably. To date, more than 330 000 people have visited the portal viewing almost 2.3 million pages. The statistical figures attest to the sector’s overall hunger for a media platform that speaks their language and articulates their needs.

As the use of the Internet continues to grow both globally and in South Africa, SANGONeT has noted a significant increase in the number of NGOs that have access to the Internet and their own websites. This is a very encouraging trend, especially given the high cost of connectivity and telecommunications in South Africa.

As such, the web platform as a media tool has increasing relevance for the local development sector. At the same time, the virtual world also transcends physical boundaries and the portal has become a window into South African civil society for global stakeholders with an interest in this country and its development issues.

SANGONeT realises that there are many avenues that the portal is yet to explore. In line with this understanding, we are currently in the process of reviewing the SANGONeT portal with the view of revamping it into a comprehensive and dynamic platform for community exchange.

Going forward, the portal will host a greater exchange of ideas, news and information enabled by web 2.0 technologies and built around the `profiles´ of NGOs listed in the PRODDER Directory (http://www.prodder.org.za). The portal is well-positioned to become the essential interactive media tool and networking platform for South African civil society.

On another note, I would like to congratulate Mirriam Zwane, a member of the SANGONeT Board of Directors and Director of Praxis Consulting, who has been named as one of the six finalists for the IT Personality of the Year 2007. The award is presented by the Computer Society of South Africa, in association with ITWeb, Gartner Africa and the Gordon Institute of Business Science. The winner will be announced on 7 November 2007 in Johannesburg.

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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<> CIVIL SOCIETY INFORMATION (CSI) PROGRAMME

# SANGONeT NGO Portal

In the month of September, the SANGONeT Portal featured a number of articles contributed by development practitioners and consultants. This was a conscious decision made by the editorial team to incorporate more articles submitted by the portal’s readership. Gradually, the portal is evolving to a platform of exchange for the development sector.

As more people and organisations become vocal about poverty eradication, or the lack thereof, a few troubling questions have been raised as to the credibility of NGOs working to eradicate poverty in Africa. In line with these questions, the September poll was aimed at determining the extent to which NGOs glamourise poverty for the sake of securing donor funding.

It is refreshing to note that the majority of the people who participated in the poll hold the view that NGOs are not publicising poverty for their own selfish gains. However, the number of people who actually cast their vote was lower than we had anticipated, considering the topic under discussion. In this regard, we urge our readers to participate in this month’s poll and assist us to determine whether NGOs are indeed playing their part in eradicating poverty.

The results of the poll, which was taken by 141 voters, are as follow:

• 68.8% (97 votes) No, they don’t glamourise poverty
• 16.3% (23 votes) Yes, to a significant degree
• 14.9% (21 votes) Yes, to a limited degree

As always, the CSI team continued to produce relevant civil society and development-related content for the portal. Key articles produced during September 2007 include the following:

Is there Cause to Celebrate?

The Most Important Choice a Personal Assistant Will Ever Make!

Taking a Closer Look at Global Warming

Tourism Opens Doors for Women

Sustainability through the Proper and Appropriate Investment of a Reserve

For more information about the SANGONeT NGO Portal, please contact Badumile Duma at SANGONeT on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or badumile@sangonet.org.za.

PRODDER - NGOs and Development 2008

The wait for South Africa’s only verifiable source of information on the development sector, to be published in hard copy, is almost over. PRODDER - NGOs and Development 2008 will be launched on 29 November 2007 - just in time to make it to your bedside table and research desktop before the start of the New Year!

To order your copy of the long awaited publication, please send an e-mail to prodder@sangonet.org.za, specifying your interest to order the book (R350 VAT inclusive plus postage).

# SANGONeT Development Calendar 2008

SANGONeT is currently compiling its 2008 Development Calendar, which will once again be produced in the form of a year planner. The Calendar, to be released in January 2008, will cover a comprehensive list of international, African and South African dates (e.g. World AIDS Day, 1 December) of significance to people involved in development and civil society issues.

If you know of any dates and events which should be included in the calendar, please forward the information by 30 November 2007 to info@sangonet.org.za.

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<> ICT SERVICES

# SANGOTeCH Online Technology Donations Portal

New Products

SANGONeT and TechSoup are pleased to announce that two new donor partners will be added to SANGOTeCH in early 2008.

Bytes of Learning (http://www.bytesoflearning.com) develops and publishes multimedia software tools and supporting materials for education. It will be donating its UltraKey 5.0 typing instruction software.

Mailshell (http://www.mailshell.com) is the world's leading provider of anti-spam, anti-phishing, and IP reputation engines. It will be donating its desktop anti-spam and anti-phishing software.

Eligibility

South African NGOs interested in ordering software available on SANGOTeCH should first check their general eligibility for the programme at http://www.sangotech.org/eligibility.

The product catalogue can be viewed at http://store.sangotech.org/directory

For more information about SANGOTeCH, as well as to receive regular updates about new products and services, please refer to http://www.sangotech.org or contact us on 086 110 6443 or support@sangotech.org

# Citizen Journalism Project: Training of Trainers

SANGONeT and Hivos are collaborating on a project aimed at developing Citizen Journalism in Africa. The first training session, aimed at civil society workers from South Africa and Zimbabwe with some experience in the constituent skills of citizen journalism, will be held from 26-30 November 2007 in Johannesburg.

# Technology Consulting

SANGONeT offers a range of customised online applications that include social networking portals, online directories and constituent relationship management solutions. We also offer a linked technical support desk service.

For more information on how we can assist you, please contact Matthew de Gale at SANGONeT on Tel: (011) 403-4935 or matthew@sangonet.org.za

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NETWORKING AND OUTREACH

SANGONeT’s Executive Director, David Barnard, attended the first Southern Africa Trust Communications, Partnerships and Networking Reference Group meeting on 21 September 2007 in Midrand.

# SANGONeT’s Information Coordinator, Butjwana Seokoma, attended the Philani Community Development Programme’s Heritage celebration on 28 September 2007 on the West Rand and produced a newsflash highlighting the event which was featured on the portal.

# SANGONeT’s ICT Programme Manager, Matthew de Gale, and David Barnard attended the Techsoup Global Partners Meeting from 1-5 October 2007 in San Francisco, United States.

# SANGONeT’s Executive Director, David Barnard, attended a Board meeting of the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network (Nten) on 8 October 2007 in New York, United States.

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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. 2007. SANGONeT.

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

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