WOUGNET

Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) also known as Women of Uganda Network Development Limited is Ugandan non-governmental organization that aids women and women's organisations in the use and access of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to share information and address issues their concerns such as gender norms, advocating for their rights and building communities and businesses through education.[1][2][3][4][5]

WOUGNET staff at the secretariat
WOUGNET
Women of Uganda Network
AbbreviationWOUGNET
FormationMay 2000
FounderDorothy Okello
Founded atKampala, Central Region
PurposeTo develop the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among women as tools to share information and address issues collectively.
HeadquartersKampala, Uganda
Location
  • Uganda
Region
East Africa
Membership
30
Executive Director
Sandra Aceng
Angela Nakafeero
Peace Musiimenta
Ednah Karamagi
Julie Agum
James Oriekot
Fridah Mutesi
Shubey Nantege Luzinda
Staff
18
Websitehttps://wougnet.org/

History

WOUGNET was founded in May 2000 by women's organisations from Uganda.[1][6] Its mailing lists are hosted by Kabissa.[7]

Mission: To promote the use of information and communication technologies by women and girls for gender equality and sustainable development.[8]

Aim: To improve the conditions of life for Ugandan women, by enhancing their capacities and opportunities for exchange, collaboration and information sharing.[8]

Vision: An inclusive and just society where women and girls are enabled to use ICTs for sustainable development.[8]

Programs: Information Sharing and Networking, Technical Support, and Gender and ICT Policy Advocacy.[9]

WOUGNET does research and analysis on internet and ICT policies,[10] promotes equal access to information, intersection of gender and technology, capacity building on online safety and emerging technology trends among other activities to ensure that women are catered for in them.[1][11][12][13] It also implements other programs in agriculture, digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, governance and accountability among other programs.[14][15][16]

Executive directors
  1. Dorothy Okello (Founder) [17]
  2. Peace Oliver Amuge (May 2020 to February 2023).[18]
  3. Sandra Aceng from March 2023 to date.

Memberships

WOUGNET is a member of;

Tools

WOUGNET uses email, social media, the web, SMS (short messaging service)[26] and "traditional means" such as radio, television and print media such as newspapers[27] to communicate and share information about online gender based violence (OGBV), online safety among other issues.[28]

Members

WOUGNET has no membership fees for its three types of memberships and these are individual, organisation (Women organisations based in Uganda) and affiliate (organisations that are not women organisations based in Uganda). To become a member you have to are required to subscribe to the WOUGNET mailing list.[7]

WOUGNET members include:

  • Reach out Wives of Soldiers’ Association (ROWOSA)[29]
  • Slum Aid Project (SAP)[29]
  • Ibanda Women's Guild (IWOGU)[29]
  • Gabula Atudde Women Group (GABULA ATUDDE)[29]
  • Tusubira Women's Group (TUWOGRO)[29]
  • Warm Hearts Foundation (WHF)
  • Katosi Women Development Trust (KWDT)
  • Ntulume Village Women Development Association (NVIWODA)
  • Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association (UWEAL)
  • Comfort Community Empowerment Network (COCENET)
  • Local Sustainable Communities Organizations (LOSCO)
  • St Bruno Doll Making Group
  • Hope Case Foundation (HCF)
  • Kigezi Women in Development (KWID)
  • Uganda Muslim Women Vision (UMWV)
  • Grassroots Women's Association for Development (GWAD)
  • Disabled Women in Development (DIWODE)
  • Karma Rural Women's Development Organization (KRUWODO)
  • Community action for sustainable livelihood (CASUL)

Awards and recognistions
  • Inclusion & Empowerment by World Summit Award (WSA) in 2003.[30]
  • Democracy Innovation Award by The council of Europe at World Forum for Democracy in 2013.[31]

Activities, campaigns, workshops and trainings

In 2005, WOUGNET registered Ugandans who would attend the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) that happened in Tunis in Tunisia.[32]

WOUGNET partnered with Womensnet, South Africa and APC-Africa-Women (AAW) and ran an SMS based 16 Days of Activism campaign where messages against violence against women were sent out by both individuals and organisations.[26]

WOUGNET partnered with Internews and trained Civil Society organisations (CSOs) and Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) that wanted to strengthen advocacy strategies for women's rights and privacy online.[1][27]

WOUGNET engaged policymakers, government agencies, CSOs and lawmakers to better understand how cybercrime legislation, data protection, access to information among other issues affected women.[1]

Projects and reports

Reports

some of the reports include;

  • Bridging the Digital Gender Gap in Uganda: An Assessment of Women Rights Online Based on the Principles of the African Declaration of Internet Rights and Freedoms (AFDEC) which addressed women's internet usage performance in Uganda.[33]

WOUGNET's current, present and past projects include:[28]
  • Civil Society in Uganda Digital Support Programme (CUSDS) supported by the Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund which responded to COVID-19 emergency in Uganda by strengthening the institutional digital capacity of her 23 member organisations in 2020 to remain resilient during a situation where COVID-19 erected roadblocks and restrictions on movement of staff.
  • Women's Rights Online Media Campaigns in Uganda supported by Association for Progressive Communications (APC) in 2020 under All Women Count Project.
  • Enhancing Women's Rights Online through Inclusive and effective response to online gender-based violence in Uganda. supported by Digital Human Rights Lab in 2021.
  • Our Voices, Our Futures (OVOF) funded by Association for Progressive Communications (APC) from 2021 to 2025.
  • Saving Women's Journalists from Online harassment in Uganda by Improving Legislation on Freedom of Expression in the Digital Spaces and Tackling Online harassment (SWIFT) supported by Urgent Action Funds in 2021.
  • Promoting Smart Policy Options in Closing Gender Digital Divide in Uganda, in partnership with CfMA supported by World Wide Web Foundation in 2020–2021.
  • Strengthening Uganda's Rights to Freedom of Expression through Policy Advocacy and Media (SURFACE) supported by International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) in 2021.
  • Marker-Assisted Breeding of selected Native Chickens in Mozambique and Uganda in partnership with Eduardo Mondlane Mozambique, Makerere University, Gulu University and International Rural Poultry Centre- Kyeema Foundation (Mozambique) supported by African Union from 2019 to 2022.
  • Strengthening use of ICTs and social media for Citizen Engagement and improved Service Delivery supported by SIDA in Eastern and Indigo Trust UK in Northern Uganda.
  • Strengthening use of ICTs and Social media for citizen engagement and improved service delivery, funded by Indigo Trust UK.
  • Increasing women's decision making and influence in Internet Governance and ICT policy for the realization of women's rights in Africa, implemented with WomensNet in Uganda and South Africa and supported by UN Women Fund for Gender Equality

See also

References
  1. "WOUGNET Leading Efforts to Strengthen Digital Resilience and Combat Online Gender Based Violence". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  2. "Intersectionality of women's digital rights". Monitor. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  3. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) - Uganda - 50 Million African Women Speak". www.womenconnect.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. "Journalists urged to take care of own mental health". Monitor. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  5. "Women decry discrimination in ICT policy initiatives". Monitor. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  6. Cooperation, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural (2002). "The Women of Uganda Network (Uganda)". ICT Update.
  7. "Wougnet: A society in which women are empowered through the use of ICTs for sustainable development - CTIN". 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  8. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) | Women in the World Foundation". womenintheworld.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  9. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) | Association for Progressive Communications". www.apc.org. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  10. Boho, Meganne (2020-10-12). "Men 43% more likely than women to use in the internet in Uganda". African Media Agency. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  11. "Gender equality goes online; women call for equal internet access". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  12. "Internet Shutdowns: An Evaluation of Women's Online Expression and Participation in Uganda". Information Saves Lives | Internews. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  13. "Bridging the Digital Gender Gap in Uganda: An assessment of women's rights online based on the principles of the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms | African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms". africaninternetrights.org. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  14. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) | The Women's Rights Online Network". www.womenrightsonline.net. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  15. "WOUGNET ( Women of Uganda Network) | AUDA-NEPAD". www.nepad.org. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  16. "Uganda". Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  17. "Women of Uganda Network | GFAR". www.gfar.net. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  18. "Amuge, Peace Oliver | Internet Governance Forum". www.intgovforum.org. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  19. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) :". Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  20. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) – ICT4 Democracy". Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  21. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)". World Wide Web Foundation. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  22. "Women of Uganda Network (Wougnet)". Girls Not Brides. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  23. Sheehy, Chris. "The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) Joins GNI". Global Network Initiative. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  24. "WOUGNET". Digital Human Rights Lab. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  25. "UWONET Members". Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET). Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  26. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)". Take Back The Tech. 2007-11-26. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  27. "NOTICE FROM WOUGNET". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  28. "The Women of Uganda Network on the fight for gender equality and the issues facing women across Uganda". Missing Perspectives. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  29. "Our Members". WOUGNET. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  30. "Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) | WSA". Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  31. "Democracy Innovation Award goes to "Women of Uganda Network" - world-forum-democracy - www.coe.int". world-forum-democracy. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  32. "WSIS: Ugandan Women prepare". New Vision. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  33. Kiyonga, Derrick (2020-06-18). "Govt effort needed to improve women access to the internet". The Observer - Uganda. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
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