--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- *APCNews, the monthly newsletter of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)* - October 2002 No. 28 - --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS -- -- NEWS FROM APC -- -- APC ACTION AREA: BUILDING INFO COMMUNITIES -- -- APC ACTION AREA: INTERNET RIGHTS -- -- APC ACTION AREA: MOBILISING PARTICIPATION -- -- WOMEN & ICTs -- -- ONLINE TOOLS -- -- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES - -- IMPORTANT DATES -- -- SITES OF INTEREST -- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERS – TAU, Argentina: Non-profits and solidarity groups under pressure in Argentina's second city create an alternative information exchange "In our city, the newspapers, the radio stations and the local TV channels are all in the hands of the business sector and they make sure that the coverage reflects their own interests. We hope that "Enredando" will join the other alternative media that are emerging to provide a space for information that is generated by the people who never get to appear in the pages of the local newspapers or on the evening news," say the directors of TAU, the APC member that recently launched an alternative information portal for civil society groups fighting poverty and corruption in Rosario, Argentina's former industrial heartland. "Endredando" – which means "I'm part of a network" as well as "weaving a web" - was launched at an event attended by more than 150 people. A video which had been produced by a local film-maker to illustrate the spirit of the portal – a trusted, participative partner for civil society groups. "We were really thrilled at the number of people that came to us to get involved in the portal, who want to show what it's like working day by day in a non-governmental organisation in Rosario," said director, Danilo Lujambio. It's not an easy vocation at the moment. The current economic and social crisis in Argentina, which has left over half the population in a state of desperate poverty, has made social justice workers' work more difficult and has transformed them once again into a target for threats and attacks by anti-progressive forces. During the national upheaval at the end of 2001, at least two of the citizens shot by police were social service workers, and in August this year, a wheel-chair bound human rights activist Susana Abalo was savagely beaten by armed intruders who were apparently acting under police or political orders. All of these incidents took place in Rosario. To promote and support non-profit and social work in Rosario, the site has four separate resource areas – economic solidarity, gender, networks and non-profits, and networking and new technologies. The first three areas are all generated and edited by local organisations working in those areas. TAU believes that it is essential that "Enredando" be a place that is built from the bottom up, where the audience is also the authors of the information and the experiences. TAU: http://www.tau.org.ar Enredando: http://www.enredando.org.ar/. Enredando runs on APC ActionApps: http://www.apc.org/actionapps To find out more about the Susana Abalo case write to: goaros@tau.org.ar RITS, Brazil: Small organisations from Brazil's impoverished North-East will get a computer and training in how to use it to strengthen their impact In August, APC member in Brazil, RITS, together with IBM and the Inter- American Foundation launched a campaign to find forty small organizations in the poorest region of Brazil to each receive a free computer and training on how to use it to better achieve their mission. Aηγo Digital Nordeste – North-East Digital Action– has already caused a stir in the Brazilian non-profit community. Promotion is happening through RITS' own online magazine for civil society – Rets, with a readership of more than 17,000 - and also through a number of partners in the Northeast region, who have committed to distributing application forms across their regional networks. The first applications are already coming in! The successful applicants will be selected according to a certain profile. RITS and the other members of the selection committee, which includes Oxfam, ABONG Nord Este and others are looking for small organisations, with no current access to technological tools or to the web, who are able to nominate at least one representative to be trained. "We'll also be considering the projects developed by each of the NGOs," says RITS coordinator, Graciela Seleiman Baroni, "as well as the history of their activities and the impact they are making in their communities". RITS, a Rio-based non-profit which specialises in providing technology solutions to civil society organisations, will also subsidise the costs of an Internet connection and provide training so that the groups will be able to improve their content production and produce an organisational website. The training will not only be about how to use the equipment but also focus on how computers and the Internet can be used to strengthen organisations. The forty NGOs selected will be named on November 10, 2002. RITS: http://www.rits.org.br INTERCOM, Ecuador: Networking marginal neighbourhoods in North-East Quito gets underway After one year of hard work, the Federation of North-East Quito Neighbourhoods (Federaciσn de Barrios Populares del Noroccidente de Quito) together with APC's Quito-based member, INTERCOM, have finished equipping the Federation's first ever telecentre. The telecentre is based physically inside the Federation's headquarters, located in a marginal neighbourhood in the deprived area of NE Quito, and will form the central node of an electronic inter-neighbourhood network which will extend to another four neighbourhoods. The telecentre has nine computers, seven of them running entirely free software (Linux), and is run by fifteen "promoters", between the ages of 16 and 28. The promoters all come from the surrounding district and many of them have found it difficult to find jobs in the depressed national economy. One of the goals of the telecentre is to improve the perception of young people in the neighbourhood by providing them with skills and a community leadership role. An unexpected boon came in June when the project was one of six selected from 173 Ecuadorian initiatives supporting intercultural activities to receive a small grant from the World Bank. With the grant, the Federation was able to buy a digital camera, a television, a video recorder, a scanner and two computers more than they had initially planned for. The plan is to use this equipment to organise dialogue spaces such as videoconferences. Over the last few months, the promoters have been taking courses on computing, to be able to help telecentre users, and from October, they'll be receiving instruction on running small businesses and the strategic use of information and communication technologies, and web design – the first step to building an interactive website for the centre. The Federation: http://www.fbpnq.org.ec More about the project: http://www.infodesarrollo.org/proyectos.html?x=1121 [in Spanish] Wamani, Argentina: APC member in Argentina – Wamani - provides technology for new Argentinian Amnesty International site Amnesty International in Argentina has launched a new website. After two years of development, and in collaboration with APC member, Wamani, members of AI Argentina are able to join the other thousands of human rights activists who work together online to put the heat on human rights violators through a special system of "Urgent Actions" and "Campaigns". The AI Argentina site doesn't just focus on AI's work, but also has an 'education' section and promotes the actions of other human rights defenders. It includes a forum section – a completely open channel where site visitors can send ideas, recommendations and opinions on the work of AI and the issue of human rights in general – and the news section has links to the most important human rights-related news stories published online in Argentina. Subscribers can also get full access to information services and newsletters. Wamani and AI Argentina hope that this innovative site will be the prototype for other human rights sites in Latin America. Amnesty International Argentina: http://www.amnesty.org.ar Amnesty International Argentina runs on APC ActionApps: http://www.apc.org/actionapps Wamani: http://www.wamani.apc.org Chasque/IteM: Non-profit Internet service provider in Uruguay holds record in providing uninterrupted connection to the Internet On September 13 2002, the Uruguayan Internet service provider Chasque (communications branch of the Third World Institute, APC member in Uruguay) moved into second place amongst the servers that provide uninterrupted connections to the Internet, according to NetCraft, Internet specialists in hosting evaluation. Chasque's servers had provided 227 days of uninterrupted service. Chasque coordinator Ernesto Rapetti, explained that the ranking is the result of the reliability of the open source systems Unix-Linux used by Chasque, their policy of resolving problems without restarting servers (so as not to interrupt service) and "a bit of luck". The NetCraft ranking: http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/today/isp.avg.html (Chasque appears listed as ANTEL) ITeM/Chasque: http://www.chasque.apc.org c2o, Australia: Web Origami Kit (WOK) – software that creates websites for non-government and cultural organizations – goes under the evaluation microscope From 16 - 19 September, an Asia regional Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) Workshop was held in Manila, Philippines. Australian APC member, c2o, will be using GEM to evaluate their Web Origami Kit (WOK) initiative, and c2o/Toy Satellite Director, Andrew Garton, was attended the workshop to find out more about the APC Women's Programme's GEM. WOK is a web publishing engine for non-government and cultural organisations which simplifies online content management strategies and online collaborative workflows. Through GEM, c2o hopes to be able to develop and promote WOK, taking into account gender considerations in usability and access to the application. WOK targets ICT training programmes as well as rural and regional organisations applying the software for their needs. In addition to this workshop Andrew met with various organisations interested in WOK applications, as well as artists' groups and organisations both in Manila and Baguio. GEM is an Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme initiative. c2o: http://www.c2o.org WOK: http://wok.c2o.org/ GEM: http://www.apcwomen.org/gem/ --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- NEWS FROM APC - APC Africa Hafkin Prize 2002: Announcing the APC Africa Hafkin Prize finalists in 2002! In 2002, the Hafkin Prize recognises People-Centred Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy in Africa. The six policy initiatives that have reached the final shortlist are from Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Our jury is currently reviewing the finalists. The winner(s) will be announced at a technology policy and civil society workshop organized by APC, ARTICLE 19 and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between November 6-10 2002. Find out who the finalists are: http://www.apc.org/english/hafkin/2002_finalists.shtml New APC Member: Arid Lands Information Network (East Africa), Kenya APC is delighted to welcome our newest member, East African network, ALIN. ALIN is based in Kenya and formed in March 2000 to improve the practices of grassroots development workers in the dry lands of Africa by facilitating the exchange of experience among them, and disseminating appropriate information in a usable form. ALIN provides e-mail, Internet and digital satellite broadcasting in collaboration with the WorldSpace Foundation. This innovative technology – which allows users out in remote areas to receive information from the Internet from a small radio which receives signals from a satellite - was demonstrated at the APC Building Information Communities workshop in February 2002 in Johannesburg. ALIN: http://www.alin.or.ke APC Africa Hafkin Prize 2001: News from last year's winner – the Bayanloco Computer Learning Centre in rural Nigeria "It was our honour to be awarded the first Hafkin Africa Prize, and it is no exaggeration to say that the prize has taken us to heights we never dreamt of. With Professor Nancy Hafkin's kind permission, we set aside part of the award to provide scholarships for women for IT training at the Bayanloco Community Learning Centre. We have also been able to purchase a fixed antenna for satellite telephone – the only one in the rural communities where we work. One of the challenges of the prize was the need for an impact assessment of our ICT services so far. And the preliminary results taught us some quick lessons such as: women in rural communities are too busy to engage in learning ICT skills just for the sake of it. It has to meet their immediate needs (such as providing information and assisting healthcare), it has to be accessible in their local language, and ICTs that builds on existing skills are more relevant. These lessons have led us to explore the use of ICTs that have a strong audio-visual content and that build on the strong oral tradition of the communities, such as community theatres, and radio and video production. We are now training some of the women who attend the centre in the use of video cameras so that they can eventually take a micro-credit loan to purchase their own cameras and use them for commercial purposes such as coverage of weddings, funerals, etc. These camera women will also be engaged in helping to record the indigenous knowledge of their communities and such information will be in the custody of the recognised community leaders for posterity. We are also working on a project that will use the popular participatory FM phone-in radio program to raise awareness of ICT among youths. We have found that by meeting the challenges of the Hafkin Prize, our ICT services have become more complementary to our existing micro- finance programs, and the recognition the prize has brought us continues to be an inspiration for us to aim at greater heights." – Mrs Yinka Talabi, ICT Program Manager, Bayanloco, Kafanchan, Nigeria. Read out more about last year's prize winner and the finalists: http://www.apc.org/english/hafkin/2001/haf_finalists.shtml This prize is funded by APC and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- APC ACTION AREA: BUILDING INFO COMMUNITIES – New Study from APC: 'Understanding Civil Society Portals: Online Content and Community Models for the CSO Sector' Based on findings from five in-depth case studies and quick reviews of dozens of sites, this study - conducted by Mark Surman of the Commons Group on behalf of APC - provides an overview of civil society portal approaches and practical tips for portal builders. It outlines common strategies and challenges that have emerged from recent civil society organisation (CSO) portal projects, including APC members Chasque, ChangeNet, and Women'sNet (SANGONeT). It also offers a set of basic planning tools that will help organisations in the process of building or upgrading their sites. Download the report from the ItrainOnline "Strategic Use" section: http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/english/strategic.shtml --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- APC ACTION AREA: INTERNET RIGHTS – Internet Rights in Africa: African ICT Policy and Civil Society workshop in November The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), ARTICLE 19 and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) will be holding a five-day information and communications technology (ICT) policy and civil society workshop from November 6th to 10th, 2002 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Civil society groups have been at the forefront in advancing ICT applications in various sectors, however the purpose of this workshop is to build knowledge and expertise of civil society organizations to engage ICT policy processes in Africa. "Few civil society organizations are aware of the policy developments taking place at the global, regional and national levels that can impact on their ability and potential to use ICTs as a tool in their work, let alone own or control the production and application of these technologies locally," says Emmanuel Njenga Njuguna, APC's Africa project coordinator. "This workshop will help build people's awareness and capacity to understand ICT policy concepts, issues, and how these impact on their work and their communities." Africa ICT Policy Workshop: http://www.apc.org/english/press/archive/apc_p022.shtml Internet Rights in Africa: About APC's policy work in Africa The Africa ICT Policy monitor website, launched in May 2002, is a user- friendly resource which aims at demystifying the concepts of ICT policy- making. APC hopes that the Website content will stimulate discussion between users from around the continent about the use and relevance of ICTs for development in Africa, and facilitate the development of a network of civil society organisations promoting African Internet rights issues. Africa ICT Policy Website: http://africa.rights.apc.org Internet Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean: Internet policy newsletter focuses on women's use of the Internet APC's Internet Policy monitor initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean is now producing a newsletter on "Internet Rights and Policy". The newsletter includes analysis, commentary and news related to the promotion and defence of the Internet as a tool for strategic information exchange and communication in the region, as well as information about materials recently added to the policy monitor website - all focused to be of use to civil society organisations, human rights activists, journalists and others. This month's issue covered the strategic role ICTs can play in helping women participate in the public debate, and in defending and advancing women's rights. The newsletter looks at the work of several organisations and groups working in the area of gender and ICTs, and guest writers from Colombia and Brazil describe and analyse the challenges of getting online, and taking advantage of how working online can help them in their work. The design and implementation of technology projects and initiatives, and the development of public policies which take into account women's access to and use of technology for their advancement are also discussed. To receive the newsletter, visit: http://lists.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/derechos.lac.boletin or write to valeriab@apc.org. The newsletter is produced in Spanish. Latin America and the Caribbean ICT Policy Monitor: http://lac.derechos.apc.org [Spanish] About the monitor in English: http://rights.apc.org/lac.shtml APC's Policy and Women's programmes at the Global Communities Networking Partnership Congress (GCNP) Over 350 community networkers, activists and academics attended the third GCNP Congress in Montreal, Canada, Oct 7-14th. The agenda dealt with issues ranging from the future of community networking to the promotion of online cultural diversity and pluralism to building citizenship in the 'Information Society'. APC co-coordinated the Internet Rights Theme with the GCNP organisers. The Internet Rights theme events were all well attended, with staff from APC's Communications & Information Policy Programme and Women's Programme and APC members presenting in over 10 plenaries, workshops and training sessions. The GCNP congress finished with a half-day session focussing on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, where APC's plans for supporting Civil Society organising and strategising around WSIS were well received by conference delegates. GCNP: http://www.globalcn.org/conf/index.html APC's Communications & Information Policy Programme work can be seen on our Internet Rights sites. Start at: http://rights.apc.org and then take a look at regional work. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- APC ACTION AREA: MOBILISING PARTICIPATION – How to use the Internet better: Capacity building and training materials in French and for women The ItrainOnline sites in English, French and Spanish offer resources for trainers and end users on basic computer and Internet skills, using the Internet strategically, web development, multimedia (including community radio and telecentres) and advanced technical skills. Now a French ItrainOnline site has been developed by the SYNFEV team of APC member in Senegal, ENDA Tiers Monde. The French site draws on information published on ENDA's famafrique site, an online space providing information and resources on sustainable development for French-speaking African women. ItrainOnline in French: http://www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/french/ A Women's Online Resource Centre (WORC) has been developed for APC by South African APC-Africa-Women members, Women'sNet. The WORC is a clearinghouse of gender-aware ICT training materials , as well as more general materials on development, targeted at both trainers and end-users. The WORC is a project of the Women's Networking Support Program, and a content partner of ItrainOnline. A Women's Online Resource Centre: http://www.apc.org/worc/ New directory: Services by APC Members to the social justice and development community APC members provide numerous services to the development and social justice community – from hosting and designing database-backed websites, to running portal websites, to training human rights organizations in how to use the Internet strategically and securely. Visit this new section and click on one of the regions to see a directory of services offered in that region. APC member service directory: http://www.apc.org/english/about/members/services-map.shtml APC ActionApps: User manuals in English and Spanish updated As part of our effort to build capacity, in 2001, APC released a free collaborative Web publishing software for not-for-profits. The APC ActionApps were developed to offer a low cost solution for content sharing that both increases the functionality of not-for-profit and NGO Websites and facilitates the creation of portals sites, improving the visibility of civil society information. APC ActionApps is an online content management system which allows authorised users to easily update the content of a website using just a web browser like Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. It's easy to add, remove, or update information from a website anytime, from anywhere, with no HTML skills needed. The software is being developed all the time as part of a free software/open source initiative by dedicated progressive technicians all over the world. There is a manual to accompany the software that is maintained in English and Spanish by APC. A revised manual was released in English in April, and has recently been updated and translated into Spanish. Manual in English (version 1.3, Apps V.2.0): http://www.apc.org/actionapps/english/manual/download.html Manual in Spanish (version 1.4, Apps V.2.2): http://www.apc.org/actionapps/espanol/manual/apc_actionapps_manual 2_espanol.zip More about the APC ActionApps: http://www.apc.org/actionapps/ --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- WOMEN & ICTs – APC WNSP: APC Women at the Ninth International Forum from the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) With some 1,300 participants attending from 105 countries around the globe, the Forum which was held in Guadalajara, Mexico from October 3-6 2002 focused on one of the most urgent issues facing gender equality work: How can we reinvent globalisation to further the rights of all women? APC's Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP) held three workshops on the Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) which is currently being tested by groups working with technology for social justice around the world. Two workshops were held in English and one in Spanish. Other presentations included a panel on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), a women's networking workshop facilitated by WNSP members from Mexico and South Africa, and participation in a panel looking at strategies to resist dominant communication industry trends. As usual, the WSNP also pitched in to help run the onsite cyber cafe. AWID: http://www.awid.org/ APC WNSP: http://www.apcwomen.org/ GEM: http://www.apcwomen.org/gem/ APC-Africa-Women: At the Kampala Know How Conference 2002 The fifth conference of specialists in the generation, collection and dissemination of information relevant to women - the Know How Conference 2002 - held recently in Kampala, Uganda was a significant event for African women's information and media initiatives, women activists and ICT champions. "The opening day was rich in dance, celebration, creativity and African energy. Participants were privileged to hear stories told by Ugandan women survivors of war and abuse," said APC-Africa-Women coordinator, Jenny Radloff. "Privileged because as women working with women's information, we are often too focused on the processes, systems and conduits of information rather than the people who are directly affected by the policies we fight to change." The first day set the scene for a conference that was rooted in reality and dialogue, sharing and skills exchange. Eleven APC-Africa-Women members were funded to participate and contributed to the conference through workshops, panel presentations, demonstrations and plenary discussions. Highlights included an APC ActionApps demonstration (a free software developed by APC to support civil society information community building), a report on an online conference on rural women and information access and a presentation on the relevance and priorities of ICTs for women in rural communities. The African caucus, facilitated by APC-Africa-Women, highlighted the need to focus on bridging divides between rural and urban women and re-emphasised the need to ensure the convergence of old and new technologies. Using technologies for gender justice and social transformation, particularly in areas of conflict and violence against women as well as challenging governments to include gender perspectives in all policies affecting women's access to ICTs was reiterated in both the African caucus and the conference outcomes document. From the women-managed telecentre at Nakaseke to the creative ICT- based presentations in the Cyber Cafι – the conference was a great success. It contributed another solid layer to build on for the next KnowHow conferences to be held in 2006. Isis-WICCE, the host institution, provided a warmth and generosity that contributed to making delegates feel welcome and at home. KnowHow took place from July 23-27,2002 and was organised by Isis- WICCE (Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange). Read the Kampala KnowHow declaration: http://www.isiswomen.org/onsite/kampaladeclaration.htm The Internet: Working for Women in Africa "The bottom line is that women don't have the same access to ICTs that men have. The creation, use and distribution of ICTs are still largely in the hands of men. This stems from a range of unequal practices, starting with education where girls are often not encouraged to study sciences and technology therefore starting off on an unequal footing. New ICT tools are becoming *the* way in which the world is sharing information, therefore it is crucial for women to have access to ICTs. But it isn't just about access. The *effective* use of these tools is essential and we must find out how to use ICTs in creative and sustainable ways, such as assisting women in networking, sharing information, and generate income." –- Jenny Radloff. The APC interviewed APC-Africa-Women Project Coordinator, Jenny Radloff, to find out more about the African regional "chapter" of the APC Women's Networking Support Programme (WNSP). http://africa.rights.apc.org/news-content.shtml?x=6625 Member of APC-Africa-Women, Women'sNet, have a slot on a women's radio programme in South Africa called "Women Today". Women'sNet speak for ten minutes every Wednesday on issues of women and ICTs on SAFM between 11.30am and 12.00. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- ONLINE TOOLS – Genie: Donor-focused Gender Information Exchange Website 75 new experts joined the Genie database – a donor-focused gender information exchange site - in September. An increasing number of donor agencies (e.g., CIDA) and international non-profits (e.g., Christian AID) are advertising their job vacancies through the database, which is produced by APC member in the UK, BRIDGE. New areas of expertise added to the database include gender and: social funds, rural livelihoods, organisational reform, and governance. New Genie consultants are from countries such as Eritrea, Croatia, Pakistan, Senegal, France, Cameroon, Australia, the US and the UK. To search the Genie database: http://www.genie.ids.ac.uk/experts_search.htm Web browsers and free office software suite available in major South African languages South Africa has eleven official languages, yet most computer software is only available in English and is poorly supported in Afrikaans. Until recently the other nine languages had no translation. Translate.org.za is coordinating, initiating, sustaining and focusing the efforts of South African translation teams to give all citizens of South Africa access to computers in their mother tongue, firstly with tools for email and web- browsing, then office productivity tools and lastly with a completely translated desktop. Software has currently been translated into Xhosa, Zulu, Venda, Northern Sotho, Siswati and Tswana. "In South Africa many languages have been marginalised through the history of apartheid which has led to a lack of language pride," says director, Dwayne Bailey. "Seeing Linux users working in German and French environments made me realise that this could do the same for South African languages. I hope that simply allowing people to use the computer in their mother tongue will stimulate pride in their language ... plus the fact that learning something in your mother tongue is naturally easier." "Translation does not remove all barriers to computer access", says Bailey, "but it helps to eliminate one. This together with low cost computers, open source software and low cost Internet access will go a long way to making a dramatic IT impact on South Africans, especially the disadvantaged." Opensource Software Translation Project: http://www.translate.org.za --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- COLLABORATING OPPORTUNITIES – RITS, Brazil: Seeking financial support for the World Social Forum 2003 online communications infrastructure For the month before the Second World Social Forum in Brazil in January 2002 and the four months after, the WSF website was receiving up to half a million page views per day (that means that visitors requested to see 500,000 web pages from the site each day)! This used up a huge amount of bandwidth which cost RITS over $1,000 USD per month! APC member in Brazil, RITS, provides the WSF with its Internet communications structure – the websites, hosting, email and online forums for event organization. Carlos Afonso, the technical director, has estimated that this year approximately $10-12,000 is needed to provide and maintain the necessary communications, including the purchase and maintenance of a new back-up server. During the last Forum the server hosting the WSF website had its capacity stretched to the absolute limit. "At the height of the Forum, half a million hits were tallied in a single day," says Carlos Afonso. "Let me tell you, there were times when I was literally chewing my nails! We were leaning over the equipment, praying the servers wouldn't crash under the load." If any agency or individual is willing to provide financial support for this effort, please contact Carlos at ca@rits.org.br Find out more about RITS' work in an article from IDRC, "A Robin Hood for the Digital Age": http://www.idrc.ca/reports/read_article_english.cfm?article_num=1066 Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia: New media awards programme encourages solid reporting on the development impact of ICTs A media awards programme has been launched to promote and encourage more informed and consistent reporting and analysis of the information society and issues related to the development potential and impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The AISI Media Awards Programme is named after the African Information Society Initiative, a framework, launched by the Economic Commission for Africa six years ago to help develop national information and communication infrastructure plans and to engender an information society in African countries. The deadline for applications is 28 February 2003. Detailed information on the awards, including instructions on how to submit entries: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm The Graphic Alliance, International: Seeking progressive designers A loose alliance of graphic, web and other designers committed to social change has just started. The purpose of this alliance is to unite progressive designers, graphics archivers and printers for networking and collaboration purposes, as well as making socially-conscious designers and design more accessible to the public. Support for this project has already begun to grow. Coordination is currently in English only, but the group welcomes the establishment of parallel groups working in different languages. The Graphic Alliance: http://www.justicedesign.com/graphicalliance.html or write to Jason Justice jasonjustice4all@earthlink.net. Spanish speakers, please contact espanol@ravenseye.biz --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- IMPORTANT DATES – ICT Policy and Civil Society in Africa Workshop (APC, Article 19, UNECA) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia November 6-10, 2002 The workshop, which will bring together approximately seventy representatives from civil society organizations from all regions of Africa, is particularly timely, closely following a month-long discussion on the African Information Society Initiative forum on the role of civil society in promoting the use of ICTs to strengthen and stimulate participatory approaches to policy issues especially governance in Africa. The forum discussions will provide the basis for a strong African civil society input to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003. Africa ICT Policy Workshop: http://www.apc.org/english/press/archive/apc_p022.shtml The Role of NGOs in the Health of Communities: Creative Partnerships February 26 - March 5 2003 Salzburg, Austria http://www.salzburgseminar.org. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- -- SITES OF INTEREST – New site for the World Social Forum The new World Social Forum web site is completely reformulated graphically and editorially. Browse at your leisure and send your comments to Patricia Giuffrida at fsm2003site@uol.com.br. Registration for delegates and workshops at WSF 2003 is also open and the forms are available on the new web site. World Social Forum: http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- APCNews, in English, and APCNoticias, in Spanish, are distributed monthly by APC, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the international Internet community for peace, human rights, development and the environment. APCNews Archive: http://www.apc.org/english/news/apcnews/ CopyLeft. 2002 Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Permission is granted to use this document for personal use, for training and educational publications, and activities by peace, environmental, human rights or development organizations. Please provide an acknowledgment to APC.