Women's human rights activists in Kenya have urged the government to take action against recent threats by a controversial sect to forcibly circumcise women in central Kenya. On Wednesday, Kenyan newspapers reported that some members of the Mungiki sect, had issued an ultimatum to women aged between 13 and 65 in the Kiambaa and Kikuyu divisions, both in central Kenya, who had not undergone the ethnic Kikuyu traditional operation to submit to it.

A Cape Town-based black empowerment group has bought a majority stake in one of the biggest printing companies on the African continent. Arise Communications, a black-and women-owned empowerment group, recently bought a 52% stake in Associated Printing valued at R80 million.

With the support of Global Fund For Women (GFW), NVIWODA Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Develoment has since 1998 to-date, been able to train 377 women entrepreneurs, who are now engaged in various enterprises. 0ur 12th programme is scheduled for 10th June - 28th June and 25 participants are expected to benefit from the programme.

Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) invites you to participate in an online conference on "Information Access for Rural Women". Information, communication and entertainment are as critical for rural living as they are for urban living, and indeed there is increasing demand for information and communication equipment and services in rural areas. However, major challenges exist in terms of available means of information access and dissemination as well as how to operate the audio-visual systems used in rural areas.
Conference and registration information is available in English and French.

The Horn of Africa Regional Conference on Women and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is to raise awareness on ICT amongst women in the Horn of Africa region and to explore opportunities for harnessing the technology to work as a tool for their development. The conference will provide an opportunity for participants to hear what is happening on the ground for the purposes of learning and replication. The conference is organised by the African Centre for Women, Information & Communications Technology (ACWICT), a non-governmental organisation in Kenya committed to promoting the use of ICTs amongst women in the African Region.

Women worldwide lag overwhelmingly behind men in the access to and use of ICTs. This newly developing gender gap is being argued to be a major source of gender inequality and one of the major obstacles to mainstreaming a gender perspective in development. To address the need for sharing of knowledge and learning about gender aspects of ICTs, INSTRAW is initiating a collaborative research programme and inviting the submission of Papers to be used as background information for the Virtual Workshops that will be held online through INSTRAWís Gender Awareness Information and Networking System (GAINS).

The latest version of a World Bank programme aimed at fostering economic growth and cutting poverty in developing countries is doomed unless efforts are made to end the Bank's "gender-blind" approach and instead look decisively at the needs of women, according to research from a British university.

Women from the North Rift want State protection accorded to girls threatened with female genital mutilation. They were contributing views to the the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission session in Eldoret.

KIT Gender is delighted to announce our website devoted to Gender and Governance. The website is part of an international programme on Gender, Citizenship and Governance (GCG) that KIT Gender is implementing together with 16 partner organisations from South Asia(Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and Southern Africa (Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

Gender, Technology and Development is a tri-annual, international, refereed
journal that provides a forum for exploring and examining the linkages
between gender relations, technology and development.We invite articles that are innovative and challenging, displaying
originality and accuracy, providing a significant contribution to the field
of gender, technology and development. Each issue of GTD carries four to
five well-researched academic articles, select book reviews, NGO profiles,
conference and workshop reports and news relating to the issues of gender,
technology and development.

The very recent Zimbabwe presidential elections saw an escalation of sexual and physical violence against women in many communities and in many ways in which violations against women are still a present day issue and many of the women live with them on a daily basis in the private enclosures of our homes and offices.

Gender Links, in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, will release a new resource tool kit for Southern African media trainers on mainstreaming gender in the media, "Gender in Media Training: A Southern African Tool Kit".

Seventeen girls who fled their homes to escape circumcision have gone to court to block the rite.

In an effort to achieve more women participation in politics, a non-governmental organisation, Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has called on Nigerian women to initiate a nationwide campaign for the inclusion of an affirmative action clause in the Nigerian constitution.

The Zimbabwe Women's Resource Centre and Network has embarked on a campaign to get the government to reduce the cost of products used by women every month.

As one of the priority areas entrusted to INSTRAW in the Outcome Document of Beijing+5, INSTRAW will be carrying out activities in this research program, which entails research into the gendered aspects of access and use of ICTs as well as its impact on women's empowerment.

Women who have undergone female genital mutilation in The Gambia have a higher prevalence of bacterial and viral infections, a recent study of 1348 women aged 15-54 years found.

Gender Links is pleased to announce the launch of its website, genderlinks.org.za. Please visit us and let them know your comments!

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) is now inviting applications for funding under the 2002 round of the AGVF.

In Zimbabwe, the life of gays and lesbians is an unhappy one. Families disown gay relatives, while some employers refuse to hire homosexuals. Homosexuality is not openly discussed in Zimbabwe, a largely conservative African country.