Isis-WICCE Launches New Rural Information Unit in Soroti

Isis-WICCE Launches New Rural Information Unit in Soroti

SOURCE: Wougnet mailing list, http://www.wougnet.org

A state of art Information Unit has been launched at Teso Women Peace
Activists' (TEWPA) new office in Soroti town in Eastern Uganda by Isis-Women
International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE), a non-governmental
organisation that has been operating in Uganda since 1993. The new Soroti
Information Unit is the fourth of the series of such units to be opened and
supported by Isis-WICCE in the country with the aims of building skills and
enabling the communicative mechanisms of women especially those in the rural
areas.

The first information units to be opened were those of the districts of
Luwero (1998) with Luweero Women Development Association, Iganga (1999) with
National for Social and Education Advancement and Mubende (1999) with
Buwekula Women's Development Association.

The Information Unit, which was launched by the Soroti district Resident
District Commissioner (RDC) Mr Musa Ecweru on 13th May 2005 comprises of a
computer set with its printer, a television set, a video deck, a mobile
telephone hand set, and a landline telephone system. As a result, TEWPA now
enjoys e-mail ([email protected]) and Internet connectivity using
the dial-up connectivity mechanism. The centre also has a collection of
books and other publications that could be used as reference material by the
local leaders and community.

In his remarks, the RDC Soroti was happy that the newly opened information
centre will not only help women and men in the community to learn and master
the knowledge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) but will
also promote computer literacy. He further underscored the role of ICTs in
educating and informing the women and the masses. "This is an important
facility in the centre of the Itesot community. If put to good use, women
and the local leaders will be easily mobilised and more informed about the
situation in their areas before interventions are undertaken. Local leaders
will use this unit for skills training so that they will never be accused of
being computer illiterate", he asserted.

Mr Ecweru who sits on the board of TEWPA noted that the information unit is
going to be a major asset of the organisation and especially in enhancing
its activities of collaborating with the local leadership in the
pacification processes of Karamojong and Teso regions. He said, "TEWPA which
has been collaborating with the local leadership in pacification efforts
will now do better with such a facility in linking mothers and the different
communities in this region. TEWPA should actively use this information unit
to champion other reconciliation efforts in homes, communities and the whole
region".

Mr Ecweru also commended women for their active participation that led to
the ending of the rebellion in the Teso region. He particularly noted that
even in recent peace initiatives, their involvement and participation has
always helped in the yielding of positive results. He particularly noted
that the women's involvement in the Internally Displacement Peoples Camps
(IDPs) has not only made the activity successful but also more transparent.

Mr Ecweru acknowledged that the new information unit puts Teso women at the
forefront of the ICT revolution in the region and urged them to use it
meaningfully. "This unit puts you ahead of others. It should therefore, help
you to get effectively involved in the mobilisation efforts of the
community", he emphasised. He called on all levels of leadership to take
gender mainstreaming seriously and especially enable women be part and
parcel of decision-making. He said that a mechanism of recognising women's
contribution in development should be allowed to evolve so that women can
confidently champion the activities and the economic interventions
necessarily for development of a peaceful culture in the region.

Speaking on the same occasion, the Director, Isis-WICCE Ms Ruth Ochieng
underlined the importance of women information unit in addressing the
communication gaps between women leaders and other women generally. "Rural
women information units can provide women leaders in rural areas with
communicative mechanisms that would not only enable them access relevant,
appropriate and timely information, but would be able to generate indigenous
knowledge that is vital in the empowerment agenda". She said that the
communication tools availed to TEWPA are all they require to get timely
information and react on it adequately.

She reported that the newly established information unit is to act as a
centre of women's learning, a centre for the interaction of women and girls
as well as create space for women to embrace the information society by
accessing appropriate technologies. Ms Ochieng also noted her organisation's
expectations from the unit; " Isis-WICCE's expectations are that this unit
becomes a communication hub that will bring change in Teso...women activists
will be more innovative in using these communication tools to inform,
strategise and demand for social, economic and political transformation,"
she emphasised.

Ms Ochieng said that the Soroti unit is composed of traditional and new
technologies that Isis-WICCE believes will support women leaders in the
region to generate knowledge that will boost their efforts to fight
HIV/AIDS, Poverty, Illiteracy and persistent conflicts

She stressed the importance of the right of women to communicate as an
important aspect in the fulfilment of national commitments like the
Millennium Development Goals as well as enable the women of Teso to act when
they are well informed. " ...We all rely on Knowledge as a resource for
empowerment and social change. This is what this unit is here to provide,"
she emphasised.

Ms Ochieng called for all necessary support to the unit so that it attains a
level of sustainability. " This unit will be the major link between the
local government and the women of Teso. You will intervene when you are well
informed...all other stakeholders should use this space to build women's
skills in entrepreneurship, health, positive cultures and leadership. But it
cannot sustain itself unless others in the private sector and the local
administration give it all necessary support", she noted.

She also underlined the importance of the information unit to women in
leadership positions; "this unit is Isis-WICCE's contribution to creating an
opportunity for women leaders in Teso Region to be part of the global
information society that has the ability to organise, adopt and change the
lives of women through knowledge generation and sharing".

She also appealed to the local government, the cultural institutions and the
private sector to support TEWPA, which she said is a visible launch pad of
women initiatives in the region. " Communication is key to this if you can
develop principles of strategic partnerships, that include clear vision,
transparency, sharing expertise and resources", she advised.

The co-ordinator of TEWPA Mrs Cecelia Engole reiterated the importance of
the information unit to the women of Teso region. She assured Isis-WICCE
that the unit will reach and benefit the rural women of Teso region in
receiving, collecting and disseminating information on issues of concern to
women in the rural areas like domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and human rights
abuses. She commended Isis-WICCE's empowerment efforts through putting in
place facilities like the information unit. " A development partner
assisting women to access information is certainly empowering women to solve
many of the problems they face", she asserted. Mrs Engole noted that this is
in line with TEWPA's objectives that emphasise that when a woman gets
informed, she can actively get involved and participate in development.

She appealed for more support to TEWPA noting that Isis-WICCE has only
provided basic equipment that are necessary for starting off an information
unit. She said that a lot more is needed to make the centre effective and
functional in empowering the rural women of Teso sub region to engage in
meaningful development.

Speaking about the importance of the information unit to women, Ms Margaret
Kakembo of Luweero Women Development Association where Isis-WICCE
established her first information unit in 1998 noted that the Luweero
information unit has since unit has since helped;
* Rural women target and get involved in income generating activities that
have improved the welfare of their families. She revealed that one woman in
their group now makes a popular herbal soap that has rapidly improved her
income.

* Women actively get involved in politics and have taken up important
leadership positions at the national and local levels of leadership.

* Women get courage to learn from each other by openly talking about their
experiences and deciding together on viable solutions.

* Women form drama groups that have enhanced their communication activities
at the local level.

She congratulated TEWPA on her achievement noting that the e-mail and
Internet facilities will empower the women in all knowledge aspects.