News & Views - March 31, 2001
The Electronic Community - Enhancing NGO Productivity and Capacity through Technology and Communication.
News & Views
The Electronic Community
March 31, 2001
EC News and Views is published monthly by the Electronic Community Project. For information on subscribing and unsubscribing see the bottom of this eZine
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http://www.ElectronicCommunity.org/News/mar_31_2001.htm
Electronic Community News
Respecting the Past . . . Building the Future
New Domain Names Coming for EC Members
Beginning June 1, 2001 EC members will have new domain names for their Website and the ability to have multiple email addresses with the electronic community domain name. This change respond to issues raised by NGO's in the assessment meetings held in November of 2000. Organizations Web addresses will be in the following format
www.NEST.electroniccommunity.org
If the address currently being used for your organization is NOT the name or initials that you would prefer, please contact us and let us know how you would like to see it.
Still not sure of what your current address is? Try this:
Go to the EC Website, right click on Members and choose "open in a new window" ; click on your organizations name on the NGO page and your Website will come up. The address at the top of that page is your Website address.
Electronic Community to Launch NGO Assessment Project.
During the last three years NGOs associated with the Electronic Community have made remarkable progress in developing the professionalism and computer skills of their organizations. However, despite this dramatic increase in their capacity, time and time again NGOs run into the same problem . . . an inability to attain funding from sources outside of their region. This problem is largely attributable to a lack of understanding on the part of funders about the professionalism, reliability and transparency and skill levels of NGOs. The Electronic Community is determined to use our work and our Website as a forum do something about this.
During the coming months we will be developing a set of protocols for assessing NGOs and making additions to the Website that will permit us to designate a section of the site for funders who wish to find out more about participating NGOs. In addition the Electronic Community will be running training and capacity building sessions in West African nations designed to help NGOs improve their assessment standing. We'll keep you updated on progress as it continues.
Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of Professor Akesode, Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University. Professor Akesode died suddenly last week. His comittment to making Lagos State University an "Agent of Change" in Nigeria will be missed greatly and his shoes will be very, very difficult to fill.
Nikon Research Corporation to Make Equipment Donation to the Electronic Community for African NGOs
Details are still sketchy as an inventory of equipment is still being conducted but Nikon Research Corporation of America has made an initial commitment to donate a significant number of computers to African NGO's through the Electronic Community Project.
Introducing the Fate Foundation
Fostering wealth creation, by promoting business and entrepreneurial development among Nigerian youth. In a very short span of time the Fate Foundation has established itself as an agent of economic change on the Nigerian scene. By offering specialized training running the gamut from marketing assistance to business basics the Fate Foundation is helping to create the economic infrastructure for growth in Nigeria
http://www.fatefoundation.org
With some new computers from the EC as well as other donations, FATE Foundation now operates a cybercafe at its offices in Ijora, Lagos, Nigeria. According to Fate, it's the latest, most affordable and fastest link in town. to find out more contact Fate Foundation
mailto: [email protected]
EC and FADU Form Strategic Alliance to Help NGOs throughout Africa.
The Farmers Agricultural Development Union and the EC have formed a strategic alliance to help NGOs. FADU will act as a consolidation center and distribution point for donated computers on behalf of the EC and the EC will be helping them to establish a community Cyber Center in Ibadan as well as helping them to expand the number of outlying offices that are computerized. Ade Adedoja, CEO of FADU is determined to make FADU not only a premier micro-lender in Nigeria but an organization that helps build IT capacity throughout Nigeria.
Peace Corps Nigeria Creates Peace Education Centre
Appeals for Support
News this week from Dr. Makanju O. Vincent that the Peace Corps Nigeria has established a Peace Education Center at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. They are appealing for support. For those with only email access to the Web, we have placed their appeal letter at the bottom of this email. If you would like to read about their appeal on the Web, click here
http://www.ElectronicCommunity.org/PeaceCorps
Direct Donations for Your NGO or Projects
The Electronic Community now accepts specific designations of donations of hardware, software and for member NGOs or their special projects. Need computers to increase your productivity? Need help with an environmental protection effort or to help make micro-loans available or distribute AIDs information? The application process is very simple. If your organization or project is accepted we'll add a "Donate to this Project" banner to your EC Website and/or the page describing a special project. Click here for more information.
http://www.electroniccommunity.org/Donate/apply.htm
If you haven't already established a Website for your NGO or University on the Electronic Community it's free. Click here or send us an email and we'll send you an application.
http://www.electroniccommunity.org/application.htm
Training
ONLINE COMPUTING DICTIONARY. An excellent reference resource of computer terminology
http://www.InstantWeb.com/D/dictionary/index.html
This month's quicktip
Sending a quick email from your Web browser: If you're in a hurry to create email while in your Netscape or IE browser, just enter in the location box (where you would normally enter a URL) "mailto:" (don't use the quotes), followed by the email address. If you have multiple addresses, separate each with a
Next month: Your Technology Team. Its not enough to have a technology person for your organization, you need a team of people that help define the needs of the organization in terms of its mission. Next month we'll give you details on how to make this happen.
Gleaned From the NGO Gateways & Emails
tres interressée également par la question de la participation, je cherche toutes infos concernant initiatives internationales dans ce sens.
dimitriadis magda
We are so thrilled - the OpUp web pages look so good - we never thought we could get on the 'Net - couldn't persuade ourselves to spend the money ... also had no idea what to create. I think you've done a great job. How has it been possible? Just wait 'till we show the Board ...Regards, Pat
Helpful Healthcare Resources
Dr. Koop.com: Medical resource second to none.
http://www.drkoop.com
Merck's Manual of Medical Information. The Merck Manual of Medical Information is now available as a free resource. The new version is complete with multimedia components such as videos, animations, color photos, links, and pronunciations of medical terms.http://www.MerckHomeEdition.com
Internship Opportunity
HORIZON Communications (www.yale.edu/horizon) is offering a number of international research internships as part of its Associate Program, to aid in the expansion of its Solutions Site (www.solutions-site.org)
Qualifications:
Strong scientific background and an informed interest in one or more of the following fields: environment, population, sustainable development, public health, cultural anthropology, or human ecology. Strong communication and research skills. Ability to work collaboratively and independently. Ability to communicate by e-mail and the Web.
Responsibilities:
The responsibilities are tailored to a persons particular talents and might entail: synthesizing existing research, doing further research, fact checking, abstracting, developing existing research into case studies, helping others prepare case studies, disseminating information about the Site and about particular solutions to meet specific needs, and helping initiate projects based on solutions in the Solutions Site. Interns based in international locations must have language fluency and understanding of of the local culture.
Stipends:
Possible stipends for interns working in international locations.
Contact:
Janine M. H. Selendy
Chairman and President
email (preferred mode of contact): [email protected]
or
Jo Yellis, Executive Director
HORIZON Communications
Yale University Department of Biology
P. O. Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103
Tel: 203-432-6266
Fax: 203-432-6161
email: [email protected]
Peace Education Centre Appeal
Dear Peace Promoter,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Peace Corps of Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria I hereby write to request for your support
for the Peace Education program of the Peace Corps, in Nigeria.
Hitherto, the Peace Corps has been in the forefront of the campaign
against ARMS IN WRONG HANDS in Nigeria in particular and in Africa in
general. As a way of entrenching ideals of peace in the subconscious minds
of our people, and as a way of stemming the rising tide of violence in our
locality especially among our youths in Nigeria particularly in the
University town of Ile-Ife in South Western Nigeria, the Board of Trustees
of the Peace Corps late last year approved of the establishment of a PEACE
EDUCATION CENTRE in Ile-Ife. The centre has since taken off.
I am using this medium to inform members of the international community
who are peace-loving of this development and give an open invitation to
any of the Peace Crusaders visiting Nigeria to inform us and endeavour to
visit the PEACE EDUCATION CENTRE in Ile-Ife before leaving the country. I
am also using this medium to solicit for possible assistance or suggestion
with regards to the Peace Education program of the Peace Corps in Nigeria.
While we have provided the centre with books on Peace, Disarmament and
related literatures (thanks to the Commonweal Collection of University of
Bradford) as well as various video tapes on evils of violence and wars, we
have also resulted to COMPUTER LITERACY program for the youths to enhance
their patronage of the centre.
In the past, as part of our contribution, particularly towards ensuring
lasting peace in the University town of Ife/Modakeke communities, the
Peace Corps with the assistance of the United States Government through
USIS in Lagos, was able to bring the students of the two communities (who
have been engaged in brutal communal war) together at the Ogunbajo Hall of
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife on 2nd of June, 1998 for counselling
and peace education. Also, in May 1999, on the invitation of the Peace
Corps, the Surplus Weapons Director of Bonn International Conversion
Center (BICC), Dr. Sami Faltas visited the war-torn area and spoke with
the leadership of the two communities on the Guns for Food program of the
Peace Corps and the need for the two sides to disarm.
A comprehensive and pictorial evidences of the calamities of violence by
the people (particularly in the University town of Ile-Ife) as well as
other activities of the Peace Corps have been produced, in pamphlet form,
since we could not send copies to everybody because of financial
constraint, it will however be my pleasure to send to members of this
network on request. Please, furnish us with your postal address if you
need a copy or copies.
Other activities of the Centre include:
i. Periodic PEACE COUNSELLING WORKSHOP for youth representatives in
various regions in Nigeria.
ii. TEACHERS FOR PEACE PROJECT: The long stay of the military in the
political leadership in Nigeria has impaired the reasoning of our people,
particularly the youths. The military leadership during their reign,
promoted high-handedness, human right violation, illegal acquisition of
small arms among the civil populace, violent agitation, communal feud,
etc. In order to reverse this trend, as it may be difficult to teach an
old dog a new trick, Peace Ideals are better entrenched in the
subconscious minds of our youths who are expected to lead the nation in
future. Consequently, the Peace Education Centre plans to hold a one-week
Peace Education program for one representative of the teachers in each of
the Secondary Schools in the 36 states of Nigeria. It is certainly a
herculean task, the over 700 Local Government Areas will be zoned
appropriately so as to be able to complete the assignment within 9 months.
We are currently negotiating with various State Governments,
philanthropies and private agencies in Nigeria for the sponsorship of this
initiative. The teachers (beneficiaries) will be issued a CERTIFICATE in
PEACE EDUCATION and are expected to co-ordinate the CATCH THEM YOUNG FOR
PEACE program in their various schools among other engagements.
I AM USING THIS MEDIUM TO SOLICIT FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE PEACE EDUCATION
CENTRE AND BETTER STILL, REQUEST YOU TO INFORM US ON HOW WE CAN GET
ASSISTANCE TOWARD EQUIPPING THE CENTRE WITH COMPUTERS FOR THE USE OF THE
YOUTHS, WHICH WILL BE THE MAIN BAIT FOR BRINGING THE YOUTHS TO THE CENTRE.
IN CASE YOU WANT TO DISPOSE OFF YOUR OLD COMPUTER SYSTEM OR YOU ARE AWARE
OF COMPANIES/ESTABLISHMENT THAT COULD BE OF ASSISTANCE, PLEASE, DO NOT
HESITATE TO INFORM US!
Once again, on behalf of members of Board of Trustees of the Peace Corps
in Nigeria I say thank you for you anticipated assistance.
Yours in peace,
Dr. Makanju O. Vincent.
*****************************************
DR. MAKANJU O. VINCENT
CO-CHAIR, PUBLICITY WORKING GROUP
GLOBAL ACTION TO PREVENT WAR &
DIRECTOR
PEACE CORPS
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY
ILE-IFE, NIGERIA
TEL.: 234-36-230662, 234-36-231733
FAX: 234-36-231733
E-MAIL: [email protected]
*****************************************
THE PEACE CORPS IS AN AFFILIATE OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUREAU (IPB) AND
MEMBER ORGANISATION OF GLOBAL ACTION TO PREVENT WAR (GAP) AND INTERNATIONAL
ACTION NETWORK ON SMALL ARMS (IANSA)
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