EQUIDAD DE GÉNERO

EQUIDAD DE GÉNERO
IGUALDAD Y EQUIDAD EN DERECHOS HUMANOS

Cinderella o Ciberella - Empowering Women in the knowlodge society

Development Gateway Foundation
dgCommunities: Gender and Development
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender?intcmp=911
October 10, 2006

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1.   NEW! HIGHLIGHT: "Cinderella or Cyberella?" Empowering Women in
the Knowledge Society
2.   RESOURCES
3.   dgCommunities Member Survey, Fall 2006
4.   NEW dgSURVEY FOR SPECIAL REPORT ABOUT YOUTH
5.   NEw DISCUSSION FORUM - Education, Training and Skill Development
are Critical to ICT Interventions.
6.   OF INTEREST - Global Information Technology Report 2006
7.   MEMBER DIRECTORY: Update Your Profile for Networking &
Collaboration
8.   DISTRIBUTE YOUR CONTENT
9.   VIRTUAL CONSULTATION FOR INTER-AMERICAN MINISTERIAL MEETING ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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1. NEW HIGHLIGHT: "Cinderella or Cyberella?" Empowering Women in the
Knowledge Society
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(This collection of essays has been collected and edited by Nancy
J.Hafkin and Sophia Huyer, and published by the Kumarian Press, June 2006).

Cinderella or Cyberella: what is the future for women in the knowledge
society? Cyberella is fluent in the uses of technology, comfortable
using and designing computer technology, and working in virtual spaces.
Cinderella works in the basement of the knowledge society with little
opportunity to reap its benefits. Cyberellas in countries around the world
are using ICTs in creative ways to improve their lives: Women mobile
phone operators in Bangladesh help other women get information on
registering their land, opening a business, or obtaining a tax certificate.
Poor women in Guatemala are learning to repair computers and set up their
own ICT-enabled businesses. Teenage girls in Mauritania are using ICTs
to information information about sexuality and HIV/AIDS that their
society will not discuss. All of these women are Cyberellas who are finding
and using information and technologies that were previously
inaccessible to them.

As the world is spinning in an orbit increasingly shared by knowledge
and technology, women to benefit from it equally and participate in it
actively from positions of independence, choice, capabilities, and
action. This book looks at how ICTs can be important tools for gender
equality and women's empowerment in both society and work, particularly for
poor women in developing countries. The focus is not on technology but
rather on women's empowerment in the context of a gendered world and how
ICTs can make the most effective contributions to it. The book looks at
women's social and economic empowerment as supported by ICTs and based
in gender and development theory. To arrive at full empowerment in the
knowledge society, Cinderella needs to become Cyberella. Each essay in
the collection depicts ways in ICTs provide opportunities for women to
improve their incomes, gain awareness of their rights, and improve
their own and their families' well-being. Illustrative case studies from
Africa, Asia and Latin America, show the global possibilities for women's
empowerment through ICTs.

Nancy Hafkin and Sophia Huyer, the editors of "Cinderella or
Cyberella?" Have collected essays in the collection which depict ways in ICTs
provide opportunities for women to improve their incomes, gain awareness
of their rights, and improve their own and their families' well-being.
Illustrative case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America, show the
global possibilities for women's empowerment through ICTs.

Nancy J. Hafkin is an Advisor with the Gender and Development
dgCommunity. Her profile in brief - she has worked on issues of gender and
information technology and development for over thirty years, been Chief of
Research and Publications at the African Training and Research Centre
for Women of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and
headed the Pan African Development Information System and served as team
leader for promoting information technology for African development. In
2000 the Association for Progressive Communications established an annual
Nancy Hafkin Communications Prize competition, with the first prize
allocated to women-led initiatives. She has a Ph.D. in African history
from Boston University.

Sophia Huyer is Executive Director of Women in Global Science and
Technology and Senior Research Advisor with the Gender Advisory Board of the
United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
She is a Fellow of the World Technology Network and a finalist for the
World Technology Network Award in 2002. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental
Studies and International Development from York University.

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2. RESOURCES
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- Resources from Women in Global Science and Technology (WIGSAT)

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do?itemId=1046672&intcmp=911

- Internet and ICT for Social Justice and Development - Women's Hub

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1075878?intcmp=911

- Internet and ICT for Social Justice and Development - Grace Project

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1075870?intcmp=911

- Cinderella or Cyberella? By Nancy Hafkin and Sophia Huyer ( Kumarian
Press, June 2006)

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/ItemDetail.do~1075862?intcmp=911

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3. dgCommunities Member Survey, Fall 2006
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You're invited to participate in our first survey of the entire
dgCommunities membership! Our aim is to obtain invaluable feedback from the
community as a whole. You are part of a worldwide practitioner community
that is well over 36,000 strong - won't you add your voice by taking
just a few minutes to complete our multiple choice survey questions at
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=458122624514)? We know there is
much more we can do to provide a platform that facilitates your work and
assists you in achieving a greater impact. With this survey, you can
play an integral role in the decision making process regarding
enhancements to the dgCommunities platform going forward. This is your platform
and your community. We look forward to your advice, guidance, and
suggestions! Please access the survey at
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=458122624514).

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4.   NEW dgSURVEY FOR SPECIAL REPORT ABOUT YOUTH
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More than 1.3 billion young people between the ages of 12 and 24 years
old now live in the developing world. "Empowering the Next Generation:
Youth in the Developing World" is a Development Gateway Special Report
will take a look at the prospects for youth from developing countries
in four sectors: governance, employment, healthcare, and ICT.

Be part of the Report! Tell us your stories about how youth are
changing the developing world. Please take our survey by November 6, 2006, to
make sure your answers are considered for featuring in the Special
Report to be launched on December 4, 2006.

To take the survey "Empowering the Next Generation," click here
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=42292693415\

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5.   NEw DISCUSSION FORUM - Education, Training and Skill Development
are Critical to ICT Interventions.
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Education, training and skill development are critical to ICT
interventions. These areas represent an entry point for encouraging women to
become more involved in ICT applications development, shaping ICT
solutions and framing ICT policies according to female-specific needs and
experiences.

Please share your views and experiences with the community and post
your comments.

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/discussion/default/showDiscussion.do~id=2664?intcmp=911

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6. OF INTEREST - Global Information Technology Report 2006
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Global Information Technology Report 2006 is a valuable and unique
benchmarking tool released by the Global Economic Forum to determine
national ICT strengths and weaknesses, and to evaluate progress. It also
highlights the continuing importance of ICT application and development for
economic growth.

Check out:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do~1074509?intcmp=911

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7. NEW MEMBER DIRECTORY - UPDATE YOUR MEMBER PROFILE!
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With over 30,000 registered dgCommunities members, the Member Directory
provides a one-stop shop for key contacts and collaboration worldwide.
We invite you to take advantage of this unprecedented collaborative
tool and add your profile today!

Our new Member Directory enables you to more easily contact fellow
professionals in the international development community for expert advice,
information, and collaboration. You will be able to find development
practitioners from over 200 countries, with interests and expertise in
dozens of areas, including your own! We invite you to update your member
profile to let your colleagues in development know more about your
interests and expertise. You'll find the profiles very useful when using
the Member Directory to communicate and collaborate with fellow members
on your next program or project. From
http://www.developmentgateway.org?intcmp=911 simply click on "My
Gateway" in the upper right corner, log in, scroll down to "My Member
Profile" and click "edit this information."

Quick Start - 4 Easy Steps:

-ESTABLISH YOUR PROFILE

Let your colleagues in development know more about your interests and
expertise through your dgCommunities profile. Simply log in, go to My
Gateway, scroll down to "My Member Profile", and click "Edit this
information".
http://www.developmentgateway.org/topics/um/user/showUserAccount.do?intcmp=911

-SEARCH FOR MEMBERS

Log in to the Development Gateway, and click the Member Directory link
located in the right column on any dgCommunity home page. You can
search by: name, country, interest, expertise, organization, organization
type, or by keywords in member bios. Search Results will show you a list
of members with a link to their profiles. You can also reach the Member
Directory when you log in, go to My Gateway and click on "Add Members
to My Contacts".
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/um~user/showMemberDirectory.do?intcmp=911

-COMMUNICATE WITH MEMBERS

When viewing a member's profile, click "Contact this user". This will
open a message box in which you can type and send a message through our
message forwarding system.

-CREATE OWN CONTACT LIST OF MEMBERS

You can build a list of key contacts and form your own network of
members. Searching for members will produce a results list; you can then
select members to be added to your "My Contacts" list by clicking on the
plus sign under "Status" for each desired contact. Or, when viewing a
particular member's profile, click "Add this member to My Contacts". Your
full "My Contacts" list can be viewed when you log in, go to My
Gateway, scroll down to "My Contacts" and click "View My Contacts."

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8. DISTRIBUTE YOUR CONTENT
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Have knowledge resources you want to share with the community, such as
websites, reports or presentations? Want to raise awareness AND drive
traffic to your website? You can accomplish both of them by adding
content to the Development Gateway in dgCommunities. It's easy: simply go to
http://topics.developmentgateway.org?intcmp=911 , click on the topic
most related to your content, and click "Add Content Here" located in
the middle of the page. Links to approved content are sent by e-mail
alerts to registered members--an effective way to share knowledge and
direct traffic to your website!

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9. VIRTUAL CONSULTATION FOR INTER-AMERICAN MINISTERIAL MEETING ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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dgCommunities members are invited to share their views in a virtual
consultation forum with civil society and indigenous peoples sponsored by
the Government of Bolivia and the Organization of American States, and
in cooperation with the Development Gateway Foundation. The forum will
address sustainable development issues. A summary of comments will be
presented by the OAS to the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers
and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development, to be held in
Bolivia on October 5-6.

To participate in the consultation in English:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/environment/discussion/showDiscussion.do~id=1441?intcmp=911

To participate in the consultation in Spanish:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/environment/discussion/showDiscussion.do~id=1461?intcmp=911

To explore similar collaborative opportunities with the Development
Gateway, please contact us at partners@dgfoundation.org

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DID YOU KNOW??
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As a member of the dgCommunity on Gender and Development you can share
your knowledge resources (e.g., websites, papers, reports,
presentations, images, news, events, etc) in just about any format including
streaming audio and video. Each resource will be described on a unique
interactive page that will acknowledge you as the contributor and link to
your profile. To view full text of knowledge resources, users will follow
links to host websites, which will benefit from increased traffic from
the Development Gateway community!

Simply click on the "Add content here" hyperlink at:
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender/rc/Contribute.do~flag=url~from=SampleLayout?intcmp=911

Thank you!
Anuradha Bhattacharjee
Email: gender@dgfoundation.org
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/gender?intcmp=911
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