TOGO NYONU (which means Togolese woman) is a platform dedicated to Togolese women’s rights. The web site will be a steppingstone to activists, associations and local organizations of women to highlight their actions and online campaigns.
Apart from news stories, interviews, success stories, this innovative web portal will offer tool kits and customized free courses that will allow activists to maximize the impact of their online campaigns to raise awareness on injustices and discriminations against women.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Lomé
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project is open to all women who promote their rights at large. However, the project will specifically target over 50 women organizations and paralegals all over the country. In Togo, only 15% of women have access to the internet as men. So promoting women’s access to ICTs is an important part of development agenda as ICTs provide myriad opportunities for advancing women’s empowerment and inclusion.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
The main partner of the project is the Women for Democracy and development (GF2D) which have 20 years experience in defending women’s rights. GF2D's mission is to help women exercise their right to participate in decision-making processes of Togo. GF2D conducts advocacy in order to influence legislative and social changes that will positively impact women and children. Its strategy for doing this involves the training of 600 paralegals that teach communities about their legal rights and provide legal services. GF2D has also trained women to be active participants in their communities by providing workshop and tool kits for women.
Website: gf2dcriff.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/GF2D-Groupe-de-réflexion-et-daction-Femme-Démocratie-et-Développement
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
1. Digital stories on violence, stigma, discrimination against women
2. Video contents (online campaigns, interviews)
3. Success stories and best practices in terms of raising awareness, women’s rights promotion
4. Video tutorials of social media tools, photo and video editing
5. Customized courses and tips on how to create viral online campaigns
6. Newsletter to inform our audience about new social media tools and publications
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
Since 2011 I am the communication officer of the Women for Democracy and development association (GF2D). And with the organization I am designing web contents and ICT trainings for women. GF2D fully support me and will rally over 500 members to my project.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
The project is ambitioning to organize monthly workshops on the use of social media tools, tips on communication strategies on online campaigns, blogging … So over 200 women will be trained. Their participation will be sustains by a mentoring program based on feedback and follow-up system through the official Facebook page of the platform.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
The training content will mainly focus on internet, social media (Facebook, Twiter, Vimeo, Thumblr…) and computer skills enhancement. We will sometimes use mobile phones to show how to record audio and video. Photo, image editing tools and collaborative tools will be used as well.
The training will be based on Google drive to help women organization create forms, online surveys, data graphics for their online campaigns. This technology has the advantage to be easy-to-use, free and can be downloadable on pc or use online.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
To save money and continue to provide low cost courses, the workshops will be done at the headquarters of all the women’s organizations. If needed, (according to the number of participants), we can organize the workshops at the media center of GF2D association. The center 7 desk computers, wifi + ADSL and 1 projector.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
I am journalist and a community manager with 8 years experience. I have a proven track record in developing training curricula for women organization on ICTs and social media. Currently I’m the ICT trainer and communication officer of the Women for Democracy and development association (GF2D). GF2D is an umbrella organization that gathers 37 women’s organizations.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
It may be difficult to integrate social media and ICT in women’s habit. Most of them don’t feel comfortable with it. So my strategy is to offer basic and easy-to-understand online courses to boost their online campaigns. Beneficiaries will be trained also on internet security to avoid hacking of their email and other internet accounts.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
- Over 200 women from organizations, paralegals are trained on social media and ICTs skills
– Over 300 visits and number of view of the online courses on the website per day
– Positive feedbacks, comments and like on Facebook page from past trainees
– Women trainees are fully able to use social media, ICT tools to boost their online campaigns impacts
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
- Designing and tailoring of courses curricula by Mid-May 2014
– Creation of the web site by June 2014
– Recruitment of 3 volunteers By Mid June 2014
– Press conference for the official launch of the website July 2014
– Starting of workshops By September 2014
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Logistics
Purchase of 1 Laptop = $ 800
Purchase of 2 Smart phones = $ 500
Workshops costs
Transportation and Accommodation = $ 500
Workshop Stationery = $ 200
Workshop Refreshments = $ 200
Communication and promotion
Press conference = $ 300
Total amount = $ 2500
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
I will be grateful if Rising voices can promote and share information about the website, www.togonyonu.org to increase the traffic and visits. If possible link me with other grantees or organization who has developed similar projects to share ideas and experience.
Contact name
AKOMATSRI Ayaovi Djifa
1 comment
Thank you Djifa for this,
ICT use by women is an important problem to solve in Togo and in others africa’s countries !
Good luck.