This project aims at deepening feedback and feedback mechanisms between the citizens and their local leaders in Oyam district, Northern Uganda.The project seek to encourage more active participation of citizens and local leaders on issues that affect service delivery within their respective communities. It will create awareness, build forum for discussions and provide appropriate channels for channeling community grievances and how these grievances get solved by their local leaders. Multi-stakholder dialogues will be held to discuss service delivery issues using a number of ICT platforms
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Oyam Town
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
While both men and women are underrepresented online, women and girls are more constrained in access and application of ICT tools exacerbated by gender differences. WOUGNET has trained community members in documenting service delivery issues at community level but their voices can not reach the wider audiences. Even online platforms that can provide avenues for this is limited. In addition to radio and SMS, WOUGNET will build capacity of Voluntary Social Accountability Committees(VSACs) to use cameras, social media, facebook, Twitter and Ushahidi to engage within their respective communities. The feedback we have got as a result of our work with the VSACs – helps us in identifying gaps at community level and how to bridge them. WOUGNET will work with 6 groups of VSACs and focal points
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
We will work with our staff in Apac District. Ms. Lillian Mercy Apio is the Information Officer at the Kubere Information Center (KIC). We will also work with the Voluntary Social Accountability Committees (VSACs) in 2 parishes of the district and also the WOUGNET's District Governance and Accountability Champions in the district.
We will also work with Community Radio in Oyam called Shine FM to help support and popularize the project and further engage the community through offline mediums.
Lillian Mercy Apio: https://www.facebook.com/lillianmercy.apio
Radio Apac: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Apac-929fm-Dwon-Alongo/163053810422162
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
WOUGNET will provide news, stories on issues within communities. Example we will highlight issues around water and sanitation, Health, Agriculture, Public works and infrastructure, Education etc. These are key policy areas that affects community development. We will use blogs, websites e.g we have shared numerous service delivery stories on our partners blog example on Indigo Trust. We will also popularize our work and projects in local newspapers in the region such as Rupiny, Arab Kop etc.
Such stories as was shared on our partners blog will also be disseminated widely after sharing with Raising Voices http://indigotrust.org.uk/2013/09/09/communities-to-monitor-and-improve-health-service-delivery-by-reporting-wrongdoings/
We will use WOUGNET social media platforms to disseminate
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.
WOUGNET has established several partnership with the local government in Northern Uganda and in Oyam in particular. We have MOUs with different partners and organisations in the region active in the areas of transparency and accountability, citizen engagement and Governance. Some of these organisations include the Apac Anti-Corruption Coalition (TAAC), Transparency International-Uganda (TIU), NGO Link Forum Apac. The success of this partnership will also ride on our over 10 years of project implementation in the district and the region with committed members of the community, committed members of the Voluntary Social Accountability Committees (VSACs) and a committed members of the District and Governance Champions (DGAC). All these groups were formed by WOUGNET
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
WOUGNETexpect to train about 30 members of the VSACs, 2 District Governance and Accountability Champions, 10 District Leaders/Community leaders, 2 journalists and a few members of the community. In general about 50 people will benefit from our training in citizen journalism and new media.
This project will build on the success of the initiatives of the previous projects WOUGNET has implemented in the district to build capacity of citizens to monitor district social service deliveries through ICTs with support from SPIDER, SIDA,IndigoTrust etc. The presence of WOUGNET Offices in Apac District; a neighboring District to Oyam District where the project will be implemented is an asset. In addition we have committed members of VSACs and DGAC and partners passionate about WOUGNET and devt wor
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
WOUGNET promotes and supports the use of ICTs to women and women organisations in Uganda. ICT is our driving pillar in helping us achieve this objectives. We use our technical support department to support technical issues as relates to ICTs and testing of the latest innovation in ICT, building capacity, training etc. Technology helps us as a means in ensuring that communities, citizens and individuals are able to use ICTs strategically and innovatively in addressing their own development needs/concerns.
While traditional ICT tools such as Radios are quite popular and still the most relevant within this community, the ability of women and citizens to use online platforms provides opportunity for interaction, capacity building, networking as well as opportunities to conduct businesses
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
WOUGNET will hold trainings and meetings in a hall. We will provide computers and set of laptops to support training. We will use about 6 desktop computers and 3 laptops for the training. WOUGNET will also use USB modems for internet connectivity
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?
Strong partnership had been built by WOUGNET within the communities in Oyam District since our first project engagement in 2005. Additional funding support from Organisations such as Spider, SIDA,Indigotrust cemented this relationship. The cordial working relationships with partners is a great asset in this project
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
The project may encounter bad roads. The season in Uganda currently is rainy and hence most of the roads will be quite impassable. WOUGNET will also face challenges as most of the participants will be in their gardens as this is a planting season. WOUGNET will overcome this by carefully planning the days to hold meetings, trainings and will mobilize effectively to ensure these are successful
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
We will develop indicators for measuring the success of the project before the start. Counting the number of stories written, articles posted, number of participants posting ON their own online, feedback from posts,SMS Campaigns and Survey Monkeys for feedback from our online readers/followers will be key in measuring how the project was able to contribute to online interaction, publicity. It will also help in generating useful feedback on how such projects can be improved. Ofcourse, Focus Group discussions with participants will also bring forward key issues and learning lessions
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
WOUGNET would begin the project in May and would finish it in September. It will be a 6 month project covering the months of May, June, July, August and September 2014
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
1- A multi-stakholder dialogue meetings @ 300 $
2- Venue Hire @ 100$
3-Sensitization on relevant laws and grievance procedures @500$
4- Training on traditional ICT and Social Media tools for mapping service delivery issues @ 500$
5- Conducting Radio Spot Jingles to raise awareness and popularize the project @500$
6- Coordination fees @300$
7- Training materials, transportation @300 $
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Capacity building, eg. ICT trainers/experts, transport/vehicles
Contact name
Moses Owiny
Organization
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
