Gender and ICT Projects Database

In recognition of the Gender and ICT initiatives all over the globe, we have created this projects database and made it available online. The database is a repository of Gender and ICT projects which were nominated and had qualified for the GICT Awards 2003 screening. This will be enriched by each award year. We are hoping that these efforts will inspire others to network, advocate and mobilize ICTs for women's empowerment and gender equality.

A. PROJECT INFORMATION
1. a. Project Name or Title:	Skills,knowledge and cooperation for womens success
b. Project URL, if any:	N/A
a. Utilizes ICTs to promote women's economic empowerment
a.1 What types of ICT tools do you use?	Mostly Internet technologies. We offer the educational programm devoting to the women?s groups that can help to realize their potentail more effectively. The programm consists of the basic course of English language needed for the cooperation with foreign financial grants, business planning that they need for the presentation in different financial institutes, effective management and marketing tools. The programm for the distant areas and the women?s groups will be realized by internet connected with their central resource centres. The second part from the local area will be educated directly at the educational centres.
a.2 How does the application of these contribute to the promotion of women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	By the latest statistical datas 65 % of the population lives under the poor line. 70 % of all unemployed are women. During the last years there was a tendency that mainly women were working hard to earn money for children and their families. Many women started to unite to small groups or associations for finding possibilities to get financial aids from different charity funds.By participating in our educational programm directly and by internet distantly these women groups will be able to act much more effectively. Women were lacked of education, which gives possibilities for financial independence and as a result a social equality. Women must be more united, helping each other to overcome poverty, social economic problems and inequality. Strengthening positions, finding contacts with foreign funds, women organizations, getiing skills and experience, women?s movement will become more organized and what is important women?s groups from rural areas will not be closed anymore within only their area but paid attention and supported.Women want to work and cooperate but most of them especcialy from rural areas don?t have even ideas about business planning or marketing, not talking about English language which is regarded to be an expensive pleasure. But the demands are getting higher and higher each year and if women still be l functioning with last century methods there won?t be any progress. Our special business educational programm will be efficient in making a big and important step for more successful and effective future for women?s groups. More successful and educated women less exploitated
a.3 How was the achievement of women's economic empowerment and gender equality assessed/determined?	By activization of cooperation among all kinds of women?s groups and organizations, by receiving financial and other kinds of support from various local and international sources,increasing their understanding and implementation of successful experience of leading women NGOs by small rural non developed groups. Monitoring: All participans of the programm will be listed in the database, all successful and not successful projects on the base of our programm will be thoroughly analyzed. After the definite period some special prepared tests will be held to clearify the level of their progress.
a.4 Which cultural, traditional and religious gender-biased notions and beliefs were challenged, if any?	Mostly traditional and cultural notions that are based on the belief that women must be tied only by families and housekeeping. By the latest governmental elections there is no even one woman in the parliament which proves that women are still being deprivated. Women?s organizations, especially small groups in rural areas don?t have financial supports,enough knowledge and skills for the successful activity and promotion, powerful men in government think they must survive themselves and that women?s economic activization isnt? a serious matter to be paid attention. Surely, our participants will get more useful experience and contacts for effective self survival.More active and educated women, less gender exploitations and Unfainess.
a.5 In what ways is your project different from others in enabling women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	It is the first such kind of project in Kyrgyzstan. Women?s groups, associations and so on are all separated and function independently. Having internet connections and implementing professional free educational programms for many women?s groups from all parts of Kyrgyzstan we will be able to strengthen the relations between them, to encourage for economic activity and self promotion.
a.6 What added value does your project bring to the ICT for development fora?	It is still believed here that some of the ICT tools are unaffordable pleasures especcialy for kyrgyz women?s groups from rural areas. It must be realized that we can and will progress in any way.In the era of technologies there is no other way and late or soon we?ll have to overcome the fear and myths about non possibility to cooperate using ICT tools. Everyone knows, everyones realises and wants to be more progressive and mobile but not all believe they can really do it.
b. Upscales initiatives and community-centred technologies
b.1 Please narrate specific innovative or new approaches employed by the project, if any, that contribute to its development and its relevance to the community it is serving.	We have some educational programms here in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan that deal with English language courses for everyone and separately some management courses also for all citizens. There is no one universal educational programm specially for women?s groups from rural areas that are concentrated only on the needed for their development experience and skills.All of them want to cooperate with different funds, get grants and micro credits, but most of them don?t have even ideas about business planning, making budget and as many foreign funds have grant programms, it demands an elementary knowledge of English language. This is the first project in Kyrgyzstn that offers free universal educational programme by Internet and directly for all women?s groups in rural and urban areas.
b.2 Describe the processes or mechanisms that are in place to ensure the project's sustainability.	The main centre of cooperation will be our centre in Bishkek city. We have practiced the seminars on management, business planning and English here. Now We?ll directly cooperate with the Women?s head centres in province areas by internet. Our main assistans there who are first prepared in out cenral office will be the key contact persons with the other members of women groups in their areas. The teachers will be distantly teaching basic English language and check the progress of learning. Several women groups will be divided among distant teachers. Then, after passing the first step, we start teaching them business planning of different kinds, valuable here, in Europe,Asia and in some financial institutions.Ending the second step we come to teaching of how to work with grant sheets, filling in different appllications for getting financial support like credits, subsidies and grants.Time to time our specialists will visit women groups in their areas and provide face-to-face seminars, seeing the results of the done work. Along the project a special website for women?s groups will be designed, containing all needed information on international women funds, organizations, contacts throughout Kyrgyzstan ,Central Asia, Europe, USA and others, news and parts of our distant lessons( examples of grant sheets, official letters,e.t.c)
b.3 How can your project be replicated elsewhere?	It is easily replicated, it is the time when ITC tools become really important in cooperation within country, because the era of just telephone calls and waiting news from someone coming is in the past. As it is the first universal educational programm using internet technologies, it will be soon known and tried to replicate.
c. Promotes cooperation and social networking
c.1 Who participates in the initiative? (Please identify participants, beneficiaries, and implementation partners. Provide specific demographic (age, income, rural/urban) information about your beneficiaries.)	1.Educational Centre ?HOTTEY?-is the main initiator.It is carrying out overall supervision, monitoring, and evaluation. 2.The Association of Poor women of Issyk-Kul region(rural north of Kyrgyzstan)-is the Link Leading Organization; it is responsible for the project management by allocating the necessary expertise, equipment and space, as well as additional human resources in need (as its contribution) for the project implementation. 3.Naryn Women?s Centre(rural west of Kyrgyzstan)- is also the Link Leading Organization, has the same responsibilities like #2. 4.Bishkek Women?s NGO(capital)-the same as #2 and #3. Beneficiaries- all women members of above mentioned organizations and also from smaller groups who have contacts with them. Age is different starting from 18 till 65. Income varies from zero to average 4000 som (100$).
c.2 Please identify the project's most important partners and explain their role in the project and in helping to mainstream gender.	1.?The Association of Poor Women in Issyk-Kul Region? is head by mrs. Darika Asanbaeva.It is located in Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan( north part of the republic). There are 250 members in it. Mostly poor women from rural areas . They are united in small groups that do their own businesses like bread making, sewing, animal breeding and so on. Issyk-kul region is one of the biggest and more active comparing with others. But at the same time the unemployment rate is higher than in others. This Association tries to cooperate with different funds but lack of experience, no business planning skills, english language and working with financial documents makes problems for their promotion. It is their demand to get knowledge.This organization is really interested in cooperation with us for free and in the best way (distantly by internet and telephone).It unites many poor women who wish to change their roles, to become financially independent. Even if only their association becomes more successful, we can conclude that we?ve made an essential contribution. 2. The Bishkek women centre is located in Bishkek city, capital. It has also experience in working with international organizations, getting grants. This centre has helped to about 60 NGOs head by women. They greet our idea and will contribute a maximum in realization of this project. By the way, this centre has contacts with many different women?s groups throughout Kyrgyzstan.It is concentrated exclusively on women?s activization and gender equality.
c.3 How does the project foster cooperation and active participation among the different sectors (government, private sector, civil society) in the community?	Mostly private sectors will be involved as all women groups are trying to survive making small businesses, in our republic small sized businesses are more developed than big ones and most of them are initiated by women.All our participans will be united and involved into an organized process of self promotion, self education and social ?economic activization.
c.4 How does the project strengthen the capacity of those who are involved in its implementation?	Knowledge is the key to a successful cooperation and promotion.Women were exploitated and deprivated for a long time ans till are. They want to cooperate with foreign and local organizations, get financial aids in any form, but distance, lack of experience and money is a barrier that is broken by our project which will be the first push for their activization. We are sure that after our project there will be another one where women will realize that cooperation can exist without borders but distantly. It is new for Kyrgyzstan but it is our future.
3. Learning Lessons and Sharing Strategies
a. Why, when, and how did the project begin?	Kyrgyz people are muslimized and the woman?s discrimination is something normal. Women are being abused, women are limited in getting education and social activity, women are being something second sort of people. If the situation is being improved for the last years in the central part of Kyrgyzstan, mainly in Bishkek-capital,then in the south of the country where it borders with Uzbekistan the situation is almost the same. More and more women are united in groups and associations for effective financial cooperation and really hope for the help of foreign funds. They try to get micro credits because big ones are not available for very high percents.Women are feeding families but anyway being financially abused, not supported. Many men dont? want women to become economically independent as educated and financially well being women are free and less controled. The project is concentrated on the professional organized help to weak and poor women groups throughout Kyrgyzstan for their better functioning, for the development of economic activity and increasing their belief in their own possibilities. We have now some crisis centres that help tp women who are abused physically and we also contact them, but there is no any organized programm that would be aimed on distant proffessional teaching overcoming geographic borders. Some women NGOs can get consultations here in the centre from other women?s companies but for inviting a professional expert on different aspects women organizations must pay money. We offer absolutely free and extremely needed help. The revolution when the president left our country proved that women are tired of the economic situation, of poverty and lack of possibilities. When the ex-president?s regime was broken many organizations started to activate activity and people hope that new fair conditions will be made in financing ,crediting and attracting foreign investors. Education, skills, experience,breaking borders and getting contacts will promote women?s movement for social economic equality. More and more women realize it and are get involved in this process.
b. What are the goals of the initiative?	To give the opportunities for poor women groups to get on higher level of functioning.That is the demand of the time in our republic to know at least basic English language, have computer skills and for women groups to be experienced in working with the financial documents, know elementary rules of filling in the applications and making business plans. How can they be successful if are not able to cooperate with the grant giving organizations because of lack of education and we know that 99% of such kind of groups exist for financial aid and grants.The main goal is sharing experience, knowledge and helping women become more educated by the demand of the time. Our principle is ?Knowledge,knowledge and again knowledge is the main key to success?.
c. How are decisions being made in project implementation?	In cooperation with the heads of women?s organization. All the wishes and demands of beneficiaries will be attentively analyzed and implemented. Each women?s organization has its own problems, lack of this or that information, all this will be also taken into account.
d. What mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency and accountability in implementing the project?	The Main Project Board is an advisory board of three members: · Mrs. Nazira Mamyrova ? main project manager, general director of Educational Centre ?HOTTEY? Mrs. Darika Asanbaeva-represantative and partner of the main project manager in Karakol, Issyk-Kul(north of Kyrgyzstan),president of the Association of Poor Women in Issyk-Kul Mrs.Gulnara Aitbaeva-partner of the main project manager in Bishkek, President of the Bishkek Women Centre The project team: Ms. Chinara Mamyrova-assistant of the project manager, represantative of EC ?HOTTEY? Ms. Jyldyz Apasova-expert in business planning and marketing,EC ?HOTTEY? Ms. Rahat Rysalieva-English language teacher,EC ?HOTTEY? Ms. Irina Gladnikova-English language teacher,EC ?HOTTEY? Mr. Timur Sap.-expert in computer technologies, web-designer,EC ?HOTTEY? Ms.Ainura Kabylova-accountant Mrs. Galina Nikolaeva-expert in financing and microcrediting The resource partners: We invite them for cooperation. About 25 Women?s NGOs.
e. What results and/or immediate outcomes has the initiative achieved, and what impact has it had on the beneficiaries, participants, and community?	First phase (Preparatory phase) ? is being achieved. We are working on the universal educational programm. 1)Unity of several women groups into one big association for more effective cooperation 2)The conference on women?s economic demands, possibilities and realities . 3) Regional and international partnership and cooperation for projects that improve the quality of life of women groups especially from rural areas. Because the initiative is not finalized yet, we didn?t collect enough data to evaluate the impact..
f. What tools and processes did you use to monitor and evaluate the results of the initiative?	Monitoring: We?ve made a database where all the participants are listed. All their successful and not successful projects are also listed and thoroughly analyzed. Filling in the application by the women participants on the impact of our programm on their activity. Face to face interviews and small conferences on programm analysis and their progress. Evaluation of the done work and the level of the implementation of the got skills.Quantative researches on how many projects were successfully done after our educational programm.
B. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Name of individual or organization	Educational Centre ?HOTTEY?
2. Address	Ahunbaeva str. 60/2, Bishkek Kyrgyzstan
3. Region/Country	Asia, Kyrgyzstan
4. Telephone number	+996312 542-998
5. Fax number
6. E-mail address	nazira_mamyrova@yahoo.com
7. Organisation's URL (if applicable):
8. Name and designation of person submitting this application form	Nazira Mamyrova General Director
9. Organization's Vision/Mission	We provide mostly educational programms for small financially unsustainable women groups , unemployed women and men, poor students and schoolpupils. The educational programms include English language courses, computer courses with cooperation with another company, management, business planning and marketing tools.
10. Where did you hear about the GICT Awards?	I?ve heard the information about Gender and ICT Awards from my partner who helps me to cooperate with some women?s groups