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:	Women and the culture of Central Asia under the aegis of UNESCO
b. Project URL, if any:	www.women.unesco.kz
a. Utilizes ICTs to promote women's economic empowerment
a.1 What types of ICT tools do you use?	- Correspondence with regions of the Kazakhstan - Information from OSCE, Femline, Internews, Pr-club ?PR-shy?, NAT RK, Counterpart Consortium etc. - Subscription for Internet magazines and newspapers - E-books (collected of science articles) - Participation in contests, programmes of International Founs and organizations - Teaching our volunteers and collaborators how to work with the Internet - Posting News release - Participation in on-line communications, forums, voting, social researches, debates, discussions, exchanges of views, conferences, ICQ, chats, seminars, trainings (audio, video) - Publications of our materials on a web-sate - E-manuals, e-articles on other web-sates - Create the concept, create web-sate
a.2 How does the application of these contribute to the promotion of women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	enlightenment, education, women?s progress. Thanks to the information on the web-site on Russian and English people who have an access to Internet could get acquainted with women ambassadresses of various levels of population from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan. Women are the heroines of a web-site ? ambassadresses of culture, art, politics, journalists, lawyers, writers, poets, representative of small-scale and average business of the country, business structures. Getting acquainted with the heroines of a web-site on-line audience could connect with interested him or her work of women from a web-site though the administrator of the web-site, get acquainted with their other works, buy them, organize exhibitions, publications and pushing them to world area. in that way would be organized Central Asian (CA) women advancement and one of the decision their economic side. Exist definite difficulty in creation of CA women advancement, especially in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan from the financial and educational side. Mentality of CA women: do not advertise themselves, do not parade, do not advancement their creative work and art because of ?false? modesty, ?wrong? behavior, cultural traditions. Some women were very hard to persuade to tell some words about themselves, to give their photo. In culture and art of CA as we think violation of gender equality. The discrimination of women because of financial possibility amd cultural traditions is on hand. Only some women could show their creative work. Our web-site was create to decide this problem.
a.3 How was the achievement of women's economic empowerment and gender equality assessed/determined?	In 2003 in Tajikistan, Dushanbe on the international conference ?The role of Women in International Dialogue in CA?. participants in their recommendations wrote to create CA women web-site devoted to the questions of culture. During 2004 web-site was create and was collected more than 100 personalies for the web-site from the Kazakhstan. In February, 2005 was carried out training seminar devoted to advance the web-site in Kyrgistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. , . Present time appeared the first materials from this republics.
a.4 Which cultural, traditional and religious gender-biased notions and beliefs were challenged, if any?	Traditional. Women on the East must sit at home and traditionally take care of family. Only some times (in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan) she could do some little work. In Soviet period this tradition was changed, from 90th year countries go various ways in their development. In Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan after 7-8 years of study girl become ready to get married. Girl with secondary education ? becomes ?old maid, spinster?, ?clever?, who didn?t suit for marriage. That is how people think in this countries for 10-15 years. In Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan in another way. Here women has more freedom. But on financial side they are behind men. Culture. In the culture of kazakh and kyrgyz people who are nomads practically in 2nd part of XXth century where were no women painters, artists, cultural and art workers. In Kazakhstan in 40-50 th years of XX century was only some women artists and singers. In Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan till 30th years women wear parandja, and about role of women in culture or art ? nobody even thought. But CA women sew, carpet weaving and other and the men sold it. Relegion. East women mostly Muslims and that mean divided men and women society. Women initiative didn?t encourage. only some times. But it mean hunger and poorty. Religious canons didn?t mean gender equality, equality in talking between men and women. Women 1st of all mother, mistress of the fireplace.
a.5 In what ways is your project different from others in enabling women's economic empowerment and gender equality?	It is the 1st project of women web-site about culture in CA and on the East. Created with the support of UNESCO. On Russian and English languages, that makes it possible for everyone in the Internet. Articles on English gives in announcement, only partly translated. For the 1st time was put materials, works of art, main work, resumes of women. On the web-site you could get acquainted with vital credo, dreams and thoughts about culture. We could help other (interested) people to connect with this women from Kazakhstan, who works in culture, art, business and others.
a.6 What added value does your project bring to the ICT for development fora?	CA Women?s advancement ? workers of culture, art and society in world and informational economic space.
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.	For the 1st time was: Collected women personalities in culture and art of CA. Put on a web-site their works. Given their answers to the culture, vital credo and dreams Collected database of articles about women and their role in culture and art
b.2 Describe the processes or mechanisms that are in place to ensure the project's sustainability.	Web-site was recommended by the international women?s conference on 2003. not a big amount of money gives UNESCO for 2 years. Mostly the work is held by the volunteers from Kazakhstan. Nowadays organized and held work in other CA countries. Web-site call interested in International organizations, for example, UNIFEM are going to give materials from our site to their. Reference to our web-site is on the web0sites of our partners. Domen was given by UNESCO. Because of the advertisement and journalism ? to put women to treir web-sites.
b.3 How can your project be replicated elsewhere?	On the web-sites of partner organization, mass-media, NGOs and other. By radio, TV and printed media, Internet, partners organizations (NGO, government and bisness structures and others).
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.)	the idea of creation of CA women culture web-site was decided on the conference in 2003 in Tajikistan, Dushanbe. After the conference nobody decided to creat a web-site. Only I ?Akhmetova Laila - agreed to try. . Chief, Author, administrator, creator, designer ? Akhmetova Laila Authors of the articles and information ? Akhmetoca L., Baranova Dina, Shorokhov Dmitry. Translation into English ? Baranova D. Technical manager ? Shorokhov D. Akhmetova L. ? was born in 1954, doctor of historical science, doctor of politilogy, manageress of the journalism faculty department of mass-media and adverticement of Kazakh National University, academic of international academy of information. Author more than 300 publications. Baranova Dina (18 years), 2nd year student of Kazakh National University, work in NGO ?Women?s Intellectual Union? as vice-president. Has more than 10 publications and study 5 languages. Shorokhov D. ? born ? 1976, candidate of philological science, senior lecturer, artist, member of the artists union , author more than 50 publications. Accordance, writing and preparation of materials ? Baranova D., Akhmetova L., Shopysheva Z., Shomatova S., Remizova S.
c.2 Please identify the project's most important partners and explain their role in the project and in helping to mainstream gender.	Kyrgystan ? Adash Toktosunova ? editor in chief of the magazine ?CA and world culture? Uzbekistan ? Azimova Dinora ? professor of the world economy and diplomatic University. Tajikistan ? Munzifa Babadzhanova ? representative of the national commission of Tajikistan in UNESCO Klara Issak ? UNESCO department on cultural politic and intercultural dialogue
c.3 How does the project foster cooperation and active participation among the different sectors (government, private sector, civil society) in the community?	On the conferences and meetings thought mass-media and Internet CA women knew about web-site. On the web-site placed personalies in the division society, showed women ministries, politics, NGO representatives, business-structure. They all have a chance to connect to each other thought the web-site.
c.4 How does the project strengthen the capacity of those who are involved in its implementation?	We begun to work more advisability and economical. We make all the work, try to do several things at once. For example, on the conferences, seminars, trainings, we distribute our visit cards and advertisement. Ask NGOs, politics, and representatives of business structur to tell some words about themselves. Create data of journatists who write about culture, gender, women.
3. Learning Lessons and Sharing Strategies
a. Why, when, and how did the project begin?	In 2003 in Tajikistan, Dushanbe on the international conference The role of Women in International Dialogue in CA?. participants in their recommendations wrote to create CA women web-site devoted to the questions of culture. During 2004 web-site was create and was collected more than 100 personalies for the web-site from the Kazakhstan. In February, 2005 was carried out training seminar devoted to advance the web-site in Kyrgistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan. www.women.unesco.kz
b. What are the goals of the initiative?	Creation and development of the regional web-site about culture
c. How are decisions being made in project implementation?	Decision of International women conference Creation of group of workers Studying, creating the concept of web-site. Collecting materials
d. What mechanisms are in place to ensure transparency and accountability in implementing the project?	Klaster office of UNESCO in Almaty, selection of materials, selection thought mass-media, reports, monitoring
e. What results and/or immediate outcomes has the initiative achieved, and what impact has it had on the beneficiaries, participants, and community?	Creation of a Web-site about women and culture of Kazakhstan Taught the representatives of other countries Putting materials on a web-site from another CA countries.
f. What tools and processes did you use to monitor and evaluate the results of the initiative?	Monitoring, reporting, information in mass-media
B. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Name of individual or organization	?Women?s Intellectual Union?
2. Address	Kazakstan, 050012, Almaty, Kabanbai batyr str., 172 - 22
3. Region/Country	Asia, Kazakhstan
4. Telephone number	8 (3272) 93-71-99
5. Fax number	8 (3272) 93-71-99
6. E-mail address	lnaila_akhmetova@mail.ru
7. Organisation's URL (if applicable):	www.women.unesco.kz
8. Name and designation of person submitting this application form	Akhmetova Laila No answer
9. Organization's Vision/Mission	Protection of creative, industrial and social interests, rights and freedom of the women of intellectual work, development of their spiritual level and material well-being.
10. Where did you hear about the GICT Awards?	E-mail