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NON-PROFIT ICT ERIDING LAUNCHES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Issue date: 2003-04-10
In early April a group of highly skilled international ICT-consultants called eRiders will start their journey to various countries inside Southern Africa. Over the next four months, the eRiders will be addressing the technology needs of over thirty non-profit organisations in the SADC region.
eRiding, a globally successful non-profit ICT consultation model launched in Southern Africa-Supported by OSISA-www.osisa.org
In early April a group of highly skilled international ICT-consultants called eRiders will start their journey to various countries inside Southern Africa. Over the next four months, the eRiders will be addressing the technology needs of over thirty non-profit organisations in the SADC region. Today marks the start of the execution stage of an exiting new project, Ungana-Afrika, after two months of careful preparations. "During the last weeks we have been setting up the infrastructure of Ungana-Afrika and initiating communication with the non-profit community in nine SADC countries. Now we are ready to visit them in person." says Rudi von Staden, a South African member of the Ungana-Afrika team.
During the eRiding phase Ungana-Afrika strives to improve the technological capacity of civil society organizations in Southern Africa. eRiding is ICT consultancy tailored to the specific needs of non-profit organizations where the eRider delivers ICT training, planning, and networking solutions for little or no cost. The eRiding model has been used successfully in over thirty projects worldwide. With representation in over 20 countries, this eRider network has become one of the largest global resources of ICT consulting for civil society orginizations. Ungana-Afrika now extends this experience to Africa. Veronica Pena, one of the international eRiders from Venezuela says "eRiding is an excellent way to have a true impact because civil society organizations working in a variety of developmental capacities often suffer from a lack of ICT infrastructure, connectivity and skills. We are here to use our experience and training to help bridge the digital divide, which the whole African continent is increasingly facing."
Ungana-Afrika arises out of a shared vision between two reputable organizations AIESEC, an international student exchange organization, and OSISA (the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa). They recognised the reality of the digital divide - the division between those who have real access to information and communications technology and those who don't, and together developed a project that would address this particular demand. "Having these two organizations supporting us is one of the best possible combinations we could even dream of. Besides their existing network, both organizations offer important resources, OSISA by funding the project and AIESEC by providing affordable international consultants. The future of Ungana-Afrika has been secured until early next year but sustainability is one of this year's main objectives. We are trying to find relevant funding organizations and new partners from the private sector." says Toni Eliasz, Ungana-Afrika's project manager from Finland.
Ungana-Afrika contact information
Phone: +27 84 3309 515
Email: ungana-afrika@cida.co.za
Ashraf Patel
ICT Program Officer
OSISA
Tel: 27.11.403.3414
Fax: 27.11.403.2708
Cell: 27 84 606 6066
email: ashrafp@osiafrica.org
web: www.osisa.org
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