GAIN aims to:

facilitate communication, discussion and information sharing between organisations and people interested in gender and women's issues in Africa. As a network, GAIN is committed to making indigenous information on women and gender valued, visible and accessible globally and participate in the global information society in order to promote gender justice and women's rights in Africa.

GAIN seeks to:

• link people across Africa working in the field of gender information
• act as a platform to share news, information and issues
• facilitate the training of members in the use of new technologies
• assist organisations in the disseminating publications
• facilitate resource sharing and partnerships

What is GAIN:

GAIN is a network of participants with no formal membership. However, people are welcome to join the GAIN listerv as 'members' and to complete a standard application form so that the secretariat has a database of participants. The network encourages participation of not only documentalists, but activists, researchers, journalists etc who have an interest and commitment to gender related issues in Africa and the dissemination of information. At present participation is limited to those working and living in Africa.

Background:

In March 1997, The African Gender Institute hosted a pan-African workshop for librarians and documentalists who work with gender related material in Africa. Twenty participants met in Cape Town for five days and through a participatory process aimed at maximum participation, discussed and debated issues of collective concern. The overall goal was: to work towards sustainable and appropriate communicative mechanisms for documentation centres and libraries committed to the collection, management and dissemination of information on gender in Africa. (Click here for workshop report.)

On the final day participants unanimously agreed to establish a network which was subsequently named the Gender in Africa Information Network - GAIN. The Working Group was charged with the responsibility of taking the network forward. GAIN Working Group: Ruth Ochieng, ISIS-WICCE, Uganda Buhle Mbambo, University of Botswana Abou Moussa Ndongo, CODESRIA, Senegal Jean Mandewo, ZWRCN, Zimbabwe Salma Ginwala, ZARD, Zambia Jennifer Radloff, AGI, South Africa

Activities thus far:

GAIN Listerv:

Since GAIN was formed, a listserv has been set up to act as one way of keeping in touch and discussing issues of mutual concern, sharing news and information related to gender in Africa. SANGONeT (Southern African Nongovernmental Organisation Network) hosts the listserv. The Working Group now shares technical and facilitation tasks. Our listserv has grown from 20 members to 44 and is no longer limited to librarians. GAIN welcomes participation by people based in Africa who are interested in sharing information on gender in Africa.

Establishment of the Women'sNet web site: www.womensnet.org.za

In December 1997, 5 GAIN members from Uganda, Senegal, Zimbabwe and South Africa participated in an Information Strategy Team workshop to develop a World Wide Web site for Women'sNet. Participants were trained in the use of HTML and basic web site design and assisted in setting up the initial Women'sNet web site. They continue to contribute to the Information Strategy Team. Women'sNet is a project of SANGONeT in partnership with the Commission on Gender Equality and is based in South Africa.

Meeting of the GAIN ICT Technical group:

In April 1998, the Women and Human Rights Documentation Centre based at the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape hosted a GAIN ICT Technical Group Workshop. 9 GAIN members were brought together to assess the work of the technical group, examine the efficiency of the group's communication over the past year, examine other initiatives in the field of women/gender and ICT in Africa and to set new tasks and deadlines.

E-mail facilitation workshop:

In August 1998, an e-mail facilitation skills workshop was co-hosted by GAIN and Women'sNet (a project of SANGONeT) to coincide with the Zimbabwe International Book Fair. The GAIN Working Group was trained in technical and facilitation skills in order to share the responsibility of the GAIN Listserv and to empower participants to establish and manage e-mail discussion groups. The workshop also provided an opportunity for 4 Working Group members to discuss GAIN as a whole and to visit the Book Fair.

For more information on GAIN reports, how to join the listserv and an application form, please contact the GAIN Secretariat

C/o Jennifer Radloff
African Gender Institute, UCT
Private Bag Rondebosch
7701
South Africa
Tel: 2721 650 2970
Fax: 2721 685 2142
E-mail: jradloff@agi.uct.ac.za

Also from GAIN

• GAIN Application Form
• GAIN Publications Order Form
• Report on a Pan-African Workshop for Librarians and Documentalists