Introduction
Part I: Case Studies
1.1 Introduction to Case Studies
1.2 Women’sNet
1.3 Kubatana
1.4 Satellife
1.5 Global Teenager Project
1.6 Malico VSAT Connectivity Project
1.7 HP i-Community
1.8 Arid Lands Information Network
1.9 CPSI - Dokoza Project
1.10 SchoolNet Namibia
1.11 Ekowisa
Part II: Toolkits
2.1 Introduction to Toolkits
2.2 Gender Evaluation Methodology
2.3 The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System
2.4 NGO-in-a-Box
2.5 Strategic Technology Planning
2.6 Building community wireless connectivity in developing countries
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Credits
An online community for Zimbabwean activists (Page 1)
A case study of Kubatana.net in Zimbabwe
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6Established in July 2001, primarily to make human rights information electronically accessible to local, regional and international stakeholders and interest groups, Kubatana.net challenges the repressive environment for nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in Zimbabwe.
Free expression and human rights have been increasingly threatened in Zimbabwe in recent years. Under the leadership of President Robert Mugabe, a complex body of new, repressive legislation is imposing draconian measures on Zimbabwean citizens and undermining the ability of civic activists, journalists and NGOs to criticise the government.
According to Amnesty International, the Zimbabwean government security forces and state-sponsored militia have been responsible for numerous human rights violations in Zimbabwe. Amnesty, along with other international civil society groups, have long called for an end to the harassment and torture of citizens expressing opposition to the government.
The government has also clamped down severely on the media in Zimbabwe. In 2002, barely a month before the conflictridden presidential elections in March, the government promulgated the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act which imposes heavy fines and jail terms of up to two years for “abuse of journalistic privilege”, including the publication of “falsehoods”, or statements that the government deems untrue.
Since its enactment, this legislation has been used to close down independent media, arrest scores of journalists and prevent foreign media representatives from working in Zimbabwe. In 2003, this legislation was used to close down Zimbabwe’s only independent daily newspaper, the Daily News and the weekly Daily News on Sunday. It was also used to shut down the Daily Tribune in 2004 and the Bulawayo Weekly Times in 2005. Currently, the Zimbabwean state monopolises almost all media and information disseminated to the public.
The Kubatana Project, which manages Kubatana.net, intends to provide alternative methods of communication so that important human rights information continues to be disseminated, even within this repressive environment. It is evident that political activists and civil society organisations (CSOs) generate substantial amounts of crucial information and data but that this information is often buried in local organisations where few stakeholders have access to it. This hampers the ability of pro-democratic organisations to develop policy, write articles or engage in research or advocacy. It was clear that developing an online human rights information hub would help strengthen the fight for open democracy in Zimbabwe.
It was also clear that information activists, both within established NGOs and grassroots pressure groups, needed capacity-building to enhance their use of electronic communication tools. To complement the Kubatana information portal, we have facilitated numerous training workshops to encourage activists to use email and the internet to disseminate and share human rights information.
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