Christina Haralanova | 25 February 2007

As from January 2007, WITT has received seed-money for its continuation, with an aim to ensure its future. Internet Rights Bulgaria Foundation (IRBF) has taken on the task of coordinating WITT in 2007.

For the next 12 months, WITT has the following planned activities:

1. To build a strategy for sustainability of WITT future;

2. To implement a fund raising plan, by helping local NGOs to apply for projects, but also to insure WITT future activities;

3. To publish a WITT trainings toolkit, resuming all the know-how and experience of WITT trainers so far;

4. To introduce a membership policy and create a network of European women’s organisations interested in Gender and ICTs.

Change of the WITT management

Until 2005, the IIAV was the main fundraiser and manager of the initiative. Internet Rights Bulgaria Foundation (IRBF), already involved in WITT since 2002, has taken the lead for the year 2007. IRBF has been functioning as a focal point from Bulgaria since 2004 by making a needs assessment research of Bulgarian women and their use of ICTs, by organising a Training Exchange Event in 2004 and a number of local training on Gender and ICTs. With this new development, the WITT project becomes steadily more rooted in Eastern Europe, where most of its trainings have taken place. However, The IIAV continues to be involved mainly in an advisory role!

New advisory board

From January 2007 WITT has a new advisory board, consisting of 5 European women activists, who have been involved since the beginning of the network development. These are: Lin McDevitt-Pugh, Joelle Palmieri, Jivka Marinova, Lenka Simerska, Christina Haralanova. For more information and contact: advisory@witt-project.net.

Support

Women’s Information Technologies Transfer (WITT) will continue its activities in 2007 thanks to the kind support of Hivos.

About WITT

The Women’s Information Technologies Transfer is a European network with a mission to promote ICTs among the women movements as strategic tools for social transformation using gender as a starting point. The origins of WITT date back to 1999 and lie in the ENAWA (European and North American Women Action) network. Nowadays WITT is networking Eastern and Western women’s movements, having 4 Focal Points (in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and the Czech Republic), a pool of qualified ICT women-trainers and a history of offering professional local and international trainings for women from women’s organisations from more than 15 European countries.

In the past 3 years WITT has been actively involved in developing gender and ICT agenda in a number of European countries, among which Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. Even while the focus has been on Central and Eastern Europe, a strong cooperation has been made among EU countries and CEE and Balkan countries.

Change of WITT website

NB! The website of WITT has changed. Please, notice that the new website is written without a dash "-" : wittproject.net