The Internet and Women's Democratic Organizing (IWDO) project seeks to facilitate women's social and political activism and regional networking through Internet technologies. Twelve women from Accra, Ghana will be participating in the upcoming IWDO workshop at the Public Affairs Section of the U. S. Embassy in Accra.

The workshop will take place September 15th to the 23rd, 2003. Participants will receive intensive training in Internet technologies and how these can be applied to democratic organizing and networking. The project aims to:

• Familiarize all participants with use of Internet communications for women's networking.
• Assist each participant to build and maintain a web page or site for her organization.
• Provide the participants with technical support so that they can continue to build on their Internet training after the workshop
• Provide support and information for participants wishing to teach internet skills to others
• Encourage participants to establish long-term partnerships of collaboration and exchange with their fellow workshop participants.
• Build concrete and durable partnerships between Michigan State University and the organizations that the participants represent.

The larger part of the workshop will take place in a computer lab, but the program will also include a number of sessions where women will have opportunity to network and meet to invited speakers who will discuss issues of women’s rights, the internet, and the relation of gender equity to IT development. The program will provide a monetary allowance for city travel costs, and will also provide lunchtime meals and afternoon refreshments. In addition, participants will receive copies of software programs needed to continue their work.

This project is sponsored by Michigan State University, its African Studies Center and office of Women and International Development, MATRIX: The Center for the Humane Arts, Letters and Social Sciences Online, the West African Research Center (WARC) and the Institute for African Democracy in Dakar, Senegal. Support for the upcoming workshop is provided by Michigan State University and the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with funds from the Education for Development and Democracy Initiative (EDDI). IWDO is part of the African Internet Collaborations initiative undertaken by MATRIX and the African Studies Center.