Libby Young finds places for women on the web
To celebrate Women’s Day, here are some websites dedicated to the needs and interests of women – sites that help women to communicate with other women, and sites that help educators to reach out to others.
Designed to enable South African women to use the internet to find the people and resources needed for women’s social action, Women’s Net includes sections on HIV/Aids, human rights, violence against women, and a directory of South African women’s organisations.
www.womensnet.org.za
The South African Women for Women programme provides an opportunity for South African educators to work closely with their Canadian counterparts. The Teacher Mentoring Project links classrooms in Ontario and South Africa, allowing educators to share ideas and learn about different approaches to student learning. The site describes the success of the 2000 exchange project. .
www.interlog.com/~saww/teach.htm
The National Research Foundation’s Women-in-Research programme aims to help women develop and strengthen their research skills and encourages them to pursue postgraduate study. The site includes an online database of women in the South African research community. .
http://www.nrf.ac.za/wir/
The Nisaa Institute for Women’s Development focuses on the fight against woman abuse. The site provides some useful networking contacts. .
www.nisaa.org.za/
Women’s Links provides a convenient directory of links of interest to women in South Africa, with sections on parenting, education, health and hobbies. .
www.womenslink.co.za/
Women’s Issues provides a directory of websites related to a variety of problem areas within Third World countries, including child marriages and violence against women. .
women3rdworld.about.com
The African Women Global Network is a global organisation aimed at improving the living conditions of women and children in Africa. The site provides links to various projects. .
www.osu.edu/org/awognet/
Established in 1996, the University of Cape Town’s African Gender Institute focuses on questions of access and women’s leadership development and is concerned with supporting the production of indigenous knowledge that enhances understanding of gender equity issues in African contexts. The website provides details. .
www.uct.ac.za/org/agi/
Further afield, don’t miss the Oprah Winfrey website, which deals with women’s issues in even more depth than the popular television programme. You’ll find advice on health, relationships, food, community development and books. .
www.oprah.com/
Femina (not the local magazine) provides a searchable database of international sites for, by and about women, covering a wide variety of topics, from education and entertainment to health and culture.
www.femina.com
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, August 2001.