Social Norms
Social norms action with informed and engaged societies
Social Norms
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
Time to read
1 minute
Print
a- a+
Published 22 years ago
Last updated 1 year ago
Read so far

Regional IT Capacity Building Support Programme

0 comments
In an effort to increase technological literacy in South Africa, The Community Education Computer Society (CECS) is working to establish local Information Technology (IT) training centres. The target group is IT organisations and project organisers based in countries supported by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA): Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The goal of the programme is to help develop sustainable models for these local IT efforts, as well as to develop linkages within the broader community in which they operate.
Communication Strategies

The programme will consist in the organisation of accredited IT literacy programmes, the establishment of democratically managed and operated local centres, the implementation of train-the-trainer courses in these centres, and the conducting of IT literacy curricular workshops. CECS will then help market the centres.

To this end, a set of course materials will be developed that include:

  • Computer training in applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • ICT lectures on the information society, globalisation, the information economy, and ways that ICTs can foster development
  • Designing and maintenance of web pages
  • Basic computer troubleshooting
  • Conducting the Train-the-Trainer course
Development Issues

Technology.

Key Points

Based in South Africa, CECS is a national computer training NGO that was established in 1985 with the aim of helping historically disadvantaged people develop technological skills.

CECS is gathering information about ICT projects and organisations in the target countries, with the input of OSISA board members. As the programme progresses, CECS will visit OSISA countries to ensure quality and provide assistance; an external party will be contracted to conduct an evaluation.

Partners

CECS, OSISA.

Sources

Letter sent from Arnold Pietersen to The Communication Initiative on May 8, 2002.