Create a Stronger Online presence for NGOs

The Open Institute’s eNGO workshop was conducted on 29thof November, 2013 at the Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The workshop was produced in conjunction with an Indian-based NGO called the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) as well as an American-based company called the Public Interest Registry (.ORG).

The purpose of work shop were to educate NGOs about the concept of eNGO and the importance of using ICT for development, train the NGOs in ICT and show them the way in which using ICT can be advantageous for their organization and create websites for the NGO and educate them on how to use their websites most effectively as well as on the importance of website in maximizing the potential. The participants were from both Phnom Penh and provinces. The event provided training for NGOs who had not yet adopted digital and ICT into their work or who did not have a website, or who wished to learn more about the important tool of ICT in order to utilize it more effectively. Learning how to utilize the tools of ICT provided participating NGOs to with the ability to access broad groups of people, organize their information, and inform the public on their work more effectively. Ultimately, this event worked to help NGOs create stronger online identities so that they could overcome technical barriers and most effectively champion their various causes. The workshop offered to build free websites for any NGOs that does not yet have one and will offer to provide each NGO with a free domain and hosting for one year.

Long Sophally, Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs delivered her opening speech at the workshop on “Create a Stronger Online Presence for NGOs”
Date: 29 November, 2013
Photo by Open Institute
In her speech, H.E.M. Long Sophally, Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, thanked the OI for hosting the event and expressed her happiness in being involved in this event as she felt it would increase knowledge about ICT and ultimately help gender equality. H.EM. Long Sophally spoke about the state of women’s rights in Cambodia and provided the guests with an overview of the many problems women face in Cambodian society. She informed the participants on the Ministry of Women’s Affairs goals as well as the important work they were doing to improve gender equality in Cambodia such as working with social media outlets to promote women’s rights, establishing green towns for women to improve climate change and working to improve policy to increase the number of women working in politics.

Ms. Chim Manavy, Executive Director of the Open Institute, welcomed all the participants to the event and expressed the importance of ICT in NGO work and in Cambodian society. She continued by saying that over the past few years the presence of ICT has rapidly increased in Cambodia and around the world, making it even more fundamental to understand and utilize this resource. There are over 3,000 NGOs in Cambodia, however, many of these NGOs are not familiar with ICT and some do not have websites. For example, of the 90 organizations who are members of the Cambodian NGO Committee on Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (NGO-CEDAW), only 43 of them have their own website. The remaining NGOs are completely underrepresented online. Without these critical tools (ICT tools), it can be difficult for NGOs to reach their full potential and their ability to access broad groups of people, organize their information, and inform the public on their work can be somewhat limited. Cambodia’s many NGOs are critical to its social development and in this initiative we hope to help these NGO create a stronger online identities so that they can overcome technical barriers and most effectively champion their various causes. Ms. Manavy spoke about the OI’s past events and highlighted the important role ICT has played in their ability to evoke change. Ms. Manavy thanked all the NGOs who participated as well as expressed her gratitude to the DEF and .NGO for their generosity.

Next, Mr. Devendra Singh, Project Manager—ICT for Masses Asia & Africa and a representative from the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), spoke about ICT on an international level and explained that the formula of improving ICT for developing NGOs had already been successfully executed in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, and India, making Cambodia the 6th country to participate. Mr. Devendra Singh outlined the agenda for the day and provided information on how the NGOs would build their websites and the many functions the websites would serve, specifically he articulated 10 benefits of using a website which included building transparency, raising funds, reducing spending, and increasing freedom of expression. Later on in the workshop, Mr. Singh collected information on the ICT levels of all the NGOs and coached them on how to create their websites by providing them with comprehensive step-by-step instructions. He explained that the workshop would provide participants with many services such as a domain name for their website, website hosting, website design, content uploading, eNGO networking platform for partnerships, 24 hour online emails support, and an ICT training program etc. He fielded many questions from the NGOs and provided a great deal of information to the NGOs on how they could most effectively use their new websites.

Ms. Nem Socheatta, Assistant Country Director of Heifer International showed her appreciating so much on the workshop. She said, this workshop was provide more usages to both local and international NGOs that could help them know more about technology include text message, access information easily. Especially, NGOs who have no website could get a chance to make the web site without pay domain and hosting one and haft year and they would increase their knowledge related to use ICT. She hopes that Open Institute and Digital Empowerment Foundation will bring new technologies and workshops related to using internet to provide her NGOs and others as well. She was thankful to Open Institute and it stake holder to organize that workshop.

During the workshop many NGOs asked questions about the websites especially regarding payment plans and how to upkeep the websites after the domain provided by the DEF expires. Some participants also asked questions about how to stay engaged in the eNGO community after the workshop and follow-up questions about their new websites. During this period Ms. Manavy and Mr. Singh provided the guests with more specific information regarding pricing and upkeep of their websites.

Dr. Raymond Leos, member of Board of Directors of Open Institute, delivered his closing speech at the workshop on “Create a Stronger Online Presence for NGOs”.

Date: 29 November, 2013
Photo by Open Institute

Dr. Raymond Leos, member of Board of Directors of Open Institute, concluded the workshop by thanking everyone for attending and by reemphasizing the fast-paced increase in digital development in Cambodia and worldwide and the importance of human rights groups and NGOs keeping up with this trend. Dr. Laos explained that the young generation held the key to the future and that technology was the most effective way to access them.

Overall, the workshop was extremely successful in accomplishing its goals. The workshop ran very smoothly and each speaker was helpful in providing background as well as critical information about websites and ICT to the participants. Each NGO learned a lot from their training and is more likely to increase its levels of success in the future by utilizing their websites as well as the newfound skills they garnered at the workshop.

The participants were from both Phnom Penh and provinces such as the children for Better Future (CBF), Advocacy and Policy Institute (API), MeKong Environment and Social Research Institute (MESRI), Youth Center for Development (YCD), TV Hang Meas, Mekong Social Environment Farmer Development Association (KFDA), Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), Indradevi Association (IDA), Khmer Youth Association (KYA), Youth for Development (YFD), Cambodia Association for Development of Poverty People (CADPP), Youth Partners in Development and Peace (YPDP), CNC TV, Demand for Good Governance Project- Ministry of Interior (MoI), Strey Khmer Organization (SKO), Conversation and Development on Cambodia (CDCam), Cambodia Committee on Women (Cambow), Cambodian HIV/AIDs Education and Care (CHEC), Development Association Research Economic (DARE) , Arun Reah Organization (AR), Economic Development Community Organization (EDCO), Cambodia Domestic Worker Network (CDWN), Komar Pikar Foundation (KPF), Women Media Center (WMC), Caram, Nokor Thom Newspapers, Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Girl Guides Association of Cambodia (GGAC), Hagar, Increase Health for Poor People (IHPPO), Heifer International-Cambodia, Help Age Cambodia (HAC), Cambodia IT Association (CITA), Phnom Penh Center for Independent Living (PPCIL), Cambodia Center for Independent Media (CCIM/VoD), Green Youth Assembly (GYA of KYSD), Community Development (CODO), Family Caricature Development Community (FADC), Sea Radio 106, One World UK, Cambodia’s Independent Civil-Servant Association (CICA), Khmer Women Voice Center (KWVC), Cambodia Center for human Right (CCHR), Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), And Open Institute. Participants from provinces such as Battambang, Kratie, Banteay Meanchey, Kok Kong, Kandal, Takeo and Kampong Speu.

Ms. Chim Manavy, Executive Director of Open Institute, delivered her welcomes remark to participant in workshop on “Create a Stronger Online Presence for NGOs”. Date: 29 November, 2013 Photo by Open Institute	Mr. Devendra Singh, Project Manager—ICT for Masses Asia & Africa, a representative from the DEF explained to participants about the process of creating website at workshop. Date: 29 November, 2013 Photo by Open Institute
The whole picture in workshop on “Create a Stronger Online Presence for NGOs at Sunway hotel. Date: 29 November, 2013 Photo by Open Institute