Why this blog?

Much has been said about the role and contribution of blogging as a means of sharing information, connecting people and building communities. This is especially true in the nonprofit and civil society contexts, presenting new opportunities for various stakeholders to enhance their development and advocacy efforts.

Given my work as Executive Director of SANGONeT, our focus on strengthening the ICT capacity and awareness levels of NGOs and development organisations in South Africa, and my exposure to international ICT and development events, trends and dynamics, I intend using this blog to highlight my experiences and observations, providing insights to the challenges and opportunities facing the local NGO and development sectors.

The uptake of blogging in the NGO and development sectors in Southern Africa is still fairly limited, but this trend is slowing changing for the better. Presentations by international nonprofit technology specialist Michael Gilbert at the 2005 and 2006 SANGONeT Conferences have made an important contribution in this regard.

Reflecting on new and interesting development and ICT trends and experiences in different parts of the world through this blog will hopefully highlight the relevance and usefulness of blogging and contribute to increased uptake of this type of application in the NGO and development sectors in Southern Africa.

I have arrived in Adelaide, Australia, yesterday afternoon and will be participating as a speaker and panelist in the Connecting Up and 2006 Australian Society of Association Executives' National Conferences over the next few days.

More about this in my next posting.