USING ICTS TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF HUMAN

RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

by Firoze Manji, Murtaza Jaffer and Emmanuel Njenga Njuguna

Introduction

Faced by the day-to-day demands of activism in hostile political environments and deteriorating economic climates, many human rights organizations in Africa have difficulties finding time or resources to invest in their own organizational capacities, including information and communication technologies (ICTs). This includes ensuring staff are adequately trained and capable of dealing with a wide range of complex issues (political, programmatic, managerial and organizational). Although many recognize the need to invest in and nurture their relatively young organizations, few have sufficient resources to do so—which has consequences on the effectiveness of the organizations.

 A number of recent surveys have highlighted both the need and demand for training of human rights organizations. (1) These surveys have highlighted a number of areas in which capacity needs to be enhanced. These include: enhancement of the knowledge and understanding of international and regional human rights standards; capacity to carry out investigations and to monitor human rights violations or abuses; education, networking, and communication skills; advocacy, campaigning and media skills; organizational, management and administrative skills; and fundraising.

Recent advances in ICTs have begun to change radically the ways in which people can both work and learn, such as “life-long learning” and distance education. In Africa a growing number of institutions are offering academic distance learning courses, some of which use the Internet. However, relatively little has been developed specifically to meet the needs of non-governmental organizations, or for human rights organizations in particular. The advantages of such forms of training include enabling the learner to work at their own pace, access documentation and resources from around the world with relative ease, use practical examples from their own work situation, obtain inputs from a wider range of international expertise than is feasible in a conventional course, and receive “mentoring” support while dealing with day-to-day challenges at work.

But the provision of Internet-based distance learning presupposes the existence and access to appropriate ICT infrastructure. Whereas in the developed world access to computers, working telephone lines and the Internet is becoming ubiquitous, what is the situation in Africa? And how realistic or feasible is it to exploit the developments in ICTs, particularly the Internet, to build the capacity of the non-governmental sector in Africa? This chapter summarizes findings of a study to assess the possibilities of further developing ICT-based training materials aimed at enhancing the capacity of human rights organizations on the continent.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the study, initiated by Fahamu and supported by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), was to investigate the feasibility of developing a programme to enhance the capacity of human rights and other advocacy organizations in southern Africa by taking advantage of current developments in ICTs. The investigation sought to:

--            assess their current technical capacities and capabilities for accessing the Internet;

--            assess their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding e-mail, web and other resources of the Internet;

--            identify principal training needs in relation to human rights and advocacy, management and organization development, and effective use of the Internet;

--            identify the form of computer-based learning materials that can be provided where access to the Internet is limited or expensive; and

--            identify potential resource persons and NGO training organizations that might collaborate in the development and production of appropriate learning materials.

Methodology

The survey was conducted in eight southern African countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Approximately 120 organizations and individuals were contacted prior to the survey to request their participation. Field visits were undertaken between 3-22 November 1998.

The research team comprised three Kenyans: Firoze Manji of Fahamu and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, Murtaza Jaffer of the Third Sector Governance and Partnership Development Initiative in Kenya; and Emmanuel Njenga Njuguna of SangoNet in South Africa.

Each country was visited by at least one member of the team. Interviews and focus group discussions were held with organizations based in the capital cities (except in South Africa where organizations in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban were interviewed).

Where possible we also interviewed representatives of NGO umbrella organizations, which provided information about their needs and capacities and those of their member organizations. Representatives of 103 organizations were interviewed, and one or more members of the team visited the offices of more than 70 of these organizations.

Findings

Principal Human Rights Problems

One of the most striking findings to emerge from the review was almost universal identification by human rights organizations of social and economic rights as the most important human rights issue facing their country. Repeatedly organizations highlighted poverty, inequalities of income, land rights, housing, education and health as being among the top human rights concerns.

The second most commonly cited concern was that of democracy, accountability, access to information, governance, and corruption of the state and government. Gender and the rights of women and children appeared high on the list of priorities, which reflects the influence of the women’s movement in the human rights field. In South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique, conflict resolution came high on the list, whereas the rights of indigenous people was a preoccupation of Namibian organizations. Police brutality was mentioned by many, although frequently in relation to lack of accountability of the state.

The size of the organizations varied from small two-person enterprises to substantial-sized institutions of more than 100 people. The majority of organizations comprised between ten and 20 persons (including volunteer staff). Those in South Africa tended to be larger (with more paid staff) than in the other countries.

There was a wide range in annual income, a few surviving entirely on small voluntary contributions, others managing grants of several million US dollars. The majority of the organizations had an annual income in the range of US$200,000 to US$500,000. Most were completely dependent upon funding from external donor agencies, but a few supplemented that income from the sale of publications, training and consultancies. Very few received local private sector contributions. There was a small number of organizations that depended entirely on funds from their membership.

Availability of Computers

Most of the organizations we met possessed at least two computers. Every organization described either plans or intentions to upgrade their systems to include high-speed modems, CD-ROMs, higher capacity hard disks, faster processors, and improved linkage to the Internet. Although relatively few organizations outside South Africa had installed a local area network, more than half indicated an intention to do so in the near future.

In South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique nearly all the organizations had at least one computer with a functioning CD-ROM drive. More than half of the organizations in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia had at least one such computer, whereas less than one-third of those in Botswana and Lesotho were so endowed. In general, South African institutions were technologically better endowed than their counterparts in the rest of the region.

Access to Computers

The ratio of staff to computer terminals in most South African institutions approached 1:1, whereas in other countries ratios of 4:1 or 5:1 were more common.

We were struck by what we perceived to have been a “cultural shift” over the last few years. In the past it was common to find that only the director or senior managers had access to a computer, a resource that would be jealously guarded and access to which would be limited. In this survey we found that, almost without exception, computers were treated as shared resources. Computers that had e-mail or Internet access were always located in a commonly accessible location (often the resource room or library).

E-Mail Connections

With the exception of Botswana and Lesotho, e-mail connections (or access to e-mail) was almost universal. All those with connections reported that a growing proportion of their external communications was now through e-mail, with faxes becoming limited to communications with those lacking e-mail connections. In South Africa, almost all organizations use the post only for paying bills and distributing newsletters or magazines.

Internet Access

Almost all organizations in South Africa and Namibia had full Internet connections. Very few of those in Mozambique, Botswana and Lesotho had such access. However, more than half of those in the remaining countries had full Internet connections. Almost all that had Internet connections complained about the slowness of access to the web—the notorious “World Wide Wait.”

Most organizations subscribed to at least one Internet service provider (ISP). South Africa is the only country where there is a not-for-profit ISP (SangoNet), but only a small proportion of organizations interviewed in the country used this service. (2) Of those that did, most complained about difficulties with obtaining connections to the service.

Internet Training

All those who had used training provided by SangoNet were effusive and positive about the quality of training and support they had received. Except in South Africa, most organizations had received little or no training from their ISPs. Many organizations reported that the quality of help provided by ISPs was usually poor because ISP employees usually had little technical knowledge. They said ISPs were unable or unwilling to provide support for all aspects of information and communication technologies associated with the use of the Internet.

Very few organizations had sought training in the use of the Internet. The extent to which the organizations used the Internet often depended on the knowledge or interest of individual members of staff.

Given that these organizations comprised activists and seasoned campaigners, we were struck by the extent to which most were indifferent about the quality and type of service provided by ISPs. None had made attempts to negotiate particular levels of quality and service from their ISPs. In part this may be due to a sense of being debilitated by their own lack of technical knowledge. In particular, we found that umbrella organizations made little effort either to ensure that their members received adequate training or to play a role in placing demands on the local ISPs or telecommunications provider. Almost every umbrella organization had an information officer, but none saw their role in lobbying for standards or codes of conduct for the quality of service provided. Furthermore, none of the umbrella organizations had considered their role in assisting in building capacity of their members to use and exploit the potentials of the Internet.

Many NGOs stated that they had resource constraints for training in ICTs. Although they were articulate about their needs, few had included these needs in their budgets. Indeed, very few organizations had seriously considered ICTs as an integral part of their own organizational strategy.

Use of Internet

Perhaps because of the superior telecommunications and Internet infrastructure in South Africa and because of a longer tradition of using the Internet, most organizations in the country were fairly knowledgeable about the use of the World Wide Web, mail lists, discussion groups and other means of accessing and disseminating information.

In the rest of the region, relatively few organizations had a well-developed understanding of how the resources of the Internet (other than e-mail) could be accessed or used. However, even in those countries with a relatively poor infrastructure, such as Malawi, there were instances where organizations made extensive use of the Internet.

In general, there was a dearth of knowledge and understanding about the resources available from the Internet, or of ways in which organizations could actively participate in discussions and networking. Relatively few organizations outside South Africa had already established a website, although many spoke of their intent to establish one. Many of those that have done so were unclear, however, as to the ways in which the presence of a website enables the organization to achieve its mission. (3)

Around half of those interviewed had knowledge of and subscribed to at least one mailing list or discussion group. Very few had knowledge of how to initiate new discussion lists or how to moderate lists. In general knowledge of the types and range of discussion lists circulating the Internet was limited.

Many complained of a perceived “information overload” when using the Internet. In many cases it was not clear whether this perception was because of the overwhelming amount of relevant information that they accessed from the Internet. In many cases we felt that it may have been due to some degree of failure to exercise discretion, choice or priority about what mailing lists should be subscribed to, or where the most valuable information on the web might be found and which sites should be regularly monitored.

To some extent this was found even among those who had had some training on Internet use. In part this may be because the majority of training courses available on using the Internet focus on imparting skills, but provide little guidance on the ways in which Internet resources can be used to support the specific needs of the organization. To use a metaphor: it is one thing to impart skills on how to use a library, but quite another to teach someone how to do research. Consequently many waste hours browsing aimlessly, or react passively to the information that is available. Proactive use of the resources was relatively rare in most organizations.

Experience of Training

With the exception of a minority of organizations that were already experienced in the use of computers and the Internet, the majority of organizations stated that training in ICT was high on their list of priorities. In addition, they identified training in management and governance, organizational development, and training of board members as priorities.

Many complained that in the absence of core funds, they were unable to establish their own agenda for training to meet their own needs. In the majority of cases, training was undertaken reactively or opportunistically: donors (or organizations funded by donors) would make available places at workshops or courses on specific subjects. Most organizations were aware that their own priority training needs were not being met by this process, but were philosophical about it: “Beggars can’t be choosers.” Very few organizations had access to core funds that enabled them to prioritize their own training needs. On the other hand, few had developed an explicit training strategy or proactively sought grants for relevant training.

Priority Training Needs

Human Rights and Computers/Internet Use

The following subjects were most often stated as being priorities for the organizations and for which appropriate computer/Internet based training materials should be developed:

--            Campaigning and advocacy

--            Democracy, governance and accountability

--            Establishing democratic budget processes

--            Establishing democratic constitutions

--            Conflict resolution

--            Fact-finding, investigating and monitoring

--            Women’s and children’s rights

--            Knowledge of international, regional and domestic human rights standards

--            Monitoring of elections and civic education

--            Reporting, complaints and adjudication procedures

--            Training of police and judiciary

--            Land and housing rights

--            Paralegal training

Priority Training in Management and Organizational Development

The priority subjects identified on which suitable training materials could be developed were:

--            Governance and management

--            Management and leadership

--            Managing change (and internal conflict resolution)

--            Finance for the “non-financial” manager

--            Managing effective governing boards

--            Strategic management, planning, monitoring and evaluation

--            Fundraising (international and local)

--            Financial sustainability and endowment creation

--            Development and management of documentation/resource centres

--            Research methods and report writing

--            Use of the Internet and ICTs

In the majority of cases, it was striking how much more animated respondents were about the issue of training in management and organizational development than they were about training in human rights. The importance of building competent and capable organizations is considered a central issue by most organizations, irrespective of their size and age.

Conclusions

Although access to computers and the Internet may be growing in the region, there is concern about the extent of disparities between organizations in each country and between South Africa (and to some extent Namibia) and the remainder of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries. If technology has one universal characteristic, it is a capacity to amplify differences: “Apparently indiscriminately, it amplifies efficiency or inefficiency, risk or caution, waste or saving, advantage or disadvantage.”4 Our survey showed a wide disparity between organizations in the accessibility of the resources of the Internet in every country. Those who have access frequently “hoard” that access, creating greater divergences between the “haves” and “have-nots.” There were very few examples of a culture of sharing either resources or information systematically with those who did not have access to ICTs. Any programme designed to use ICT as a means for building capacity would need to develop means for counteracting this seemingly “natural” proclivity of technology to amplify inequalities.

Many organizations in the region have existed in an environment where access to information has been limited. Brought up in a culture of “information starvation,” the first reaction when using the Internet is inevitably to hoard, and attempt to consume everything found there. While this reaction is understandable, a culture needs to be developed that is more selective, systematic and discriminatory.

In a very real sense, the key to effective use of the Internet by human rights organizations will be the development of effective research skills among this constituency. At the same time, there is an impressive range of valuable training materials available in the region that could be used to help develop computer/Internet based learning materials. More importantly, there is a wide pool of experts and activists who could be and are interested in participating in the development of appropriate materials. This is important because the most effective learning materials will be those that are able to speak directly to the experience of the region.

We believe that there is an urgent need to enhance the ability of human rights and civic associations to develop a popular democratic culture in the region. While all human rights organizations identified social and economic rights of priority concern, they was also a consensus that the lack of accountability of the state and the absence of functioning democracy at the grassroots level were the main reasons for these rights being ignored by most governments. Human rights and civic associations need a deep understanding of the ways in which rights can be protected and promoted. But just as skills are needed to promote a democratic culture if society at large is to be sustainable, skills are also needed in building sustainable organizations on the basis of an internal culture of democracy. The two dimensions are inseparable.

The spread of the Internet brings the potential for information to be accessed economically and with relative ease. But information does not, in reality, “exist” nor is it, like data, “collected” or “accessed.” What is defined as relevant information and how it is sought, interpreted and used is a process of creation and will vary from one institution or individual to another, depending on the interests and motives of the researcher. Critical to being able to engage in that process is the acquisition and development of research skills. We believe that such skills are a precondition for activists to be able to release the potentials of the Internet in development of a democratic culture in the region.

The survey revealed a need for capacity building and a demand for training. In addition it showed that it should be feasible to develop a programme that uses ICT as a tool for capacity building to make training accessible to a larger number of people than is possible using conventional approaches.

Therefore one important objective should be to enhance the capacity of human rights and civic associations to establish a popular democratic culture in the region through the development of computer-based and Internet-based learning materials. These should aim to enhance the capacity of the organizations to campaign and advocate effectively on human rights concerns, including democracy, governance and accountability; establish democratic budget processes; establish democratic constitutions; and use conflict resolution. Such training courses should seek to:

--            promote organizations that are sustainable, democratic and effectively managed and to enhance the development of effective leadership skills at all levels within them;

--            enhance the research capabilities and capacities of activists, especially in relation to the use of the Internet as a resource;

--            stimulate the development of a consensus policy on the use of ICT within the sector, and to encourage the sharing of ICT resources within and beyond the sector; and

--            stimulate the capacity of training institutions in the region to develop training materials using ICTs for use by others in the region.

Notes

1. International Human Rights Internship Program and The Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights (1994). The Status of Human Rights Organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Washington DC and Stockholm: International Human Rights Internship Program and The Swedish NGO Foundation for Human Rights; and J.P. Martin and K. Cobham (1997). Human Rights NGOs in Africa: the Emerging Agenda. Unpublished paper (personal communication). Centre for the Study of Human Rights, University of Columbia. 

2. Many organizations in South Africa are situated or affiliated to universities; consequently access to the Internet is frequently through those institutions’ networks.

3. To be fair, this characteristic is not unique to the region. Most NGOs in developed countries are motivated in having a website primarily because others have one. They too exhibit a sense of bemused wonder when they are asked how their website helps them to achieve their mission!

4. National Working Party on Social Inclusion (1997). The Net Result: Social Inclusion in the Information Society. London: Community Development Foundation/IBM.

This chapter is based on a report produced for, and with the support of, Canada’s International Development Research Centre. Since completing this research, Fahamu and the University of Oxford have been awarded major grants by the European Union and IDRC for a programme to strengthen the campaigning and organizational capacity of human rights organizations in southern Africa using ICTs.

Voices from Africa no. 9