Please note that the deadline for sending in applications has been  extended until October 24th, 2005.

We welcome applications from those working in Africa who are;

• campaigners, practitioners or project managers working within non- profits and interested in technology
• system administrators within NGOs, or acting as technical support  to non-profits or community centres
• trainers and consultants to the non-profit sector, or working in  resource centres who are intersted in technology
  

What is Africa Source II?
Africa Source II will be an eight day hands-on workshop aimed at  building the technical skills of those working with and within NGOs  on the continent. It will take place in one of the most beautiful  parts of the Kalangala Island on Victoria Lake during the beginning  of January 2006.
Africa Source II will focus on how technology, in particular Free and  Open Source Software (FOSS) can be integrated into the project work  of NGO's. Over a hundred NGO Support Professionals and NGO Staff  working at the local level across the region are expected at this meeting. Together with a handful of field leaders from Africa,  Europe, North America and Asia, they will explore how technology can  best serve the non-profit sector in Africa both in terms of access  and content. I

We are still accepting applications! The deadline for sending in  applications has been extended until October 24th, 2005.

Who will be there?
Participants with a range of experience will learn from one another  about how technology can help make their NGO's more efficient, build  capacity and facilitate their project work. They will be given an  opportunity to develop their understanding of FOSS, including  exploring the challenges and the future potential of FOSS adoption in  Africa. All participants will have a history of work with service and  advocacy NGOs, educational organisations, NGO resource centres,  community centres and health information organisations.

What will happen there?
There will be a range of sessions for participants to take part in,  they will include:

* How to help NGO's plan and implement FOSS applications in order to  increase their capacity
* How to use FOSS applications to handle information, publish content  using citizen's media tools and engage supporters
* How FOSS can increase accessibility through localisation,  transl    ation into local language and dialects
During these sessions participants will get an opportunity to learn  from peers about how technology has impacted their work through case  studies and skill shares. The workshops will be lead by a range of  facilitators from the region with strong experience in deploying free  and open source solutions and of working in the non-profit sector, as  well as a number of experienced NGO practitioners. They will be  joined by a handful of international field leaders from specific  fields, such as community radio, alternative access solutions and the  use of mobile phones for NGO work.

The camp will focus on learning by doing, rather than by listening.  We aim for a "workshop vibe" as opposed to a "conference vibe";  participants will be hosted at an Island location, with shared  housing. The agenda of the event is very hands-on and intensive, with  an emphasis on active participation over passive learning. Like other  source events, Africa Source II will be intentionally designed to  foster community building, this creates an atmosphere conducive to  learning, but more importantly is essential if longer term  relationships are to be built.

Building on the previous Africa Source event (Namibia, March 2004),  which brought together African FOSS developers working in the social  sector, Africa Source II will in contrast work at a different level,  concentrating on bringing together those working with NGOs and  technology at the practitioner and intermediary level. Participants  should have experience working with computers and the internet and a  project or initiative planned in the future incorporating technology  for the non-profit sector. They do not, however, have to be technical  experts.

Besides new ideas, skills and contacts that participants will gain,  they will also leave the workshop equipped with an event specific  version of NGO-in-a-box, a toolkit of FOSS and materials specific to  the NGO sector.

Who is organising Africa Source II?
The Association for Progressive Communication APC (regional network),  Fantsuam Foundation (Nigeria), Schoolnet Africa (regional network),  Translate.org.za, WOUGNET (Uganda), Creative Commons South Africa,  Aspiration (US) and The Tactical Technology Collective (the  Netherlands) will collaborate to organise the content of the workshop  and to build strong relationships between the participants. The  project partners are committed to examining the challenges of  implementing FOSS in the African context, stretching its potential to  fit the needs on the ground, and building local capacities to realise  this. Our local partners and hosts are the East African Center for  Open Source (EACOSS), Linux Solutions and WOUGNET.

Previous source events have taken place in Croatia - September 2003,  Namibia - March 2004, India - February 2005, and Tajikistan October  2005. In 2006 an event will be held in the Middle East.

How can I apply?
For more information please visit http://www.tacticaltech.org/ africasource2
Applications will be invited between September and November 2005.  This is a competitive process and participants will be selected by  the Advisory Group based on their potential to use the skills they  gain, their interests and the experiences they can bring to the  event. There will be a small registration fee for the event. A  limited number of travel and registration fee scholarships are  available and may be applied for on application. If you would like to  receive an application form or have any questions please write to  africasource2@tacticaltech.org