- KICTANet - KICTANet

Deploying Fibre Optic Cable in Kenya and East Africa, What are the Challenges.
by alice＠apc.org 07 Oct '06

07 Oct '06

Apologies for cross posting ----------------------------------------------------------- Dear Colleagues, The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTAnet) invites you to a meeting on Thursday 12 Oct 2006 at 3.30 p.m 12th at the Jacaranda Hotel- Wariara Conference Centre. This meeting will focus on: 1.. Kenya's current scenario on connectivity 2.. Challenges of deploying the fibre optic cable in Kenya / East Africa 3.. Why Kenya should go at it alone and not the Eassy way: A Private Sector perspective 4.. KDN’s rollout plan 5.. Update on KICTANet activities a.. Registration b.. Public Forums “Power Up with ICTs 2006” You are all welcome Yours truly, Judy Kimiti Events and Logistics Coordinator KICTAnet Tel: 4453671 / 2

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Fwd: LUNCHEON IN HONOUR OF SAM PITRODA
by Judy kimiti 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

Dear Member, Please note the attached Luncheon Invite from the Ministry Of Information, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Dr Bitange Ndemo. The Lunch at the Norfolk Hotel 6th October, is in honor of Dr. Sam Pitroda, a renowned Indian ICT Expert who will be visiting Kenya between 4th-9th October 2006. The PS's office has invited KICTANet Members for this luncheon at no cost to us. Kindly confirm your attendance to the undersigned before Thursday 5th as attendants names are required at the PS's office. Thank You Yours Truly Judy Kimiti KICTANet Tel: 4453671 / 2 Note: forwarded message attached. --------------------------------- Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Yahoo! Mail - quick, easy and free. Do it now...

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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TRUST FUND COMMITTEE
by evelyne ofwona 05 Oct '06

05 Oct '06

Good morning all, Attached, please find minutes of the above and the Trust Deed Document. Evelyne --------------------------------- Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

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Autoreply: [Kictanet] MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE TRUST FUND COMMITTEE
by VNgugi＠idrc.or.ke 05 Oct '06

05 Oct '06

Hi, I shall be away from the office from 4th Oct to 11th Oct. I shall attend to your messages when I return. Thanks Vivianne

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KICTANet Planning Meeting
by Judy kimiti 04 Oct '06

04 Oct '06

Dear Member, The next KICTANet Planning Meeting will be on 12th October 2006 at The Jacaranda Hotel 3:30pm, Wariara Conference Centre. Attached please find The Agenda. We would appreciate if you would RSVP your attendance on the day to the undersigned for logistics purposes. Thank you Yours truly, Judy Kimiti KICTANET Tel: 4453671 / 2 --------------------------------- All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

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ICT training resources
by alice＠apc.org 03 Oct '06

03 Oct '06

ITO-ANNOUNCE IS A MONTHLY DIGEST OF RESOURCES NEWLY LISTED ON ITRAINONLINE http://www.itrainonline.org/ The following resources were added to ItrainOnline during September: 1) Blogs and wikis 2) Multilingual computing 3) Telecentres 4) Web development and management 5) RSS and podcasting 6) Secure computing 7) Technology planning and management 8) Community media 9) Knowledge management 10) Resources for trainers 11) Recursos en español 12) Ressources en français 13) Suggestion a resource 1) BLOGS AND WIKIS 9 ways to make your blog more inclusive Darren Rowse offers nine tips for making your blog more inclusive and accessible to your communities. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040594 Blogs and Community – launching a new paradigm for online community? "Online community has been an important part of the Internet, mainly forming around email lists, bulletin boards and forums. In recent years, the ascendancy of blogs has introduced a new platform for communities." Nancy White looks at emerging patterns of blog based communities and questions for their strategic application. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040371 Getting Started with Blogging Software "Whether showcasing your work, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your nonprofit, highlighting the people you serve, or advocating a particular point of view, a blog can be a powerful - and influential - communication and public-relations tool for your organization." This report looks at the key considerations in choosing blogging software and reviews some of the options available. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040107 Exploring the World of Wikis: Collaborative Web sites organize information, encourage participation "Part of the next generation of interactive Web applications, wikis are collaborative Web sites that allow authorized users — or in some cases, anyone with an Internet connection — to rapidly and easily change the content of pages, as well as view a history of changes that others have made." This article by Brian Satterfield looks at what wikis are, how you can set one up, and how it might help your organization. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040103 2) MULTILINGUAL COMPUTING Is Your Website Lost in Translation? Top Ten Mistakes that companies make when creating multilingual websites Huiping Iler looks at mistakes ranging from not translating keywords properly to not communicating effectively with translators. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040731 Unicode and Multilingual Support in HTML, Fonts, Web Browsers and Other Applications "Have you ever tried to include a passage in a different alphabet in one of your documents, for example a quotation in Russian in an English document, only to find that you have no Cyrillic characters available? Or sent a Spanish document in electronic form to someone in Greece, only to be told that the accented Latin characters have been replaced by Greek characters? Or produced a Web page that includes technical symbols and found that it works with Windows but not with Mac OS or Unix?" Alan Wood shows you how to avoid these problems. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040728 3) TELECENTRES Telecottage handbook: How to establish and run a successful telecentre A practical guide for community development practitioners on strategies for ICT-enabled community empowerment based on the Hungarian telecottage movement experience. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040652 4) WEB DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESSIBILITY Preparing Images for the World Wide Web This guide from the University of Durham will help you understand different types of graphics formats such as GIF, TIFF and PNG and introduce you to ways of manipulating graphics for the web. While some of the references are specific to the University of Durham, the guide will be useful to a wider audience. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5039961 Usability and User Experience Usability Toolkit "The Usability Toolkit is a collection of forms, checklists and other useful documents for conducting usability tests and user interviews." http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040414 Four Web Accessibility Myths - Busted TechSoup challenges four myths around alternate text, the title attribute, tables for layout, and javascript. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040268 5) RSS AND PODCASTING Easy Ways to Publish Your Own RSS Feeds Brian Satterfield looks at ways to set up an RSS feed to deliver new information to your communities. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040580 How to podcast with Skype Josh Owens shows you how to record quality audio using Skype on a PC and Mac. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040460 6) SECURE COMPUTING An Introduction to Information Risk Assessment Vishal Visintine takes you through the basics of identifying and assessing assets, threats, vulnerabilities and risks in your organization, and at creating an action plan to address them. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040540 The No-Excuses Guide to Automated Online Backup "Backing up critical files is like exercising: everyone knows they should do it, but most people don't do it enough. A remedy for the files is automated online backup." This TechSoup article shows you how. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040532 Information security planning Developed by APC member Ungana-Afrika, this ItrainOnline MMTK unit aims to help NGOs plan for more secure use of information and communications technologies. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040840 7) TECHNOLOGY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT e-Strategy Guide for your nonprofit organisation This web site, developed by the Australian government's Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts aims to "help your organisation create its own useful presence on the web and make the most of ICT (information and communications technology)." Sections including "Getting more from the internet", "Creative web use", and "Online security". While some of the references are Australia-specific, the web site will be of value to non-profits more widely. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040120 Smart Chart The Smart Chart is aimed at helping NGOs assess strategic decisions in starting the communications planning process, evaluating communications campaigns already in progress, and reviewing efforts already completed. Available as an interactive online tool and a PDF download. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040315 Bandwidth optimisation training resources Briefing packs, workshop materials and information resources on bandwidth optimisation. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5039997 8) COMMUNITY MEDIA Using Community Radio for Non-Formal Education Community radio can be a powerful medium for non-formal education. This short guide introduces the possibilities, looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the medium, and gives tips on getting started. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040150 9) KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 15 Ways to Use Software to Improve Your Organization’s Knowledge Management "You may have seen signs that knowledge isn't flowing easily through your nonprofit: Staff can't find documents, or research things that others already know, and decisions are made without full information. " Laura Quinn looks at some of the ways in which software can help you - even if it doesn't solve all your problems! http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040110 10) Resources for trainers Source Camps Replication Materials An online online resource wiki for anyone interested in the organisation of free/open source software training workshops aligned with the Source Camp methodology that was developed by Tactical Technology Collective. It is a website where you can find information, templates, tips and secrets about organising Source Events.In the spirit of Free and Open Source Software and the general philosophy of the Source Camps the materials show how they were organised and share Tactical Tech's experiences in such a way that anyone who would like to organise their own Source Camp or other event inspired by Source Camps could do so using a set of materials. http://www.itrainonline.org/r/?cmd[1024]=x-1024-5040991

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NetCorps Kenya Gender Analysis Report
by alice＠apc.org 29 Sep '06

29 Sep '06

Hi all For all those interested in gender and ICTs. See report prepared by African Centre for Women and Information and Communication Technologies and Netcorps Kenya? http://www.globalnetcorps.org/file.php/246/documents/NCK_Gender_Analysis_Re… best alice ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan Walumbe" <jwalumbe(a)globalnetcorps.org> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Cc: "Joseph Maruti" <jmaruti(a)globalnetcorps.org> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 6:50 PM Subject: NetCorps Kenya Gender Analysis Report Dear Ms. Alice Munyua, We hope that you are well and that the work at Kenya ICT Action Network (KICT Anet) is moving as planned. We are grateful for the continued support and input from you in the shaping of the NetCorps Kenya Program. To share afew of the milestones we have achieved since the Program Visioning Workshop: 1. Recruitment Partners have been engaged in Intern recruitment and we are now at an advanced stage of Intern recruitment. 2. Community Partners are now being enrolled to be part of the group that receives ReachUp! training during this demonstration program 3. A number of organizations have come forward to act as the Access Partners where the community members will receive this ReachUp! training. We are also pleased to announce that we now have available a detailed Gender Analysis Report http://www.globalnetcorps.org/file.php/246/documents/NCK_Gender_Analysis_Re… from work carried out by African Center for Women and Information and Communication Technologies. This will serve as the basis upon which we develop our Gender Equity Strategy. We look forward to your deeper involvement and continued involvement. Kind Regards Joan Walumbe Communications Officer Netcorps Kenya http://www.kenya.globalnetcorps.org/ http://www.dotrust.org/ Tel: +254 20 675 1385 Mobile: +254 722 768164 email: jwalumbe(a)globalnecorps.org

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KENYAN GOVERNMENT WANTS CHANGES TO EASSY PROTOCOL
by alice＠apc.org 26 Sep '06

26 Sep '06

(From Balancing Act) KENYAN GOVERNMENT WANTS CHANGES TO EASSY PROTOCOL The Kenyan Government has fundamental disagreements with the EASSy Government Protocol signed in Rwanda and it is hard to see how these disagreements will be bridged. Balancing Act’s Isabelle Gross spoke to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information, Bitange Ndemo on a visit to London last week. According to Ndemo:” The Kenyan Government is not going to sign the Protocol unless some fundamental issues are solved before. Over the last years the Kenyan economy has gone through a liberalisation process and this includes the telecommunications sector whereby the role of the Government is to facilitate the expansion of the private sector and not to interfere with it.” From this perspective, it fears that NEPAD may have an overbearing influence on the project:”The NEPAD protocol implies that at some stage a type of “governmental body” supervised by the NEPAD secretariat would be created to manage the project. NEPAD will have a lot of power in this project. How will it for example communicate to the Board of the SPV? We fear that the form of communication between NEPAD and the SPV would be in the form of directives”. The Kenyan Government maintains that a regional protocol of this kind is illegal as it will override national law:” The IGA (has the power) to overrule all regulatory agreements in East and Southern Africa and therefore that would make it illegal in Kenya. We want EASSy to stay private with a shareholders agreement. NEPAD has no role in this project even when it defends the principle of open access to EASSy. At first we want the EASSy project to be out of any governmental control and later on we can discuss about the open access model. We fear that the current situation is potentially stopping foreign interests and investment”. The Kenyan Government fears the influence of South Africa in NEPAD:” NEPAD is controlled via South Africa. We are all brothers and sisters and therefore should work together! We don’t want any control. Personally I think that the e-Africa commission is overstepping and has lost directions with what NEPAD main role and tasks are. But the bottom line for Kenya is that it needs a cable as soon as possible if it is not to lose potential global opportunities, particularly in outsourcing:”For Kenya’s economy the cable is a matter of life or death and therefore all means are good to get it. Right now there are some outsourcing opportunities coming up. Some European companies have shown interest in outsourcing work in Kenya. These opportunities only happen once. If the EASSy project is further delayed we would need to continue to rely on expensive satellite backhaul for data and voice transmission. Further delays in the project would stop opportunities in the outsourced market”. Ndemo feels that the Protocol is a step backwards in terms of regulatory approach:”The protocol that has been signed by the other countries needs to be domesticated in terms of its content. The protocol reflects a different stage in the regulatory environment. As it stands now it will take us back to a regulated environment (versus a liberalised environment) and what access would it be and at what cost? NEPAD has no resources to do it and who should invest with this protocol? There is already the EASSy consortium. At this point, Ndemo’s fellow national, Telkom Kenya Managing Director Sammy Kirui (who was with the PS) chipped in:”The EASSy consortium is ready to address the issues around the SAT3 consortium. We don’t intend to go back to the monopoly of SAT3 and its blocks. The question of price can be addressed today. At that time (when the SAT3 consortium was set up) there was no regulator. Today the telecommunication sector is more open and there is a regulatory framework in place to deal with complaints/issues with regards to access. Operators are not here to keep prices high and they acknowledge that if they offered lower prices they will attract more customers.” Ndemo cited the example of Caribbean regulators addressing similar access issues with Cable and Wireless:”Access to the cable is an issue that today can be dealt with the regulator. EASSy has come a long way from a regulatory and financing point of view. The question of (the) access model and price can be addressed too”. So how will things move forward? According to Ndemo:“ The EASSy consortium has already contracted Alcatel for the construction of the cable. The financing is in place. At this stage Telkom SA can’t do anything. They can’t do what they did in the past when they pulled out of the Africa One project and started SAT3”. But what does the Kenyan Government intend to do?:”Kenya will support the EASSy consortium or build a redundant cable”. But if it has to go it alone, how will it do it?:”The money will be raised on the Kenyan Stock Exchange. Bonds will be issued but there is also the possibility of a partnership with the UAE. Bonds could be convertible (to) equity after two years. (The return on investment would be)”not much, less than the banks rates. The redundant cable project could be structured around another SPV”.

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Fw: [i-network] Call for applications for small grants / Appel de demandes des subventions
by alice＠apc.org 25 Sep '06

25 Sep '06

----- Original Message ----- From: "Jacqueline Nnam" <jnnam(a)bellanet.org> To: "I-Network Uganda" <i-network(a)dgroups.org> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 11:03 AM Subject: [i-network] Call for applications for small grants / Appel de demandes des subventions > Dear one and all, > > Please find below a call for proposals for small grants from the > Harambee Project, an initiative of the Association for Progressive > Communications, Bellanet and the United Nations Economic Commission for > Africa. Through this small grants facility, the Project will provide a > number of sectoral based networks and communities in Africa with funding > for the development of greater collaborative capacity. > > You are encouraged to apply if you meet the eligibility requirements. > Kindly, please circulate this call to your partners and networks. > > The deadline for sending Concept Notes is 13th October, 2006 > > Thanks > --- > > > HARAMBEE: REINFORCING AFRICAN VOICES THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PROCESSES > > [CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR SMALL GRANTS] > > > The Harambee Project, conceived by the Association for Progressive > Communications, Bellanet and the United Nations Economic Commission for > Africa, and funded by Connectivity Africa and Hivos, is designed to > support increased capacity among a range of Africa-based networks and > communities to coordinate and facilitate the interactions of their > respective constituencies. > > The Harambee project coordinators are announcing a small grants facility > (SGF) to provide a number of sectoral based networks and communities in > Africa with funding for the development of greater collaborative > capacity. The SGF will provide a one time grant of up to 5,000 USD per > network for a maximum period of six months. A network applying for the > SGF must be a recognized legal entity or hosted by one. Preference will > be given to networks with an institutional base in Africa. > > Applicants are required to submit, by email, a brief Concept Note (1-2 > pages) by 13TH OCTOBER, 2006. The concept note should include the name > of the applicant organisation and/or network, contact information, title > of the proposed activity, description of the problem/issue the proposed > activity will address, outline of the proposed activity including a > description of how a small grant of up to $5000 USD would be used, > beneficiaries and impact of the project and the expected duration of the > activity. > > Concept notes will be evaluated and selected applicants will then be > invited to submit a more detailed proposal (5-6 pages). > > Applicants who pass into this second stage will be assured that: > > 1. There will be a roughly 50% chance that their proposal will be funded > > 2. ALL APPLICANTS WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO SUBMIT FULL PROPOSALS WILL > BE FUNDED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE UPCOMING HARAMBEE WORKSHOP, held to > develop capacity in network coordination, to share learning from the > implementation of pilot projects, to validate project strategies, and to > provide input into the design of activities for future phases of the > Harambee project. > > The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications: > > * Quality and suitability of the proposed activity with respect to > SGF objectives. (30%) > * Proposal clearly states objectives, includes a methodology, > identifies outputs, partners/stakeholders and includes a realistic > timeline and budget. (25%) > * Demonstrated potential for shared learning within the network > and/or among broader networks. (20%) > * Planned output(s) in the form of a 1-2 page learning document, > short video, journal article etc. highlighting results of the > activity (20%) > * Suitability of applicant organisation and/or network in relation > to the eligibility requirements. (5%) > > Concept notes and proposals may be written in English or French and sent > to harambee-sgf(a)dgroups.org<mailto:harambee-sgf@dgroups.org>. > > Announcement of grant awards will be made on DECEMBER 22nd, 2006 and > implementation of activities will commence in January 2007. > > For more information on the SGF including eligibility requirements, > please refer to: > http://wikis.bellanet.org/harambee/index.php/SGF_Call_for_Applicants > > Please direct any inquiries to harambee-sgf(a)dgroups.org > <mailto:harambee-sgf@dgroups.org>. > > ************************************************************************************* > > > > > > HARAMBEE: RENFORCEMENT DES VOIX AFRICAINES A TRAVERS DES PROCESSUS COMMUNS > > (APPEL DE DEMANDES DES SUBVENTIONS) > > > Le projet Harambee, conçu par l’Association des Communications > Progressives, Bellanet et la Commission Economiques des Nations Unies > pour l’Afrique, financée par Connectivity Africa et Hivos, a été élaboré > pour soutenir la capacité accrue de coordonner et faciliter les > intéractions sur place parmi de réseaux et communautés variées basées en > Afrique. > > Les coordinateurs du Project Harambee annoncent une facilité de > Subventions Moyennes (SGF) pour fournir des fonds destinés au > développement d’une capacité plus importante de collaboration aux > réseaux sectoriels et aux communautés en Afrique. Le SGF fournira un > financement unique jus qu’à USD 5,000 pour chaque réseau pour une > période maximum de six mois. Le réseau demandeur du SGF devrait avoir un > statut de personne morale ou affiliée. Les réseaux avec une base > institutionnelle en Afrique seront privilégies. > > Les demandeurs sont exigés de présenter un bref Note de Concept (1-2 > pages) au plus tard le 13 OCTOBRE 2006. Cette note devrait comprendre le > nom de l’organisation demandeur et/ou le réseau, les coordonnés, le > genre d’activités proposées, la description du problème auquel > s’adressera l’activité proposée, le plan de cette activité, y compris un > plan de dépenses d’un fonds de USD 5000, les bénéficiaires, les effets > attendus et la durée impliquée. Les Notes de Concepts seront évaluées et > les demandeurs retenus seront obligés de fournir un projet plus détaillé > (5-6 pages) > > On assurera aux candidats qui passeront à cette deuxième phase que: > > 1. Ils auront une garantie de 50% de financement de leur projet > > 2. TOUS LES CANDIDATS SELECTIONNES POUR FOURNIR LES PROJETS COMPLETS > SERONT FINANCES POUR PARTICIPER A L’ATELIER PROCHAIN DE HARAMBEE qui > aura pour objectifs: développer la capacité de coordination d’un réseau, > partager des connaissances issues de la mise en œuvre des projets > pilotes, évaluer les stratégies des projets et, fournir des entrées au > plan d’activités pour les phases de l’avenir du projet Harambee. > > Les demandes seront soumises à des critères suivants : > > * La qualité et validité de l’activité proposée en conformité avec > les objectifs SGF (30%) > * Le projet indique clairement les objectifs et les méthodologies, > les résultats, les partenaires, la durée le programme et le budget > (25%) > * Manifestation du potentiel du partage des connaissances dans le > réseau et/ou entre des réseaux élargis (20%) > * Les résultats projets sous forme d’un document d’enseignement (1-2 > pages), courte vidéo, articles de journal etc. mettant en relief > les résultats de l’activité (20%) > * La validité de l’organisation demandeur et/ou réseau en rapport > aux exigences (5%) > > > Les Notes de Concepts et les projets peuvent être rédigés en anglais ou > en français et envoyé à > harambee-sgf(a)dgroups.org<mailto:harambee-sgf@dgroups.org> > > La remise des subventions sera annoncée le 22 DECEMBRE 2006 et la mise > en œuvre des activités commencera en janvier 2007. > > Pour des renseignements supplémentaires sur SGF, veuillez vous référer à > http://wikis.bellanet.org/harambee/index.php/SGF_Call_for_Applicants > > Veuillez vous renseigner auprès de harambee-sgf(a)dgroups.org > <mailto:harambee-sgf@dgroups.org> > > > > > Dgroups is a joint initiative of Bellanet, DFID, Hivos, ICA, ICCO, IICD, > OneWorld, UNAIDS and World Bank > --- You are currently subscribed to i-network as: vincent(a)bridges.org > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-i-network-48673B(a)dgroups.org >

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Fw: Taking a break
by alice＠apc.org 23 Sep '06

23 Sep '06

Dear all This is to inform you that Catherine Nyaki is taking a health break from active engagement with KICTAnet activities until further notice. This is an order from her doctor in Nairobi. Nyaki, take care and all the best warm regards alice ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nyaki Adeya" <n_awino(a)hotmail.com> To: <alice(a)apc.org> Sent: Friday, September 15, 2006 1:03 PM Subject: Taking a break > Alice, > > Due to health reasons I have been forced to go on a go-slow. Therefore I > will not be able to give my all to KICTANet Activities. I can still help > you on an advisory level until I am given a clean bill of health. Thank > you for all the support. > > Nyaki >

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