Siyanda Update:
Issue No. 12, June 2003

Dear friends:
Greetings from BRIDGE! As many of you know the redesigned Siyanda website is now on-line at: http://www.siyanda.org/. To familiarise you better with our many new and improved services, this update provides you with a brief introduction to each of these features. So here goes!

NEW FEATURES:
Country Focus:
===========
In this section you can access and download key resources from a different country each month and network with members of the Siyanda network from that particular country.

In June we featured Kenya-specific resources: http://www.siyanda.org/search/qlinx-countryfocus.cfm?code=kenya
and users: http://www.siyanda.org/searchp/qlinx-participatant.cfm?code=kenya

Also, our archive includes a past focus on South Africa and on India: http://www.siyanda.org/country_focus.htm

Quick Guide:
==========
Here we provide a brief introduction to a topical gender and development issue and give you a flavour of the latest debates on this topic.

This month, we provided a quick guide to Islam and Feminism

Past features include an introduction to Gender and Participation and Gender and HIV/AIDS.

New Database Additions:
==================
Get a snap-shot of the latest 20 resources added to the Siyanda website in this section. June's latest additions included:

UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG):
- Gender Mainstreaming in Poverty Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals by Naila Kabeer, 2003. Evidence as to why promoting gender equality is essential for halving world poverty and realising the eight Millennium Development Goals.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/kabeer_mdgs.htm

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs):
- Failing Women, Sustaining Poverty: Gender in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) by Ann Whitehead, 2003.
PRSP processes from Tanzania, Bolivia, Malawi and Yemen fail to address gender in a coherent and consistent way.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/whitehead_prsps.htm

and on Disarmament:
- Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan, Department for Disarmament Affairs, 2003.
This Action Plan for the United Nations Department of Disarmament Affairs (DDA) outlines specific activities to better achieve progress on disarmament through the incorporation of a gender perspective.
http://www.siyanda.org/static/undisarmament_gendermainstream.htm

Other new additions include resources on citizenship, feminism and Islam, budgets, HIV/AIDS, and sexual rights.

Users' Corner:
==========
This is a space for you to share your ideas, interests and experiences with other Siyanda users. You are also welcome to post short pieces of work, provided that they are no longer than 10 pages.

Recent submissions include: a call for resources on participation methods from Iran; a query for similar projects aimed at promoting female rural teachers from Bangladesh; and a request for sharing experiences in developing Gender Management Information Systems (GMIS) from Pakistan.

You can also download papers on Gender Equality in Guatemala and on Women's Political Participation in Nigeria that were submitted by our users.

http://www.siyanda.org/userscorner/

IMPROVED FEATURES:
Database Search:
=============
We've made our search function even simpler to use! You can now search for summaries of all the materials in our database of over 860 records (mostly full-length documents) by keyword AND publication date. We've also improved our results page to make it easier on the eye.

http://www.siyanda.org/Search/

Participate:
=========
Our former Community page is now called Participate. This reflects our desire to become a more interactive and user-driven website. Here you can:

- Participate in current discussions on topical gender issues such as PRSPs, family, conflict and identity.
http://www.siyanda.org/forum/index.cfm?OrderBy=Subject

- Post your gender-related questions:
http://www.siyanda.org/forum/xviewthread.cfm?Thread=120030123021821

- Submit your publications for inclusion in our database, or suggest other resources: http://www.siyanda.org/addinfo/
Recent user suggested resources include "Two Shores: Transnational Projects and Filipina Wives in/from Japan", "Gendered Surveillance and Sexual Violence in Filipina Pre-Migration Experiences to Japan" and "Reexamining Femicide: Breaking the Silence and Crossing the "Scientific" Borders".

- Add your profiles to the Siyanda user directory: http://www.siyanda.org/exps/addexp.cfm

and network with Siyanda members in that directory: http://www.siyanda.org/exps/

Siyanda Update:
============
This is a monthly newsletter featuring the latest gender mainstreaming resources available on the website. In this section you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter http://www.siyanda.org/subscribe.htm and access past issues of the update from our archive section http://www.siyanda.org/archive.htm.

Well, we hope that you have enjoyed the tour of Siyanda and welcome you as a regular visitor of the website!

Salam,
Ra'ida S. Al-Zu'bi
Information and Network Coordinator
Bridge, Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9RE
e-mail: r.al-zubi@ids.ac.uk
tel: 44-1273-872548
fax: 44-1273-691647 att. Ra'ida Al-Zu'bi

Have you seen our new and improved Siyanda site?
For extensive gender and development materials visit http://www.siyanda.org
Don't forget to visit our other websites:
BRIDGE reports online http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/