We are starting a project to establish a non-profit, online, community newspaper in Nansana, Uganda. Our proposed online publication is called Nansanet. It will provide a steady stream of local news and features, and educational resources including public health, family health, farming, business start-ups and gardening advice. It’s free. Anyone can join Nansanet. This project is spearheaded by Kisa Foundation USA, Oakland CA and Kiyita Family Alliance (KIFAD), Nansana, Uganda, to establish online community news source in Nansana Uganda, a town of 100,000 people 7 km from Kampala. We hope to be online sometime later this year. Objectives: To provide news to the community, to increase awareness of local issues and to stimulate discussion and debate on our website as well as in daily life in the community. Nansanet goal: To become a permanent vital community institution that will educate the community about public issues, and will facilitate discussion, debate, and participation in community activities of all kinds. Editorial philosophy: To report on significant events, issues, and people throughout the Nansana community including social, political, educational, sports, entertainment, religious and business events, issues and concerns. Nansanet will have interactive features including comment sections for news articles and forums on topics of current community interest. We will also have programs to provide training and on-the-job experience in journalism, web design and Internet technology skills for young people in the community. Nansanet project will depend on members for news including the milestone events in your lives. We will also have public health and HIV-AIDS information, and special sections for farmers, teachers and business owners. We’ll cover local sports, and entertainment, plus news about schools, churches and other organizations. It will be all about Nansana and its people. Nansanet Key Project Staff and Advisers Bob Bongole heads the planning committee for the Nansanet project. He will serve as the publisher or overall administrator of Nansanet. He is a founder of KIFAD and has been KIFAD Programme Manager (CEO) since 2005. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from Makerere University in 1999. He previously worked as Liason Administrative Officer at Lutheran World Federation. John Kibukka holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and computer studies and certificates in wifi installations and online publishing. He has owned and operated an Internet café and repair business in Kampala and has worked for Mountbatten Ltd. Web developers, and several other Internet technology companies. Benjamin Lutaaya holds a Bachelors degree in Information Systems from Makerere University. He currently works as a Drupal developer for Mountbatten Ltd. in Kampala. Lutaaya is the designer of the Nansanet website Tom Herriman is former publisher and editor of The Seattle Press in Seattle, Washington USA, and has over 40 years experience as a writer and journalist. Tom has made several months-long visits to Uganda since 2007, and has made many friends and contacts in Nansana. In Uganda he has been a volunteer teacher, manager of the Nansana youth football club and the Uganda news correspondent for several U.S. community radio stations. Tom is founder and head of Kisa Foundation USA and the Uganda Art Consortium. Tom conceived the idea of Nansanet and has worked with us for over two years to develop and implement the project. He will also serve as editorial and personnel consultant and journalism training instructor. Sean Roach is an American journalist who served as editor of the Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow, NY Patch, an innovative online community newspaper started by AOL. Roach’s article “The Constant Gardener,” recounting his two-year stint at Tarrytown Patch was the cover story in the March/April 2012 edition of Columbia Journalism review. He will serve as editorial and personnel consultant and journalism training instructor. Through this Facebook group, we’ll keep you posted on our progress. And for those who would wish to do their internships with us or more information about Nansanet, feel free to contact us via our email address: nansanet791@gmail.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 14:00:33 +0000