FOSS

1
FOSS GENDER How far have we gone?
Anna Badimo anna_at_africalinuxchix.org www.africalin
uxchix.org
Information Technology for Everybody Else!
2
BACKGROUND

• Linuxchix 1999 by Deb Richardson
• Linuxchix Africa Nov 2004 by Anna Badimo and
  Dorcas Muthoni
• Rationale
• FOSS is still male dominated
• Geek mentality
• Our slogan - ICT for Everybody Else!

3
LINUXCHIX AFRICA

• Feb 2005 2 members in 2 countries (SA and
  Kenya)
• Feb 2006 over 200 members in over 25 countries
  (rapid growth)
• Representation
• Southern Africa
• West Africa
• Central Africa
• East Africa
• North Africa

4
WHAT DO WE DO?

• Technical Skills Development
• FOSS Awareness media, partnerships, Software
  Freedom Day
• Advocacy and Policy LCA represented on the
  FOSSFA Council
• Research Stats for Africa women in FOSS needed
• Networking Mentoring

5
WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

• Technical Training WENT Africa, Africa Source
  2, Eclectic Tech Carnival, AFNOG
• SFD 2005 4 countries
• Presentations WSIS Precom 3, Womens Mutingati,
  Incommunicado, SADC Parliamentary Forum,
  Incommunicado, IDLELO2
• Membership exponential growth!

6
OUR PARTNERS

• OSISA supporting our incorporation and
  reconstitution
• GO OPEN SOURCE Campaign supported our SFD in
  2005
• Kenya Education Network website hosting
  services
• University of the Witwatersrand administrative
  support

7
OUR PARTNERS

• APC-Africa Womens network (AAW)
• Meraka Open Source Centre
• Free and Open Source Foundation for Africa
  (FOSSFA)
• UNDP Regional offices country partnerships

8
THE FUTURE

• ChixSource 2007 and other technical training
  workshops
• Software Freedom Day 2006 all African countries
• Membership encourage women to take ICT careers
• Partnerships more partners and support

9
THE FUTURE

• Policy
• Gender and ICT/ FOSS policies
• Implementation Evaluation
• Research
• Infonomics 2002 less that 1.1 women developers
• Followup Research 2005 FOSS Community dynamics
  an inhibitor
• LCA must focus on research from an African
  perspective

10
CONCLUSION

• The digital divide will become a gender digital
  divide if the issue of ICT gender is not
  adequately addressed.
• And this has got implications for Civil Society
  advocacy and buy-in.
• Thank You!