Computer networking has enabled NGOs to strike fast, when it counts. — By Willem Tjebbe Oostenbrink   Photo: BTA LOGGED OFF: An online campaign by Bulgarian NGOs at pirin.bluelink.net aroused the public, but did not succeed in preventing the clearing of ski runs in the Pirin National Park. In Romania last year, it was the Internet rather than a silver stake that killed Dracula. A rash of irate e-mails from environmentalists, artists, priests, historians and ordinary citizens helped block a proposed theme park based on the legend of Dracula. The same electronic weapon was taken up in Bulgaria, where environmental groups stopped their government from issuing a permit for a road construction through the Kresna Gorge. Having worked since 1997 as a programme coordinator for Milieukontakt Oost-Europa in Central and Eastern Europe, I saw great potential for electronic communication in NGO work. Despite the poor infrastructure in many of these countries, information and communication technology (ICT) could be used to raise awareness, and encourage open discussions and debates about environmental problems. For relatively little cost, ICT could bridge distances and provide opportunities for activists from all over the region to have regular contact. Electronic networking brought in a new climate of openness in communication. It introduced new forms of cooperation and strengthened the NGO movement. In the Medieval Romanian town of Sigishoara, the proposed Dracula park took no account of its potential impact on the natural values of the area. Armed with lightning-quick communication tools, environmental NGOs pounced. They built electronic mailing lists and started a virtual discussion group on the Internet. The anti-Dracula campaign struck a popular chord in Romania. Misi Baku, director of the environmental network Strawberrynet.ro, said that the discussion group her group administered generated 400 e-mails in one year on the topic. Bulgaria's proposed motorway to Greece would demolish unique ecosystems in the Kresna Gorge, now a protected area with a high chance of joining the European Union's NATURA 2000 list. To win the protected designation, activists launched a campaign using an electronic mailing list. "The list has been extremely useful for writing common statements," said Anelia Stefanova from Za Zemiata, one of the most active pressure groups. After its birth in North America, electronic networking and the use of ICT quickly spread throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the developing world. Local NGO communities were able to create international networks. The Association for Progressive Communication (APC) was one of the first global organisations to exploit ICTs in the non-profit sector. APC developed different educational and action initiatives for NGOs, and created software which helps users exchange content from one website to another. Greens out front Environmental groups helped lead civil society in this area. Since the mid-1990s the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) has been promoting electronic networking among environmental groups -- initially with Central Europe's Econnect.cz and ZPok.hu. Later with Milieukontakt Oost-Europa, the REC contributed to regional electronic networking in the Balkans. Electronic networks in civil society have developed according to a few key principles. They are self-organised, jointly owned, managed transparently, and follow the needs and priorities of NGO users. This model, successfully tried in Bulgaria and Romania, has now been transferred to Albania, FYR Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo (Territory Under Interim UN Administration) and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Launched two years ago the electronic networks in these countries and territories have charted successes. "Through a mailing list including the 70 NGOs from Albania, we can exchange information on the environment as well as on social issues, legislation and youth concerns," said Rrezearta Ago, coordinator of the Albanian QKE-al.org. OrangeNet.md, the electronic platform in Moldova, has started to develop partnerships with the Balkan electronic networks. But ICT faces obstacles in this region. A lack of experience on cooperative projects and a lack of communication skills led to the failure of several cooperative initiatives in the last decade. Technical training in ICT is not enough, explained Maria Makovska, a training officer at the Internet Access Training Programme (IATP) in Ukraine, which offers free services to NGOs. "The country has a high potential, but NGOs need to learn how to overcome communication barriers and integrate the use of ICT in the daily work," Makovska said. — Willem Tjebbe Oostenbrink is a programme manager at Milieukontakt Oost-Europa

Back to front page   Resources for NGO networking: www.itrainonline.org APC's civil training portal includes information on mailing lists, Internet strategic uses, building online communities. www.see-environment.info Website on environmental information in the Balkans. www.oneworld.org Global network on internet, NGOs, media. www.rec.org/REC/ Programs/SEE_networking A registry of the NGO electronic networks in the Balkans. www.milieukontakt.nl Strengthening environmental movement and democracy building. www.apc.org Electronic networking for social change ¨C the front page of APC. Top