In September 2011 we launched Spider 2.0. Strategy and Roadmap 2011-2015. This strategy outlines our overall aim to become an internationally recognized ICT4D broker, serving as a central node in a network of actors from academia, civil society, government and business. Our open consultation process in developing the strategy exemplifies the value we place on collaboration with ICT4D actors around the world, along with our commitment to become a more open and transparent ICT4D partner.

We have recently signed a new agreement with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for SEK 45,000,000. This contribution is matched with SEK 4,500,000 from our host Department of Computer and Systems Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University. With this financial basis we hope to solidify our activities in line with our new strategic direction.

With this organizational structure in place, the Spider team is now set for new challenges. Meanwhile, some recent accomplishments are worth mentioning. We congratulate Dr Katja Sarajeva on the successful defense of her PhD dissertation on 23 September 2011. We also congratulate Johan Hellström and his partner Maria on their baby girl Ellen who was born on 19 September.

Since June 2011, we have launched 13 new projects, in Bolivia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. All projects focus on the thematic areas of democracy, education, and health. We are pleased to note the positive outcome of our new project modality of supporting innovative projects through catalytic seed funding. This bottom-up approach is stimulating strategic projects in our partner countries, while encouraging cross-border collaboration among project partners.

As we are rejuvenating Spider, we would like to focus this newsletter on YOUTH. We are very pleased that many of our new projects are targeted at young people and even more thrilled that young women play critical roles in the implementation of some of our projects, as exemplified in the articles written by Caroline Wamala and Daniel Berggren. During our Umoja session at e-Learning Africa Pamoja kwa Vijana (Together for Youth) , African youth made it clear to us that they face all kinds of challenges, from lack of education to poor leadership. But similarly to other parts of the world, young people can also be at the forefront of social change. The dynamic energy, social commitment, and ICT mastery of our young project partners embody a great deal of hope for the future and we are happy to empower these upcoming ICT4D actors through financial support as well as inputs to capacity and institution building.

While this newsletter is being prepared, the Chanjo campaign in Tanzania is getting on the road—a nationwide campaign of vaccination against corruption, laziness and selfishness, through a creative combination of music, social media and mobile phones. The campaign is targeting youth in particular and members of the project team are in their early twenties and some of the performers even younger. We wish our project partners great success in their selfless service for a nation that is struggling with corruption, the spread of which represents one of the greatest challenges to social development around the world. Indeed, the greed that feeds corruption has no place in the interconnected world built in the spirit of digital solidarity for future generations that is the vision of Spider 2.0.

Paula Uimonen

Director of Spider

Gender, youth and digital democratic processes in East Africa

The Arab Spring has demonstrated a couple of things namely the power and importance of social media, the ability for technology to unite crowds of people in the shortest amount of time no matter the location, and the increased blurriness between the local and global entities with the use of tools like Twitter and Facebook.

ICTs for the construction of democracy in Bolivia

When Sweden a few years ago decided to realign its long term cooperation policy, Bolivia was the one country in South America that made the cut. Although slightly higher up in the development rankings than many of the other countries selected, it remains one of the poorest countries in that part of the world.

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