Acknowledgements

Our work was made possible by grants from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and from the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS). WomenAction gratefully acknowledges their generous support.

On a more personal note, I would like to thank the women who worked with me on this project, as well as the women who have participated in different initiatives of the WomenAction coalition. I first became a part of WomenAction in October 1999, at the Global Women’s Electronic Network Training workshop in Seoul, Korea. Energy and enthusiasm ran high as women from around the world, working in every variety of media, spent a week in the "technological paradise" that is the Asian and Pacific Women’s Information Network Center (APWINC). The most exhilarating part of the week was not (just) the laptops, the projectors, the wireless LAN or the Shoutcast workshop; it was simply sharing, strategizing and learning in the company of the women who work on media and information in every world region.

This book reflects the exceptional collaborative spirit that is characteristic of this network’s activities. It is the tangible product of dedicated work by the women and organizations listed above, and of the good will of many more women who helped the regional researchers, sent us the photos that were used in the book and this web site, and submitted best practices.

It was a privilege to coordinate this extraordinary team. If this book can somehow bring to other women that heady feeling I had in Seoul of having found my sisters-in-arms, it will be an excellent reward for the work of all these women.

Sharon Hackett