SANGONeT extends software distribution to five countries

The Southern African NGO Network’s technology branch, SANGOTeCH, in partnership with TechSoup Global, is extending its software distribution to include nongovernment organizations in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia.

Before the advent of SANGOTeCH, NGOs in Southern Africa were often using pirated software to avoid high costs; in that way, antipiracy has become part of the organization’s work, said David Barnard, the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT) director, in an interview.

SANGOTeCH supplies a full range of Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Bytes for All and antispam solutions to NGOs, Barnard explained. Microsoft software has been the most in-demand product, he said, and SANGOTeCH is able to supply it to NGOs at a cost equal to 4 percent of retail value. So far, the organization has distributed about US$3 million worth of Microsoft software.

The partnership between SANGOTeCH and TechSoup is able to break down the barriers to software use by choosing the right types of technology for NGOs, including refurbished computers and mobile devices, noted Mike Yeaton, TechSoup’s vice president of community.

In order to nurture NGOs’ appreciation of ICT, SANGOTeCH has also launched a South African portal called NGO Pulse, Barnard said.

“NGO Pulse provides a gateway to the NGO sector in South Africa, raising the profile of South African NGOs both locally and internationally, and supporting the process of repositioning and strengthening the sector in response to the development challenges facing South Africa,” he said.

The portal connects NGOs in South Africa using various social-networking tools linked to “issue groups,” which represent core concerns of the sector. These issue groups address civil society, democracy, education, environment, fundraising, governance, NGO management and technology.

NGO Pulse represents an important milestone in the consolidation of SANGONeT’s online content services, the strategic alignment of SANGONeT’s program activities, and the introduction of SANGONeT’s new corporate identity, Barnard said.

IDG News Service