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At a workshop sponsored by the Network of East-West Women Online, Albanian women make their first foray into cyberspace. (Photograph by Andy Hernandez)
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irana, the ragtag Albanian capital still in the shadow of the fallen Iron Curtain: On February 8, 1996, a trainer for an electronic communications network for women's rights advocates in Central and Eastern Europe committed a revolutionary act. She introduced the women to email, and with that changed their lives forever. Victoria Vrana, of the Network of East-West Women (NEWW) Online, says, "I was not prepared for the intense experience of meeting so many women eager for this technology. In the U.S. we read about the novelty of the Internet, useless chat rooms, or information glut. But for these women, email is a lifeline."Until recently, Albania was the North Korea of Europe -- repressive, xenophobic, and backwards. While it has opened its doors a crack to the outside world, change has been slow. "Very little here is democratic," says Elena Rezi of Tirana. "Hopefully, the Internet can quell some of the frustration." Elena's words could serve as a mission statement for NEWW Online. Through donated equipment and hands-on training, the program encourages electronic dialogue among feminist activists across borders and cultures.
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