CADS Global Refugees
and Adoption Assistance Program (GRAAP)

Background Information:

GRAAP is a CADS initiative concerned about Africa and her refugee problems.

Generally, Africa has the human and natural resource to lift herself out of poverty into a life of peace, prosperity and dignity. In this very moment of our continent's history, this assertion truly reveals the concern that should be exercising the minds of well meaning Africans to come up with strategies on how to get out of this penury trap of disease, poverty and wars the continent is deeply fraught with.

CADS Sensitization Rally in Freetown -- June, 1996.

In spite of the availability of resources both human and natural, our continent has not registered the necessary economic growth that would ensure peace and stability. The little infrastructure left behind by the colonial masters after years of systematic exploitation of Africa's natural affluence, has been completely destroyed by civil unrest as evidenced in countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Congo D.R., etc.

Certainly, well meaning Africans and friends of Africa have contemplated on various alternative strategies to foster development in Africa. Some are claiming compensation for the inhumanity perpetrated by the slave trade which to them has permanently affected the African's attitude toward development. Some are claiming compensation for the exploitation of colonialism. That, the colonialists grossly exploited Africa's natural resources to extremes that the continent has found it impossible to run itself even after independence in many parts of Africa over three decades ago.

Or, perhaps the compensation we should be talking about is for the North countries to agree to help Africa with a Marshall Plan to better address the consequences of disease, poverty and ignorance rapidly destroying a continent and its people. A Plan capable of ending the grievous cycle of rebel wars and the inhuman atrocities grossly preying on the continent and its people.

Or, some of us do tend to believe that a Marshall Plan for Africa is already in place but abused by the structures set up to coordinate the help coming from the developed western countries. There are international aid agencies like OXFAM, the Red Cross, Cause Canada, Africare, among others who are making funds primarily to help Africa graduate from its economic and social perils, but the successes of these organizations in their various countries of operation in Africa are yet to be desired. Even in situations where Africans have to flee their homelands to safer havens, refugee assistance organizations are the worst capable of ameliorating the plight of refugees/asylees and the internally displaced. Each day many refugees in camps in various parts of Africa are dying of disease, hunger in absolute abandon. In asylum countries where the process of transition is extremely difficult, refugee assistance from refugee organizations is extremely difficult to access.

Certainly these organizations like the UNHCR, Refugees International, and the United States Committee for Refugees (USCR), Ecumenical Refugees Services, the Immigration and Refugees Services of the Baptist World Ministries, including nonprofit development programs like OXFAM, Red Cross, Africare, are aggregating so much wealth from fund raising promotions they are conducting using images of death and destruction, hunger and disease in Africa, and elsewhere to raise funds meant to be fully utilized to ameliorate the plight of the distressed in trouble parts of the world, which in fact, are not generously utilized to address the ever deteriorating troubled needs of the victimized people of Africa, i.e. the refugees, the asylees and the displaced persons of Africa, instead plowed into the improvident administrative demands of these organizations.

African leaders through the OAU had often met to discuss problems that plague the continent and the would-be solutions. For instance during this 36th summit of the OAU it was established that the formation of a continental union should be paramount to replace the passive Organization of African Unity (OAU) and shall come into effect if approved by two-third majority of its member states.

This continental union is seen by African Leaders as a unique strategy to tackle the unending problems of all African states. But such international fora is often seen by critiques as just a mere platform where rhetoric is rife and actions often nil. Its very simple for African countries, endowed with considerable mineral resources (Gold, Diamond, Rutile, Iron ore, platinum, bauxite, crude oil, etc.) and an ample supply of cultivable agricultural land and rich fisheries, to work together to sustain its economic base, if not more developed than North countries, should not at all be classed as the least developed continent. But it is all talk, talk and no action by African member states of the OAU who always have ideas about strengthening African unity short of ideas how they could work against corruption and deliberate plundering of the continent by African leaders themselves in collaboration with North countries who only strengthen their economic bases leaving Africa with its wars, poverty and Aids problems.

Our continent's richness in natural resources, has not helped us at all to register the necessary economic growth and development which should have brought about a fundamental and meaningful improvement in the standards of living of the majority of its population. Disparities in income distribution is quite on the increase and physical and social infrastructure are methodically deteriorating. Such deterioration in the economic situation in most African states has tremendously affected the lives of both urban and rural populations.

More than half of Africa's population now live in absolute poverty; rural life is at subsistence level fraught with poor education and health care systems, and urban living has been extremely difficult. African countries have the highest infant and maternal mortality rates.

Unemployment as well as under-employment also resulting from the slow growth performance of the various economies in the continent have also been major but disturbing features of the labor force in both urban and rural areas.

The IMF conditionalities, to say the least, are also not unconnected with the massive retrenchments and restructuring on going in most African states. As to date, the recurrent wave of political unrest in most African states is not only abhorrent, but a formidable barrier to rapid socio-economic and political development.

Sad to note, the on-going conflict in Sierra Leone for instance, has displaced over 1,000,000 people in all the four corners of the country. Sierra Leone, one of the continent's smaller states is today going through an epoch of devastated economic and infrastructural regimes. This is the result of both administrative mismanagement by previous regimes, widespread corruption and consequent hardship resulting in a rebel war that over the last nine years has wreaked havoc on the country.

And in terms of health conditions in Africa, according to statistics, Africa is the hardest hit by the Aids pandemic with well over twenty-five million people, some of whom have died and others in critical condition awaiting death. Since the discovery of this epidemic, member states of this continent have not taken much precautions to forestall the spread of the disease due to poor medical facilities and lack of qualified personnel to offer medical prescription as to what should be the way out of this menace. Now the disease has eaten deep into the human resource of this poverty stricken continent thereby destroying the future leaders of the continent.

Africa has enormous problems that would take numerous pages to enumerate all. Imported policies from the western world as well as domestic policies by national governments have not been able to sustain the prosperity and dignity of the African people, instead most of these strategies have only succeeded in worsening our already miserable plight thereby encircling the whole continent into a poverty trap. CADS however believes, there are development solutions, which if followed to the letter will get the whole continent from this poverty trap.

WHY GRAAP:

First, there is the need to address Africa's refugee problems. Hence, the CADS Global Refugees and Adoption Assistance Program (GRAAP) whose main aim is to provide advocacy that support and value the dignity of refugees and asylees, promote their self worth and independence, and continuously strive to encourage them to add their voices to conflict resolution for stability in Africa.

GRAAP will therefore engage in research, educational and publicity strategies, and raising awareness among African refugees and asylees to wake up from the state of negative inactivity to the selfless state of positive interaction with the central goal to work toward together, to help create a community of African nations that respect and promote human rights, tolerance and broad participation in public life.

The Objectives of GRAAP:

* To identify and discuss critical development problems facing Africa.

* To draw the attention of African governments and civil society to workable development alternatives for Africa.

* To sensitize African governments and peoples on inward looking development policies that improve the quality of life in Africa.

* To present African perspectives and experiences on ongoing debate on the agenda on global development.

* To advocate for a more constructive international community action for the resolution of conflicts in Africa.

* To explore advocacy strategies that might improve procedures of resettlement and the quality of protection that refugees and asylees typically experience.

* To assist especially children orphaned by wars in Africa to be accepted in adoption, to provide them with new parents capable of providing them with a loving home and education.

* To share information and assessment of resettlement needs and opportunities, and adoption procedures.

* To generate sufficient resources for the support of the activities of GRAAP.

Strategy:

* Networking with GRAAP members and through meetings and special forums we dialogue to arrive at consensus on the development subject to be focussed on as they affect Africa.

* To set up through seminars, workshops and commissioned studies, a systematic agenda and clear specific strategies to be followed in achieving sustainable peace and development in Africa.

* Networking with research and academic institutions as well as governments and NGO groups in order to set up broad agenda for consideration on appropriate conflicts resolution and development strategies for Africa.

* To commission scholarly studies and research to examine present development trends and highlight future strategies and options on development policies and programs as they affect livelihood in the African continent.

* To dialogue through networking, workshops and seminars, etc. the issues highlighted in the commissioned studies for the purpose of setting clear agenda framework for achieving sustainable peace and development in Africa.

Other GRAAP Solutions to Save Africa!

History tells us that national governments have tried their own strategies of solving Africa's problems but not much was achieved, and now, based upon insights derived from CADS affiliation with various developmental and peace programs in Sierra Leone and abroad, the center would be very pleased to share with you thoughtful solutions to end the misery in Sierra Leone, and other troubled parts of Africa, better still, how well to address the refugee problem.

It is our goal of initiating and implementing alternative and sustainable development in our work. We are contemplating a lot about poverty alleviation strategies. A little bit of discourse here, you will agree with us that most crisis situations in Africa are fermented from homes due to the proliferation of street children, homeless orphans, displaced children who are under privileged and who have not been adequately taken care of and as a result may turn out to be violent at the detriment of their privileged counterparts.

So, the time is now, for reputable non-governmental organizations like CADS Global Refugees and Adoption Program (GRAAP) to take up the challenge of initiating a project aimed at providing assistance and training to the aforementioned category of underprivileged children (from low income families) to enhance their economic productivity and adaptability.

In Africa's wars today children are being forced into armed conflict, either as combatants or as victims. "Physically vulnerable and easily intimated, children typically make obedient soldiers," says Human Rights Watch. Although many African governments enlist children for military service, most child soldiers are abducted or forced to join rebel ranks against their will. Children are also persuaded to join armed groups out of desperation, to "escape from poverty or...to avenge family members who have been killed," adds Human Rights Watch.

GRAAP, is therefore considering implementing a grand scale project of empowering disadvantaged children and children forced into armed rebellions. This is not an issue of just taking a gun from a child combatant for instance, giving him or her $50 in return. This is an issue of getting these child soldiers consistently helped with food, clothing, shelter, safe-drinking water supply and accessories for vocational and/or academic training. Get these children in to adoption, and where the center cannot get families to adopt these children, GRAAP seeks to oversee child related income generating activities with two-fold objectives of securing financial support in a long term and to provide vocation and industrial training opportunities for the children. Opportunities should also be sought to help beneficiaries set up small businesses or continue to university education as may be desirable. There will be both residential and outreach components in this project to facilitate the coverage of an appreciable number of disadvantaged children.

Significantly, GRAAP is deeply concerned about the despicable conditions Africa's children are been methodically subjected to. Certainly, many humanitarian, peace and development organizations are all working toward helping these endangered children in Africa, directly or indirectly. However, a thousand times more need to be done for these children. GRAAP now wants to join forces with other organizations to help in a more direct manner.

Support:

GRAAP is not submitting a project proposal asking for thousands $$ to help implement a child-related project in Africa. All what GRAAP is asking for here is for families to help adopt some of Africa's children rendered without parents by the brutal wars and the aids epidemic destroying Africa.

If families cannot accept these children in their homes they can serve to be foster parents, and by identifying a child a family agrees to care for, and providing funds for their care, GRAAP will serve to administer these funds toward helping to educate this child, cloth him/her and feed him/her. Once a child is immediately identified for fostering, GRAAP's responsibility is to consistently inform foster families about the child and his/her progress. Progress reports on the child would be presented to foster families with photographs, and accreditation and updates published as well in the Center's journal - The Sierra Leone Digest.

GRAAP vows to make a difference, and with families behind GRAAP, be assured your support is for a worthy cause - building Africa's future.

For More Information about adoption or fostering a Child and/or to Donate to GRAAP Contact:

The Coordinator
CADS Global Refugees and Adoption Assistance Program
61 Sackville Street
PMB 1290
Freetown -- Sierra Leone
West Africa

Tel: (232 22) 225051
Fax: (232 22) 224439
Email: CadsIntlPrograms@aol.com

Children Currently Available for Adoption

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