RESPECT International Blog

Ghana has the largest refugee and asylum seeker population of any country in west Africa with over 31,000.  Many of these refugees are from Liberia and are staying in the Buduburam settlement near Accra.  This camp has existed for over twenty years and hosts 40,000 refugees from the Liberian civil war.  In 2008 the governments of both Ghana and Liberia along with UNHCR reinitiated a voluntary repartiation program to allow Liberians to return to their counrty of origin.  Half the Liberian refugee population in Ghana were offered the chance to return to Liberia and the UNHCR has helped thousands to return by air whilst many more are returning of their own accord.

25,000 people living in the camp are formar Liberian child soldiers.  Children who from as young as nine were taught to hate and kill one another but who now live together in the camp.

Part of allowing these children to recover from their traumatic experiences in education.  This lets them know that they have not been forgotten and gives them some hope for a brighter future.  RESPECT International is dedicated to providing free education to as many refugee students in Ghana as possible.

To find out how you can help please visit our website.

An affiliate of Respect International Respect Ghana acts as a bridge between the refugee population in Ghana and the international community.

A dedicated team of volunteers works to raise awareness of refugee issues in Ghana. They are always working to build new ideas for raising awareness and linking refugee students with non-refugee students. They have a number of plans for the future towards these ends and readily collaborate with any organisation that is working for human rights and refugee issues.

RESPECT Ghana: Working for durable solutions

• Resettlement: RESPECT Ghana believes that this option needs to be explored fully to allow refugees to settle permenantly in a third country if they are unable to return to their country of origin or integrate sucessfully in their country of asylum.  This is a unique way for developed countries to help protect and support refugees who in turn have opportunities to contribute in other ways to their new communities.
• Repatriation: The descision to return to their country of origin must be taken by the refugees themselves and any return must be safe and dignified for the refugees and their families.
• Local Integration: The aggreement of a host country for the refugees to remain their permenantly.   There need to be opportunities for refugees to earn a living and become self-reliant in their host countries.   They need to be full members of the community without discrimination but also allowed to keep their own cultural identity.

RESPECT Ghana also actively pursues and supports innovatinve project schemes by refugees themselves.

How You Can Help

The first step is to recognise that refugees are not a threat but that they themselves are threatened.  They are ordinary people who need protection.

• You and members of your community can encourage the government to addopt policies at home and abroad which help refugees find peace and safety.
• You can support financially through donations and by providing International Reply Coupons for Our Global Letter Exchange Programs.

• Your ideas and information as well as proposals for projects or educational materials for refugees will be an incredible resource for the Refugee Communities we serve.

• Individuals and organization willing to partner with RESPECT Ghana and help make its dreams and plans become a reality, please do not hesitate. Kindly contact the Country Coordinator or the International coordinator.

• Country Coordinator
• RESPECT Ghana
• c/o FOBET
• Ayifli Fred Kodzo
• PO Box TA84,
• Ghana-Accra
• Tel – (233) 20-8160450
• ghana@respectrefugees.org

Respect Ghana

To learn more about our Global Letter Exchange click here.

According to the UNHCR as of January 2009 Democratic Republic of the Congo has 155,162 refugees and 1,460,102 internally displaced persons(IDP) residing there.  Despite all the effort being poured into the peace process eastern DRC has continued to witness violent struggles and the north has seen little progress in the disarming the militias.   Violence, killings, abductions, unjust incarcerations and sexual violence continue to affect many areas of the country.

Camps containing refugees and IDPs have been attacked causing new displacement.   The conflict has destroyed much of the infrastructure of the country, cutting people off from aid and making rebuilding problematic.  There is a need to re-integrate the refugees and IDPs into society however with no way to earn a living people do not have access to the basics of shelter, food, medical care and education.

Some refugee schools exist  in DRC and RESPECT International is working with a number of them to bring free education to people who need to rediscover hope and confidence in their own futures.

For example, the Afrika/Makobola Refugee School.  This is a primary school with 160 students studying at three grade levels: elementary, middle and final.  The children who attend this school have nothing, no furniture, no books or supplies.  They work in a building made of uncooked bricks and straw.

One of the ways in which RESPECT is working with this refugee school is to involve the students in the Letter Exchange Program.  This enables non-refugee students and their teachers and families to learn about the lives of refugee children but it also encourages the refugee students to understand a life outside of their own country.  This helps them to work towards building a better future for themselves and their families and also improves their letter writing and literacy.

For more information on the Letter Exchange Program click here.

To find out about Afrika/Makobola and other refugee schools visit here.

For the RESPECT International main website, find us here.

The Mike Immaculate Group of Schools, consisting of nursery, primary, secondary schools and a computer college in Nigeria’s capital Lagos want to enter into a partnership with RESPECT International.

“I want to partner with your reputable organisation because I want a group of organisations encouraging communication between young people across the world,” says proprietor Ademola Ogunyebi.

The group of schools educates 36 refugee students and approximately 280 non-refugee students. Through school projects and RESPECTs Letter Exchange Program and student exchanges the group of schools aim to raise awareness and educate refugees. They also wish to get awareness on some of the schools’ educative projects.

In Nigeria education is free but not compulsory. There, a formal education consists of six years of primary school, three years of junior secondary school and three years of senior secondary school, in addition to four years of university or college education.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are approximately 11,800 refugees in Nigeria mostly from Chad, Liberia, the Republic of Congo and Sudan. Half live in refugee camps and half are urban refugees.

Please visit our website.
Or for our ezine click here.

Artists for Humanity will celebrate its 10th anniversary from December 19 to 25, 2009.

Begun December 19, 1999, in Kinshasa the capital of the Democratic Republic Congo by Amisi Mutambala, the Artists for Humanity initiative (ArtHum) mainly worked in the eastern part of the country with a regionally integrated vision.

Conferences, debates, concerts and cultural and arts-based displays on education, peace, human rights, HIV/AIDS will all take place over seven days in Uvira and Fizi territories (South Kivu province in DR Congo) as part of the anniversary celebrations.

Rewards of recognition will be given to actors both local and international who have distinguished themselves as ArtHum volunteers and work with communities in disaster.

Non-profit associations, foundations, enterprises, state institutions, religious structures as well as individuals who are interested are invited to join the event.

For further information, contact Amisi Mutambala at:

• Dieudonné AMISI MUTAMBALA
• Director & Founder
• Artists for Humanity, ArtHum
• Telephone: +243810343785; +25779979121
• Email: arthum_direction@yahoo.fr

Please visit our website.
Or for our ezine click here.

Opened as a day-care center to help families who could not afford to send their children to the local schools, the Elite Friends Academy was opened on January 3, 2005, in Nairobi, Kenya. With many of the children being refugees, orphans and victims of HIV/AIDS the centre was so named because they believe that the children are the leaders of tomorrow and deserve to believe in themselves and be integrated into the community.

From 27 students in 2005 numbers have increased to 73 in 2008. The Elite Friends Academy is a school working under a self-help group known as Ophrah African Foundation (OAF). The academy currently offers the following: baby classes, nursery classes and pre-unity classes.

The objectives of the academy are to assist the orphans and vulnerable within the community, to become an international center for promoting and assisting talents, to campaign and fight against HIV/AIDS, to rid drug abuse from among the community, and to work towards peace and reconciliation.

For further information see our website.

Art teacher at Immaculate Conception High School Virgina Hernadez and her students raised some money to send art supplies to students in Elite Friends Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. They had a bake sale to raise to money. In the photograph Viginia Hernandez is holding a basket of the supplies they sent and the students are taking part in RESPECTs Annual Poster Contest. (For the results of the poster contest see below)

The students from this school were given these supplies by their teacher, Austin W. Ngabwe, who sent photos of the children with a note of thanks.

http://www.respectrefugees.org/

Refugees United is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit registered organization aimed at reuniting refugees with their families through the use of a unique Internet search engine.

• Free of charge
• Easy to use
• Anonymous to all but family

Read more about them on their website: http://www.refunite.org/

Since February 2009 the Centre for Youth Development and Adult Education (CELA) in the Fizi Territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been training Village Savings and Loan Associates.

Amka – Organization AVEC for micro saving and credit.

The organisation moved from Lugufu Camp in Tanzania when the refugee cam closed. The 24 staff run language programs, youth empowerment programs, adult education and vulnerable assistance programs.

CELA also aims to improve women’s social and economic conditions in Fizi’s rural communities. Currently there are five Village Savings and Loans Associates: Amka in Kasaka/Sebele, Umoga ni nguvu in Katanga, Matunda Bora in Mwamsombo, M’mwatelecha in Mwandiga, and Makene in Malala I.

Each of these communities has elected a group of 30 women to save money. Each of these groups governs itself and raises its own funds. The members meet on a regular basis to save money and buy shares. The share prices are set at a rate at which every member can afford to buy at least one share at each meeting.

The five CELA volunteers assist the groups in implementing the scheme and achieving their goals. CELA have also provided metal boxes with three keys to keep the money.

Other organisations such as CARE, Plan International or Oxfam have implemented schemes such as this with the aim of improving the lives of women within these communities by fighting poverty and promote women’s socio-economic development.

In addition to this the revenue generated will empower the women to become leaders, to provide choices and help them acquire civic, cultural, economic, political and social rights.

As the poorest members of the community women need resources to be able to make choices and fight oppression and exploitation.

In order to reach our goals, we are asking friends, partners and sponsors to financially support the VSL groups and raise their credit resources. You can also help to train the VSLA members about selection, planning and management of income generating activities and women’s leadership.

For further information, please contact M. Atuu Waonaje at atuuwaonaje@yahoo.com, +243 (0) 817 474 387.

by Uma Sharma

RESPECT International is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Poster Contest. The theme of this year’s contest was Bring Peace to the World.

Thirty participants, from China, Thailand and USA, took part in the poster competition.

Non-refugee Winners

6-9 years old:
Suen Ying Sum, Honk Kong (age 7)

10-11 years old:
Chan Oi Hei, Honk Kong (age 10)

12-13 years old:
Jirapat Sukraseranee, Thailand (age 13)

14-18 years old:
Tsoi Sin Ting, Honk Kong (age 14)

Non-refugee Honorable Mentions

6-9 years old:
Wong Suet Ming, Honk Kong (age 6)

10-11 years old:
Ng Cheuk Wing, Honk Kong (age 11)

12-13 years old:
Mak Hau Lam, Honk Kong (age 12)

14-18 years old:
Alise Owens, New Jersey (age 17)

However, the judges for this year’s contest were impressed by all 30 entries, making it very difficult to select the winners. We hope each student who entered the contest is proud of their outstanding artwork.

We are very grateful to this year’s judges: Bob Silery, Matti Liane and Virgina Hernandez, for their time and effort.