"You are wrong to say today that Africa is far away, he or she is wrong. Africa is right here, and it is alive. The Poles still know little about Africa, and I am happy that projects such as In Solidarity With Africa are formed. You are doing a really great job!" - Jean Chrisostome Sanza Mulangu, Dem. Rep. of Congo

Who are we?We are the first polish based project and website for Africa, born in Ghana, in 2001.

Who were we?We were the project founded in 2002 to carry out specific objectives - forming of an organization was not the goal in itself.We felt solidarity with Africa and Its people. We opened the first debate on African issues in Poland. Because of that we wanted to present the genuine image of the continent and fight stereotypes such as perceiving Africa as the continent of AIDS, elephants and ethnic clashes. We did not want to import problems that only the Africans themselves can solve. We were the Poles and the Africans living in Poland.

Our main objective were:

I. ACCEPTANCE AND INTEGRATION1. Promoting the attitude of social solidarity and acceptance based on accepting differences.2. Integrating Africans living in Poland into the Polish society.3. Narrowing the cultural gap and mutual understanding.In everyday life, immigrants and refugees encounter barriers instead of friendly attitude. Their difficult situation is a pretext for a wider debate on xenophobia, intolerance and lack of knowledge about Africa - Africans living in Poland still have to face such feelings. We wanted to contribute to building an open-minded society that would respect all people, irrespective of their origins or religious beliefs.

II. EDUCATION AND PROMOTION:1. Education through involving young people in our Association's voluntary work projects.2. Education of the Polish society through promoting the rich cultural heritage of Africa.3. Promoting the genuine image of Africa and its people. Our objective is to prevent from spreading stereotypes such as seeing Africa as the land of AIDS, elephants and wars. Obviously, we must speak about such problems, but we should not forget about the second "face" of the continent, the real one. We do not want to import problems that only the Africans themselves can solve.

III. HELP1. Offering help to African immigrants and refugees in Poland. Poland, due to its history and geographical location, is not the first choice of African immigrants and refugees. However, we expected the situation wiould change after Poland's accession to the European Union. A number of Africans migrating not only for political but mainly economical reasons will come to Poland. Due to the above, we would like to create an efficient system of helping Africans coming to Poland who will need such help.2. SUPPORT of CAS in Accra, GhanaWe wanted to give the youngest citizens of the African continent an opportunity to acquire the knowledge necessary for a new and better future. Only the Africans can help Africa. We wanted to achieve this goal by means of supporting scholarship schemes for African street children. The center we supported once in 2003 through fundraising and informative campaigns in Poland was CAS of Accra, Ghana. And our SUPPORT did not mean AID. We wanted to promote and represent CAS in Poland as an excellent example of effective work of african ngo, founded in 1993.

CAS was established in 1993 on the initiative of charitable circles in Ghana. The organization does not carry out missionary and religious activities. The major reason for forming the organization was growing impoverishment of Africans migrating from small villages to urban areas for economical reasons. Thousands of people with no life means appeared in the streets of big cities, mainly Accra (the capital of Ghana). Children paid the highest price. Abandoned, and often sold, by their parents, they must face the difficulties of everyday life in the street. Small girls become prostitutes to make money for a living. Ghana statistics are horrifying: each day, 200 people become infected with HIV, and you can only make predictions on how may children the number includes, taking into account that children are exposed to the highest risk. Boys, even a few-year olds, linger around large street markets offering their services as porters for as little as several dozens cents per day. A large number of children work selling water, fruit and anything they can make some money on. It should be stressed that the majority of children do their best to find a job.CAS was formed to fight such negative phenomena in Africa. In order to take children from the street, CAS carries out educational projects in its centers and in the streets. Such activities include: english lessons; personal hygiene lessons, educating children about diseases transferred sexually, particularly AIDS; practical vocational training - ceramic, sewing, carpentry or candle making workshops. CAS centers are places where children can come during the day and rest after sleepless nights in the street, wash themselves or do the laundry. However, the key objective of CAS undoubtedly consists in offering each child an opportunity to study and acquire vocational skills necessary to find employment.Every child wishing to participate in one of CAS scholarship schemes gets a chance. CAS employees interview children who are then sent to a "Hopeland Farm". The task of such farms is to prepare children to live outside the street, to live a life they have never experienced. Children spend a couple of months in a Hopeland Farm. During the time, they attend classes, they work and learn self-discipline. Hopeland is a self-supporting institution - it farms its own animals, cultivates its own land, produces candles and ceramics. Hopeland Farms exist thanks to revenues obtained from sales of their own products.After the trial period, the child is sent to a 3-year program fully sponsored by CAS. The child attends school classes. CAS provides accommodation and food. The organization also covers all other necessary expenses. After the child completes the course, CAS offers help in buying a workshop or finding employment. The role of CAS finishes at this point. Since then, the child has to get on by himself or herself according to the motto: we gave you matches, but you have to make the fire by yourself. CAS does not help only catholic children. CAS takes into account the specific nature of the African continent and offers help to every street child irrespective of his or her religious beliefs. It focuses on specific help offered to children who most need it. Such help is offered in the spirit of ecumenical open-mindedness and respect. CAS cooperates with representatives of other religions. More info...

Further readings:UNDP