Mission Statement/Principles of Operation
The Canadian Samaritans for Africa is a registered Canadian charity founded on the Christian principles of love, solidarity and collaboration. We believe that Africa needs solidarity and collaboration not pity and sympathy. We are determined to support asset based grass roots goals than needs-based interventionist approaches. In order to realize this, we are determined to reach out to African women and rural communities, religious groups and non-religious organizations to promote educational initiatives, capacity-building, women empowerment, and rural water and sanitation projects. We are a pro-active group determined to support small initiatives at the rural level in Africa in the areas of education, health, women development, and water development. We believe that the end of poverty in Africa will come about through a pro-active approach that stimulates development through cultural and human development at grassroots level, rather than reactionary approaches which perpetuate a cycle of dependency.
Principles of Operation
"Pity for those who are poor, troubled or distressed is never enough. Our compassion must be backed up with action and solidarity which moves our hearts and wills to concrete action to be with the person suffering, but more importantly to do something to change the situation that brought the suffering and to support the person suffering to permanently overcome that condition."
Stan Chu Ilo
This is the principle that informed the formation of the Canadian Samaritans for Africa. This is an organization of ordinary Canadians and some African-Canadians who are working quietly, outside the glee of international media to change the lives of ordinary Africans in small ways. We are worried at the failure of aid initiatives in Africa especially from North America, and we work hard to show that another kind of Africa is possible and another kind of partnership between Africa and North America which leads to sustainable development at grassroots level is possible in Africa. This, we believe, is the best thing we can offer to Africans especially the women and children who want to work hard to realize a better future for themselves and their children. To this end we will work along the following guidelines:
- All the donations which we receive will go directly to Africans in support of education, women development, health, and water development.
- We will support assets over needs.
- We shall run a very modest administration to keep the money on our running cost as down as 5% of our income.
- Our board membership and administration will be filled by volunteers.
- We shall operate a vulnerable mission trying to listen to Africans, to understand Africans, and to work with them and not for them; to support local initiatives and not impose our own vision or plan for what we think our partners in Africa needs.
- We believe that development between the North and the South should be a two way traffic. While we try to support Africa we are open to learning from Africans in many ways than one. We are driven by a desire for friendship with Africa and we shall treat Africans with the same respect, equality and love with which we hope to be treated when we visit Africa. We shall promote cultural exchange between Africans and Canadians by promoting the direct involvement of Canadians in our projects in Africa.
- Our projects will be generated directly and not through agencies in Africa. We shall identify these projects through our direct involvement with African local communities and religious organizations. We shall not accept unsolicited projects. Our areas of concentration will be West and East Africa.
- We are open to donor agencies and grant giving institutions in Canada and elsewhere who wish to collaborate with us, especially those who wish to directly apply their funds to where it is needed most. As a group we guarantee immediate success and direct impact of our projects on the lives of the people especially women and children.
- All our projects will be environmentally friendly.