1-HISTORY
Bajito Onda Community Development foundation is established as a registrated organization in the Gambia (West Africa) on May 2004.
The foundation is inspired on the model developed by Amidu S. Mansaray,the founder and Global Director. The program is designed to reintegrate young people and adults returning abuses and sufferings back into society.
The model was established in an effort to break the cycle of recidivism by helping to restore dignity and hope on the lives of women and children in order for these people to build or regain dignity.
Bajito Onda Africa has given an opportunity to turn vulnerable women and children in Africa in a new life through educational sensitization.Thereby giving an alternative to those who have fallen from the society so as to increase global economy. Today, Bajito Onda Africa Foundation strives to empower women and children in Africa.
2-DEFINITION
Bajito Onda Africa Foundation is a Human Rights, Peace, Justice and development oriented, non profit, non discriminatory, charity organization established to coordinate and promote non violent practices and community development programmes and services through offering positive educational alternatives/choices for youths and communities, to street life, crime, drugs addiction and dependence, prison etc.
Thus we design creative hands up development programmes for disadvantaged youths/young women, drug addicts etc. And also offer trauma/stress counseling to those individuals with dysfunctional family circumstances. One of its main focuses is to advocate for issues relating to the protection and development of vulnerable group in the African Society. Paramount among which are issues relating to Women, Children and youths generally.
3-STRUCTURE
Bajito Onda Africa Staff consists of :
Mr Amidu Small Mansaray-Global Director,
Mr Mohamed Bah -Global Coordinator.
Bajito Onda Africa Foundation has Country Directors appointed by the Global Director in six Africa countries namely, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea- Conakry, Liberia and Mali.
The Staff is appointed,suspended and discharged by the Board formed in Africa,which also supervises the policy pursued and approves the Annual Accounts of the organization in Africa.
4-POLICY
Bajito Onda Africa is fighting to empower women and children.Today many women and children in Africa are the victims of rejects in the society.The main reasons for this are the lack of access to and participation in political decision-making and the lack of access to education and health facilities.
Bajito Onda Africa can provide different forms of assistance to fill the need of the targeted community.When providing assistance it is the policy of Bajito Onda Africa to directly involve in the community need in finding ways to help solve it.It is not the policy of Bajito Onda Africa to give funds to any community based organizations. Nor to distribute money to targeted groups.
5-MISSION
Bajito Onda Africa believes…
Restoring the hope of vulnerable people - Breaking the cycle of injustice in Africa.
Bajito Onda Africa focus currently is women and children:
• Give women and children hope for the future so that they are successful contributing citizens.
• Save women and children from begging, labor, sexual risks, addiction, prison, and death.
• Provide women and children with educational materials and program for prevention through education.
6-VISION
Bajito Onda Africa wants to be a tottally inclusive nation wide in which the vulnerable women and children can be included and treated with dignity in order to save them from violence of any kind and to protect them from the violation of the rights to shelter, food, quality education and good health facilities, in a listening, conducive learning and hospitable environment towards rehabilitation.
Bajito Onda Africa tries to empower women and children to fully and equally participate in social and economic activities.
7-OBJECTIVE
The Foundations objectives are as follows:
• To provide a secure, non-corrupt environment that creates awareness and educates the public on human rights issues and empowerment programmes.
• To educate target beneficiaries on the pitfalls of living the street life, e.g. drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, irresponsible sexual patterns etc.
• To embark on community development programmes.
• To monitor, document and address human rights violations/abuses.
• To identify donor Agencies for funding of community development programmes and to guide targeted groups for the rational utilization of provided funds.
• To identify, design and supervise the implementation of community development project at grass root level.
8-PROGRAMS
-Education
-Implementing Business Boot Camp
9-CURRENT ACTIVITIES
The current activities we are working in Bajito Onda Africa consists of:
. Strengthening the knowledge and capacity of the target group to act (empowerment)
. Enhancing the political influence of a target group (advocacy)
. Improving organisational performance and implementation (capacity building)
10-ISSUES
AIDS prevention, Drugs, Mutilation, Abandoned street children, Hunger and Housing for children and Women, Women and Family farmers.
11-ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Over 1000 women and children in Africa are benefiting annually in Bajito Onda Africa’s programs
• Chapters of Bajito Onda have been extended to African countries such as Sierra- leonne, Senegal,Liberia,Congo,Rwanda,Kenya,Tanzania.
12-RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Participation at the sensitization campaign on children’s rights-Banjul/The Gambia
• Participation at the sensitization campaign on children’s education-April 2005-Saint-Louis/Senegal
• Collection and distribution of donation to poor women-May 2005-Saint-Louis/Senegal
• Participation at the sensitization campaign on HIV/AIDS-June 2005-Saint-Louis/Senegal
• Participation at the sensitization Campaign on female’s sexual exploitation-July 2005 -Saint-Louis/Senegal
• Participation at the sensitization campaign on child labor-August 2005-Saint-Louis/Senegal
• Youth Reintegration Training and Education for Peace/Peace Sensitization- April 2005-Sierra-Leone
• Victim–Offender Mediation and Victim–Offender Reconciliation- August 2005-Freetown/Sierra-Leone
• Funding an Agricultural Project for the Women in Pewulay-February 2005 Sierra Leone.
• Human Rights Advocacy, Monitoring and Reporting workshop organize to train Human Rights Defenders-August-September 2005/Sierra-Leone
13-PARTNERSHIPS
Bajito Onda Africa has established partnerships with :
• the African commission on human and people’s rights ;
• the African centre for democraty and human rights studies ;
• the department of social welfare in the Gambia ;
• the national youth council in the Gambia ;
• the national association for youths and children organizations in the Gambia ;
• the national elections watch in Sierra-leonne ;
• the coalition of human rights defenders in Sierra-leonne ;
• the international human rights educational consortium in United States of America.
• The Voices of Change in United Kingdom
• ISPCAN
14-AWARDS
Member in standing of The African Commission on Human and peoples’ Rights. Have decision-making observer status at annual hearings
15-NEAR-TERM FUTURE PLANS
- Implementation of :
• An educational and rehabilitation center (A site run by trained professionals where people in hard situation can discuss freely, attend classes, receive counseling and learn about how to better their life).
• An empowerment Agency (A site run by trained professionals where Bajito Onda sells products and services and train vulnerable people to marketing and management)
• An exchange program (An internship program that connects Bajito Onda Africa with others Bajito Onda chapters as well as others organizations).
-Implementation of new projects such as
• Action for the girl-child
• Save the Talibe (Beggar Children)
• Secured future for children/youths
• Practical skills for effective women empowerment
• urban Media productions audio and visual recording studio
• Capacity Building on Human Rights Advocacy - Monitoring & Reporting for Civil Societies and Community Based Organization
• Auditing the activities of organisations benefiting from Hiv/Aids funds
• Advocacy and sensitization workshop on Female Circumcision (FM)
16-CURRENT CHALLENGES
Bajito Onda Africa needs :
• New materials for the expansion of the Secretariat in the Gambia
• Steady funding for operations
• Community partners and funding to implement new projects.
17-MAJOR DUTIES
• Raise funds for the African chapters
• Acquire other needed resources for the achievement of Bajito Onda Africa’s mission
• Create policies that Bajito Onda Africa’s staff will implement
• Fulfill the mission of empowering women and children in Africa
• Bring diverse experience, views, and suggestions to guide program creation and delivery
18-SOURCES OF FUNDING AND SUPPORT
Bajito Onda Africa basically gets its funds and support from:
• The Secretariat in The Gambia
• Donations through philanthropic agencies/institutions and individuals.
• Revenue from projects developed in the community.
19-OPERATING BUDGET
Current annual organizational budget : D 47,000
• Staff Budget D 20,000
• Administrative Budget : D5,000
• Operational Budget :D5,000
• Projects Budget :D10,000
• Others organizational expenses :D7,000
Last year’s organizational Budget :D42,000
• Staff Budget :D18,000
• Administrative Budget :D5,000
• Operational Budget:D5,000
• Projects Budget :D12,000
• Others Organizational expenses :D2,000
20. BANK INFORMATION
Name and address of the bank: Trust Bank Limited, Banjul-The Gambia
Account number: 110-615182-01
Account name: Bajito Onda Africa Foundation
Name and address of correspondent international bank:
HSBC USA
140 BROADWAY NEW YORK
NY 10015 – USA
SWIFT CODE: MRMDUS33
TRUST BANK GAM LTD
SWIFT CODE: TBLTGMGM
