Application Form of CSAP (Sierra Leone)

1	Name of the Organization	Country
	Civil Society Alternative Process of Sierra Leone (CSAP-SL) – Sierra Leone
2	“Letter of Intention” Please include: (1)   reason why your organization is eligible to be part of Steering Committee; (2)   what kind of contribution that your organization can make for Civic Commission for Africa
	CSAP-SL feels eligible due to our broad national coverage with more than 100 national and regional NGOs, district and grassroots CSOs and CBOs including organizations of the physically challenged and marginalized for instance the blind through Vision for the Blind and those with epilepsy through Epilepsy Society of Sierra Leone (ESSL) as our members. We do not know a registered organization for PLWHA. At this national level, with and through our members we carry out research into Heavily indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), engage the government on Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We held the First Sierra Leone National Social Forum (9-13 January 2007) before we left for the World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. The report is nearing completion which we must share with all of you, members of our new C-CfA family.    We are actively involved in several activities at national, Mano River Union sub regional level and at the ECOWAS level. We represent our members on the West African Social Forum (WASF) and we chair the Anglophone West African Social Forum Network (WASFNET) a body within the WASF. We are involved with the AU/ECOSOCC and have just received application Forms to apply as one of the two national CSOs to the 150 member advisory body. We work with national thematic platforms like National Elections Watch (NEW), Independent Radio Network (IRN), Community Radio network (CORNET).
3	How much could your organization allocate in order to fulfill responsibility to be part of Steering Committee? *Please include how to spend it. (in US Dollar) 6 000-00
	We could use some of this money to collect information from the rural areas as to the impact of Foreign Aid, PRSP and the benchmarks achieved so far with regard to the MDGs. The rest could be used to traffic information from the C-CfA to the rural people and Voices from sierra Leone to the C-CfA.
4	Please share the view of your organization on the report of Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa, “Our Common Interest”. http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/introduction.html
	When we received the Tony Blair’s “Commission for Africa”, we agreed it was an effort too late in the development paradigm of Africa. We saw it as a near replica of the NEPAD document in matters relating to lack accountability, lack of human rights, social justice, peace and security as the great impediments to the continent’s sustainable development but no solutions were proffered in the Commission report. The role we play in this as can be seen is shouting loud about making the world a better place for al, free from the grips of the West especially led by Britain and USA. We believe that if the World Bank and IMF were reformed to fairly distribute their Board Membership, cancel all the poor northern countries’ debt, settle the Palestinian issue, leave Iraqis alone etc., the World would be a just and better place this are some of the things we are fighting for by raising awareness about. As part of the Global Campaign Against Poverty (GCAP) we are fighting for FAIR not more trade and effective delivery of resources to the poor people because we agree with the observations of the Commission of Africa that Africa’s development is marred by poverty and marginalization but we say that it is imposed from Northern countries.
5	Please list issues that your organization would like to emphasize in order to reflect “voices” of your civil society effectively. *Please include reason why you listed those issues.
	Free and Fair elections not as an event but as a process Reform of the World Bank and IMF Boards to reflect population figures and to cancel all the debts of the southern countries Removing the VETO power of the 5 permanent members of theUN and allowing more voices from the South Effective, unencumbered aid system    Climate change issues brought back on the world calendar

Dear All C-CfA Colleagues 

Letter of intent to be member or the C-CfA steering committee

Our intention to present CASP-SL, as a candidate for the membership of the Steering Committee of the C-CfA is not borne out of pride or self-interest but the humble, genuine desire to serve our people wherever and whenever the occasion avails itself.

 It is unfortunate that an opportunity which was given to 51 countries in Africa, only 17 were able to take the challenge an unfortunate but real situation. We have to reflect on why this is the situation? This is complexly because of the conditionality imposed by C-CfA: aspiring organizations must be able to provide own resources, effective means of communications including, office, telefax, e-system etc. How many CSOs/NGOs in our present day Africa where communications from most none state actors are surveillanced, CSO workers harassed can match the cardinalities and brave the government eye to apply? Most appallingly only 17 of us; a paltry 33% of the countries in Africa were able to field candidates for the general Country-Based membership. Worst still, of the 17 successful country-Based organizations there is no Women’s organization – too bad.

 This brings me to the issue of countries emerging from war which applied for general membership of the C-CfA, none but Sierra Leone where every effort was made not to be left out. In West Africa, countries emerging from bitter war include Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire but none other than Sierra Leone applied for various reasons. Infact CSAP-SL is the only CSO that is coming from a recent war affected country in the whole of Africa and we believe that the war experience within the Steering Committee can make huge difference if it became part of the VOICES from Africa.

 It can easily be discerned that by way of contribution, CSAP-SL, as a platform, Process and Forum that is part of the peace process in sierra Leone can enrich the Steering committee with the causes of wars in West Africa, differences between wars in English and French speaking countries; reasons for the encroachment of Guinea on Sierra Leonean land and the role of the colonial masters Britain and France.

 We can contribute to the C-CfA by the following:-
 

·        Presenting the VOICES of Sierra Leone, Countries in the Mano River basin of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and together with others on the Steering Committee, VOICES of the people of West Africa and Africa as a whole

·        Take the feedback from the C-CfA and disseminate the information through our networks in the country, Mano Rive Union and West Africa

·        Commit resources – human, financial and technical to the achievement of the aims and objectives of the C-CfA.

 

While hoping that CSAP-SL will be voted one of the 4 Steering committee members from the Country-Based CSOs we wish every applicant success because we are not in this to be elected by all means but to have space to serve our people and mother AFRICA.

 
Your Comrade in the struggle

 

 

Falla Ensa-N’Dayma