The Africa-Irish Development Initiative Limited

AIDI COMPANY PROFILE

The Africa-Irish Development Initiative is an Ireland registered Company Limited By Guarantee in October 2014 with registration number IE 551580, and headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Our acronym is “AIDI” and the registered address is 53 Dorset Street Upper, Dublin 1, 662880, Ireland.

AIDI is a civic, community, culture education and development initiative. AIDI are Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) but social enterprise minded, proactive in approach to positioning communities and people for business and cultural and intercultural opportunities leading to building social and human capital development for a better society and strong cultural economy. We inform our communities through the supply and dissemination of information that promotes social enterprise, culture, history and traditional heritages for development.

AIDI was established in 2008 through the researching of culture and intercultural relationships between communities in Ireland, and African immigrants living in the Ireland of Islands.
Poised to involve and empower the African community to utilising their skills and talents through exchange of profiles, and in creating better management of information for building strong intercultural relationship in the rich Irish economy.

AIDI is a forum or platform to inspire Africans and the Irish society to develop and plan policies that reflect the history, culture, social and economic needs of communities and groups; and to act as lobby group for the African communities in relation to issues affecting them. AIDI strive towards the establishment and development of Intercultural Academy and Information Centre for the dissemination of academic, history, music and cultural materials for development initiatives for Blacks, African Arts and Culture Civilisation.

AIDI is the official registered organizers of the annual Black History Month Ireland (BHMI), also known as Africa History Month Ireland (AHMI). On the 4th of October 2014, The Africa-Irish Development Initiative (AIDI) was the platform for the official launch of the Black History Month in Ireland in collaboration with the African Diplomatic Corps in Ireland, The European Commission and European Parliament Offices in Dawson and Molesworth Streets, Dublin 2 respectively with the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps Ambassador Anas Khalas of Morocco Embassy in Ireland, and Barbara Nolan Head of the European Representation Office in Dublin as Keynote Speakers. Ireland is now the fourth country in the world to officially hold the black history month observance.

Ireland becomes fourth country in world to celebrate Black History Month (thejournal.ie)

It was begun in Cork in October 2010 with repeated celebrations in 2013, seeing its inaugural national observance in 2014; with an official launch at the European Commission Representation in Ireland Conference space in Dublin. Zephrynus Okechi Ikeh, Project Coordinator of Black History Month Ireland (BHMI), said that the initiative will tackle racism and discrimination through helping people understand different cultures. AIDI is affiliated to Irish and European institutions, organizations and agencies such as Leargas, European Solidarity Corps etc.

AIDI focus is on Arts, democracy and active citizenship, history, intercultural dialogue, human rights, culture innovation, urban music, civic education and non-formal learning, volunteering, climate change/resilience, sustainable development, youth exchanges, networking and strategic partnership, capacity building and transnational youth initiatives (knowledge & skills transfer).

AIDI as an accredited EU organisation, our mission is to work with Cooperate bodies, and Institutions to create a just and sustainable world. We envision a world in which everyone can lead a prosperous and dignified life within the boundaries of the Earth’s natural resources across boundaries with no limitations in ethnic, cultural, languages, and religion. We are dedicated to expanding the horizon of youth empowerment, cultural and intercultural education, diversity and equality utilizing non-formal education by means of voluntary services as a tool to global change. This organisation has a physical environment suitable for young people, using skills and knowledge transfer, arts and craft, music, sports as a means towards social development and creating line for youths while tapping into their resources for inclusion and integration, refugees program, sensory or other disabilities. This organisation has additional mentoring or other support suitable for young people and refugees with social obstacles, educational difficulties, cultural differences or similar racial, discrimination and prejudice.

We also work on project focusing on environment such as raising awareness on climate change resilience, tidy town programs, recycling, bio-gas, biomass in relation to key action projects. We also implement projects on youths using both sports as a culture and heritage, and as a non formal education towards addressing their needs,  care and rehabilitation for victims of war and torture with the fact that we all deserve a second chance and dignity to live freely without fear and torture.

Our work includes, advocacy,civic education, innovation, research, surveying racism and bench-marking human rights practices as well as protection for the vulnerable like the Internal Displaces Persons (IDPs).

AIDI do cooperation with several partners across Europe, Africa and the middle east, both on youth and adults development not only in Europe, but in Africa especially North and Sub-Saharan African.

Among the projects that we engage in, We are currently engaged in project on Black and Africa cultural education and development, recycling project of our urban music, innovation of heritage, as well as environmental protection as we face the challenges of climate change resilience, and environmental protection. Other projects we are also more experience are not limited to volunteering, youth development, and using sports as means towards using non-formal education to address youth restiveness, Refugees Programs, Alcohol/Drug Abuse Program, Poverty Eradication, Humanitarian Intervention, Climate Change, School and Educational Projects. Human Rights Issues, Books4Peace, Agri-food projects etc.

The core emphasis which we have done and still focus on here in Ireland is projects on Africa Diaspora Discussion Forum, African Diaspora Entrepreneurship Forum, Urban Music Festival. We currently engage youths and other stakeholders towards environmental sustainability programmes, also in integration and inclusion programs, social and multicultural integration for most refugees that come into the country by offering them tools and program for cultural awareness and sensitivity of their new environment.

We are a core member of European Network of Anti-racism (ENAR) a European organisation working effectively on anti-racism, advocacy for racial equality, and civil rights, and aims to end structural racism and discrimination, advocates for equality and solidarity for all in Europe.

We have carried out project with our Irish partners on Black and Africa history month celebrations, Africa Discussion Forum, Colloquium, Urban music Festival, Regional Cultural education and Enlightenment, Diaspora Entrepreneurship discussion etc.

We have much information regarding the programmes that we have done. More information regarding our activities with reference to projects and programmes done and executed can be found on the websites  www.africairish.com and www.blackhistory.eu    

Behavioural Change

We believe Core value system places huge importance on diversity, inclusion and equality which we know that laws governing our communities uphold based on concepts of equity and justice. We are in digital world where prejudice, discrimination and racism can raise disaffection rather than protection of human and civil rights.

The manipulations of the media and the rise in populism have affected public trust among the people of African descent in Ireland, hence trust and trustworthiness is central to empowering humanity. What motivates human thinking is behaviour and behavioral change.

Our role and responsibility with Black and Africa History Month in Ireland is expertise with integrity and independence of Blacks and the People of Africa Descent in order to empower humanity.

Access and Inclusion

Racial inequality derives from discrimination; prejudice and racism are barriers in society that make participation and inclusion challenging and difficult in our communities in Ireland. As Ireland’s organisation, Africa-Irish Development Initiative is placed to tackle these barriers, both by ensuring access to our communities’ and research for the people, also identifying solutions that can be applied across all sectors.

Our environment should be designed to build products and services, information and communication channels that can be accessed understood and used by everyone, regardless of your race, culture or background. It is important that our policy makers embed a universal design in our society to facilitate access and inclusion as a pipeline for people to understand access and inclusion as a fundamental right, and work to achieve inclusion in whatever they do.

It is tempting to think of access marginal and relevant to one group within the population. However, if we accept that everyone is only temporarily able, then we can see the essence of designing our society so that we can all participate and contribute at every stage and level of our lives. If the government ensures that accesses are open to all, we will be able to tap into a “Talent” base with expertise in creativity, balanced problem-solving and innovations so that our society can continue to to grow and becomes a standard rather than exceptions.

Language and Culture Matters

In Europe, especially in Ireland multilingualism is rapidly growing through more immigration and a renewed interest in Irish culture. It has been ascertained that being a bilingual is an asset, good for the brain and of superpower. One in four parents in Ireland struggles with confidence in how best to raise bilingual children and have huge concern over discrimination.

Passing a mother-tongue language to children is not given, but earned. This requires a decision, commitment, dedication and more support from government, agencies, institutions, professionals, relatives, teachers, early year’s practitioners etc in the shape of a positive attitude towards bilingualism regardless of the language and cultural background. All over the world, statistics show that there are more people who are bilingual or multilingual than people who speak only one language. We all know that “Monolingual” mindset affects our societal norms, how we view others, our professional training, how we form polices and stratification in our work places.

Some parents have confess feeling angry with themselves because, in order to shield their children discrimination, decided to speak only English Language to them instead of their mother tongue and are now at a loss to connect with them in the language of their heart and their ancestors.

Despite these many challenges and opportunities bilingualism and multilingualism poses, AIDI advocacy involves communicating the value and instilling confidence in parents who wants to transmit their mother tongue language to their children, as well as in practitioners who wish to create a welcoming environment for bilingual and multilingual children society.

Black and Africa History observance can unite us, help us to build a more constructive society, if we embrace openness and curiosity towards diversity over a fear of difference, and use this as a catalyst for how we think about and relate to Irish heritage and other heritages especially African heritage.