Category Archive : ACORN International News

Historic Cutters Strike in SOSUCAM Sugar Cane Plantations

FARM WORKERS BLOCK WORK IN PLANTATIONS AND FACTORIES FOR TWO WEEKS TO PROTEST AGAINST UNWORTHY WORKING CONDITIONS

On February 23, 2022, nearly 2,000 agricultural laborers (cutters) from the Société sucrière du Cameroun (SOSUCAM) went on strike in Nkoteng to protest against the deterioration of their already precarious working conditions. The police and gendarmerie forces immediately came to disperse the crowd, using tear gas canisters. Shots were also fired and two workers were injured, in the forearm and in the thigh.  After three days on strike, the agricultural laborers at the Mbandjock plantation joined the strike in the face of management’s refusal to dialogue, paralyzing work in all the plantations and factories. From 26 February to 8 March, nearly 8,000 people were suspended from work by the strike.[1]

The strike was triggered by requests for explanations issued the day before to 180 workers by their supervisors. These workers had used their right to refuse a task, deemed too difficult. The sanction imposed, while the supervisor is supposed to adjust the tasks to the density of canes to cut, was the last straw. Indeed, the conditions of agricultural laborers are much less advantageous than those of permanent workers (lower salary scale, lower premiums, no health coverage, etc.), and their status is very precarious (seasonal contracts), even though the work is technical and physical. An investigation report, attesting to the difficult conditions of workers at Sosucam, a subsidiary of the French group Castel, has just been published. [2]

Despite a large-scale strike, management did not respond to the workers’ demands: on 24 February, a press release from Sosucam announced discussions with staff representatives and stated that measures would be taken, without specifying their content, and urged the workers to return to work. The workers remained united and the strike gained momentum. New promises were made by management representatives in the following days, but the general manager remained silent and absent. The strikers refused to return to work. They demanded in particular: a significant salary increase (with a base salary of 250,000 CFA francs – €380), step increases with seniority, an increase in the performance bonus, and a reduction in task objectives.

On 1 March, Sosucam management issued a press release announcing resolutions taken in consultation with union representatives (CSAC, CSTC, USLC, CSIC, CTUC). However, no representatives of the seasonal workers, who represent nearly 90% of the workers, and 100% of the agricultural laborers, are present. The strikers, meeting every day in assemblies gathering several hundred workers, demanded a public meeting with the General Manager. He agreed and finally met with the strikers at the municipal stadium on March 3 but declared that “on issues related to wage increases and the harmonization of performance bonuses, [he] could not take a decision. The strikers refuse. “What really matters is fixed pay. The cutting bonuses, for example, are issued arbitrarily by the supervisors, we get between 1000 and 3000f for that only at the end of the month”, testifies one of the leaders of the strike. So The strike has been renewed.

On March 6, a new official statement from management was issued, announcing in particular:

  • The cancellation of the 180 requests for explanations issued to agricultural laborers
  • The improvement of the reception of workers in the medical centers
  • The suspension of the new controversial cutting technique among agricultural laborers and the transparency (posting) of tasks and objectives
  • The increase of the cutting premium from 175fcfa to 250fcfa
  • The introduction of an end-of-campaign bonus of 15,000 CFA francs for all employees who have worked throughout the campaign
  • The recruitment of a social mediator by the labor delegate among the agricultural laborers.

Despite measures deemed insufficient by striking workers, under pressure from traditional chiefs called upon by management, and with police and gendarmerie commando teams patrolling alongside Sosucam agents with megaphones in the neighborhoods, workers gradually returned to work on March 7 and 8. On March 9, the company was operating normally again.

The mobilization and tenacity of the agricultural laborers made it possible to obtain concrete progress, but they decided to organize themselves solidly in order to significantly improve their working conditions, and that their demands could be carried by legitimate and democratically elected representatives, thanks to the creation of a union of seasonal workers of Sosucam.


[1] The injured workers were taken to hospital in Yaoundé and the costs covered by Sosucam

[2] Castel: to the health of Africa – ReAct Transnational, February 2022 – https://www.projet-react.org/fr/elementor-10135/

Support Protests in Nigeria!

It’s small world.  Marva Burnett, the president of ACORN Canada and ACORN International, visited several cities in Nigeria last year with her church group.  She met a young man named Edem Etido in Port Harcourt, a large city much farther southwest from Lagos, the mega-city, but also along the Gulf of Guinea, nearer to Cameroon.  I talked to Edem via Skype about his interest in organizing ACORN Nigeria, and how we could get him some training.  I promised to visit him when I was scheduled to be in Nigeria.  The pandemic postponed that visit three times with the latest now pushed back to the spring of 2021, but in the last week I’ve heard from Edem several times via Facebook and email.  Protests have broken out in Port Harcourt and throughout the country, triggered initially over police brutality suffered by young people, but now expanding to a host of other issues over corruption, the economy, and the inaction of government.

His message was simple and straightforward, as he wrote,

The youths in my country need international support for what we are advocating for at the moment. I guess you’ve heard or watched the protest that’s ongoing in Nigeria now?

The hashtag that’s trending on Twitter now #EndSars #EndPoliceBrutality is the ongoing protest by the youths here because, the (SARS) which means-Special Anti-Robbery Squad, have gone out from what their primary duties are, which is to protect lives and properties of the Nation and citizens.  All they do is intimidate, harass, and extort youths at gunpoint while also killing youths for no reason, because nobody is gonna query or prosecute them.

We’ve been on this for more than a week now and all our governments could do is just make verbal and audio promises which they have been doing way back since 2015 and we are fed up with fake promises, so we demand full action, and that’s why the protest is ongoing.

We just heard that they are going to send the military to intimidate and shoot at us for the peaceful protest. No country has said anything about this and it’s not fair. I don’t know how ACORN International could help to make this protest go round over there, so as to get the international attentions we need.

If I hadn’t heard of these protests already from Edem, and if you hadn’t heard of them yet, there was a front page picture that jumped later to a story in the Wall Street Journalbecause the protests shut down the city of Lagos along with its airport and main thoroughfares.

How can we help?  There’s a petition that the young people hope to send to the United Nations that you can sign.  You can also make a donation to support the protests.  As the article points out, “More than 55% of Nigerians are underemployed or unemployed and youth unemployment is even higher, according to official statistics. More than 90% of Nigerians work in the informal sector….”  People in Nigeria are desperate for change, so anything we can do, small or large, helps make that possible.

Actions in Cameroon

In Douala, Cameroon, ACORN International members staged an action to push the electricity company Eneo to negotiate and solve issues of dangerous infrastructures and overcharging in bills. Members blocked the entrance to Eneo headquarters, using an empty chair to symbolize the removal of their interlocutor, and the communication interruptions.

Nonprofit Hospitals Accountability Project Releases Report

After extensive research into nonprofit hospitals the Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, the Nonprofit Accountability Project has released our findings and recommendations in a paper, “Charity for Whom?

Our research indicates that the non-profit tax exemption system enables hospitals to be non-profit in name only, thereby reaping the benefits of tax exemption without sharing these gains with low income families. We argue this is due to the vagueness of relevant laws and leniency of the IRS. 

This paper is the product of cooperation between Local 100 United Labor Unions, the Labor Neighbor Research & Training Center (LNRTC), and ACORN International, plus our tireless team of volunteers.

ACORN UK No Evictions! Day of Action

On August 22, 2020, ACORN chapters across the United Kingdom held a No Evictions! Day of Action.

From ACORN UK:

Hundreds of ACORN members took action in 17 towns & cities across England & Wales saying no to rent debt, eviction & homelessness during the pandemic.

Members held socially distanced actions outside of courts where eviction proceedings will be heard, visited the offices of landlords and letting agents to deliver ‘notices of eviction resistance’ to let them know that we won’t stand for immoral COVID evictions, and held outdoor Community Protection Training sessions! ACORN demands that the 1 month eviction ban extension announced last week is followed by serious legislation to protect renters from homelessness and rent debt in the fall out of COVID-19.

We need rent debt accrued as a result of COVID wiped and an immediate end to Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.Over the last couple of months hundreds of people have attended Community Protection Training sessions meaning whenever evictions restart, ACORN members will be ready to resist them.

Watch the full video >>

Impacts of the Covid-19 Crisis on ACORN Members Around the World

Global social protection in times of global crisis

We low-income families are living in the popular areas of Douala, Toronto, Mumbai, Paris, Lima, Manchester, Tunis, New Orleans and Edinburg are victims of the health crisis. We lost our job, we lost much of our income. Yet we still have to pay our rent, our electricity bills and buy something to feed our families. As the lockdown comes to an end, we are tens of millions of people to find ourselves in rent debt in France, the UK, the United States or Canada. This is how we are reduced to misery and hunger.

Read More

Join a Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ACORN

50th anniversary flyer

Zoom Link to 50th Anniversary Celebration

ACORN Around the World

Organizers’ Forum

El Comita, ACORN Tunisia and the Jasmine Foundation hosted the organizers forum in Tunis, Tunisia from September 12th to September 18th. The Organizers’ Forum annually visits different countries.  In Tunisia, we met with unions, NGOs, environmental, and women’s organizations along with communities where ACORN’s affiliate, La Comita, was organizing.  ACORN representatives induced Olivia O’Conner from Hamilton ACORN, Adrien Roux from the Alliance Citoyenne, Eloise Mallet from ReAct and ACORN Africa, Sammy Ndirangu from ACORN Kenya, and Marius Beloch from ACORN’s affiliate in Cameroon.

Cameroon

After months of campaigning, the threat of an action by the members of ACORN affiliate OnEstEnsemble led the agency to pay the hostesses of the GCG agency after waiting for months. The repair of the main pipe has been completed which will reconnect households to the network of water Bonewanda. Local residents have asked the Metropolitan regulate the parking of motorcycle taxis to avoid congestion.

Canada

At the national level, ACORN Canada released the report “Barriers to digital equality” which calls for affordable and universal access to the internet. In Toronto, ACORN members won the city vote for effective implementation of the RentSafe Toronto, a landlord registration program that we had won in 2016. In Mississauga, PEEL ACORN members won a proactive inspection program based on RentSafe Toronto which will be piloted in select buildings. In Ottawa, members won a motion at the city council to enact minimum distance and licensing requirements for payday lending companies. In Hamilton, members having fighting renovictions, the city voted unanimously in support of a motion to review the its incentive grant programs to developers to ensure no city funds are given to renovictors.

Czech Republic

Members of the social building cooperative and AKORN gathered on November 17 at the Republic Square to support the Real Left event called the Revealed Revolution. It was a call out for a comeback of the unfinished “velvet revolution” that began in November 1989, marking the establishment of the Civic Forum. Members are working to create a connected platform like the Civic Forum through which power can be shared and people are able to be actively engage and influence or propose programs.

France

ACORN’s affiliate in Lyon, France, Alliance Citoyenne represented its members in an action demanding burkini wearers be allowed to swim in public pools, wearing the ACORN visor hats! This comes in the wake of the proposed banning of the garment by the authorities in several French towns.

India

ACORN foundation in India demanded Indian companies to devise a method to buy back plastic packaging and bottles that get discarded by consumers after usage at a Bloomberg Equality Summit in Mumbai. ACORN India also featured in the award winning article in the Global Post.

Kenya

Members have been planning for the campaigns on Feeding program and that of Environmental sanitation in Korogocho and its neighboring villages.  Members were able to strike a partnership with Koch FM which is the only radio station in Korogocho. This will allow ACORN to have four hours of daily programming with live or pre-recorded on air programs. Further, over 400 women attended an empowerment event in Korogocho in Nairobi, Kenya where six months’ supply of sanitary pads were distributed to all participants.

United Kingdom

In Brighton, as part of ACORN’s National Renters Vote campaign to mobilise people in vulnerable housing to vote in the General Election. Working across Brighton and Hove at soup kitchens, housing advice and community centres, street stalls and in temporary accommodation, the union has successfully registered almost 100 people, including 50 people with no fixed address. ACORN alongwith several allies launched a national renter manifesto which sets out the steps needed to ensure that everybody has a secure, affordable and decent home. The manifesto covers six key themes: Security, Affordability, Justice, Conditions, Discrimination, and Housing for People Not Profit.

ACORN Liverpool held a protest against homes being auctioned off in Kensington Fields. Members managed to get one of the homes pulled from today’s auction, but sadly the other one went ahead. Families with children in Liverpool are facing potential evictions as landlords advertise their homes to be sold off as student house shares. Acorn Liverpool’s AGM was a big when members spent time plotting and scheming to build working class power. A new committee is in place, and members are ready to get back at it.

ACORN started another new chapter for ACORN in England: ACORN Portsmouth!

United States

New Orleans: A Community Voice, ACORN’s Louisiana affiliate alongwith Justice and Beyond, a community group and other scientists and environmental activists were able to highlight the issue of lead poisoning and put forth demands for cleanup in New Orleans. While groups have been trying to call attention to the problem for years, it was only recently that a demonstration with some 50 people outside the water board headquarters to protest high water bills and lead levels brought attention to the issue. A 2016 study estimated that there are 6.1 million lead pipes bringing water to homes in the US, a fact that was hidden for long.

Memphis: Wade Rathke, founder of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), and Diné Butler, community organizer and policy analyst, explored ways large equity firms are reducing homeownership in Memphis’ low-income neighborhoods.

Netherlands

Netherlands is pushing forward to build ACORN and more there. Inquiries about ACORN organizing have come from Tel Aviv where there’s interest in a building an ACORN Tenants’ Union.  Marielle Benchehboune from Lyon is meeting with them in December when she is there for a conference.  Progress is reportedly slow but steady for ACORN in Ireland as well.

ACORN News April 2019

ACORN Canada

Hello

Le texte français suit l’anglais

We’ve had recent screenings of “The Organizer” to 65 people in Philly, at the offices of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and 45 people at the Maysles Documentary Center in NYC, including old ACORN veteran organizers and leaders. We also showed clips along with a discussion about labor organizing at Georgetown in Washington, DC. Training continues in Milwaukee with Amani United, including planning campaigns to save a bus line through the neighborhood and efforts to launch a community benefits campaign with the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for July 2020. We have reconnected with CASA, the immigrant rights organization based in Maryland, and did a door-knocking training with their 20 community organizers. CASA is interested in further help with their expansion to 7 other states in addition to Maryland, Virginia, and central Pennsylvania where they work now, as well as assistance in creating additional classes of membership along the lines of ACORN’s experience. Also, there are discussions of a partnership internationally with their membership and ACORN’s in Africa. They have several thousand Cameroonian members centered around White Oak, MD, so initial discussions are focusing on ACORN’s work in Cameroon. We’re still awaiting final confirmation on training and consulting work for Roma Standing Conference in Bulgaria for 30 organizers in August. The Toronto director of “The Organizer” is trying to organize a showing in Toronto on the Friday before the ACORN Canada convention. Campaign training with InAdvance in Oakland for 25 organizers is scheduled in May, and the ACORN Canada HO/LO meeting is in April. We also have Irish tenant groups considering affiliation with ACORN in April; the Frankfurt team is moving to register to begin organizing with ACORN in June, and ACORN’s affiliate in France has started an organizing drive on expansion to Toulouse!

Wade, ACORN International Chief Organizer

See some more highlights below.

ACORN around the world

Fighting for the right to housing in Ottawa
ACORN members and allies rallied for affordable and liveable housing in the city. Market rents have increased by approximately one third in the last decade while area median income increased by only four percent. Meanwhile, many tenants are subject to maintenance issues, limited heat and hot water, cockroaches and bed bugs, and inaccessible buildings are waiting for 5-10 years on the affordable housing waitlist. ACORN’s demands include inclusionary zoning, non-profit and co-op housing on government land, action to tackle renovictions, and landlord licensing. The rally ended with ACORN members chanting, “Fight, fight, fight, housing is a right!”

Fighting for workers’ rights in Lyon
On March 20, about 60 subcontracted workers organized within UNITI rallied alongside activists from Lyon. They blocked Primark and put the leader of the company, Protectim, on notice for unpaid hours and poor working conditions.

Victory in Douala! Water for Bepanda Bonewanda residents after 6 years
Thanks to the organizing of members of OnEstEnsemble, Camwater has finally taken action to fix water problems for many households. In 2013, the water network was destroyed for the construction of the Boulevard de la République. Despite the lack of water in the neighborhood, local residents continued to receive water bills. After a meeting with the Regional Director, a water pipe was laid to reconnect households but only on the condition that the meter rental fees accumulated for 6 years are paid. On Wednesday, March 20th, 2019, the residents mobilized and blocked Camwater, demanding that their water is restored. A delegation was sent to negotiate, and many commitments were made, including the immediate descent of a Camwater field team to begin reconnecting residents of Bepanda Bonewonda. Victory! The people are again connected to the water network.

Return of hot water in Aubervilliers, a vital victory for tenants!
Since January, residents of five towers in Aubervilliers were regularly deprived of heating and hot water, causing children to become sick, and greatly inconveniencing residents. On Monday, March 25, Alliance Citoyenne occupied the building owner’s office. The pressure worked and by Tuesday, March 26th, hot water and heating were restored. Alliance Citoyenne still called for a rally to keep the pressure on. Fifty people came out to give a last warning to the landlord, before leaving each other, saying: “Have a good shower!”

Local 100 fights for lead-free schools in Houston
The Houston Independent School District has refused to place lead water filters on school water fountains, even after spending $3 million to test them and finding high levels of lead in school water. Local 100 is demanding that all schools built before 1986, the year the Federal authorities disallowed lead use in any plumbing systems, be fitted with lead filters. If we can get lead out of our gasoline supply, we should be able to get it out of our water supply!

Dharavi Rocks! ACORN helps young people in Mumbai develop their talents
ACORN leads the celebrated youth music collective, Dharavi Rocks, as part of their work in informal arts learning. Dharavi Rocks helps to publically assert the human potential of Dharavi’s young people and builds the skills and ability of those who take part.

ACORN Kenya organizes for feeding programs!
ACORN is planning a campaign on the issue of feeding programs in the urban settlement of Korogocho. Members met with key stakeholders and held a small planning meeting. ACORN Kenya also hosted Cameroon ACORN International Organizer and Campaigner Eloïse for a week! The team was able to learn a lot about improving the organization as well as developing their campaigns.

Fighting for human rights in Tegucigalpa
ACORN Tegucigalpa is fighting for policy that focuses on human rights and the prevention of violence, and has been promoting the organization to students at the Catholic University of Honduras. ACORN also participated in a march for inclusion on International Autism Day.

UK ACORN fights for affordable transit, tenant protections and livable housing
Birmingham and Brighton have carried out a number of high profile member defense cases, with Brighton being mentioned in Parliament on March 13th. Bristol resisted three illegal evictions and ran a strategy session to develop its affordable housing campaign. Manchester helped to bring the Better Buses campaign up to 10,000 signatures, ran weekly doorknocking sessions, building on its Levenshulme local group drive. Newcastle’s ‘Three Sisters’’ tower block group won the installation of sprinklers and thermal CCTV in the garbage chutes where dozens of fires have started.

Toronto members demand repairs from corporate landlord
ACORN members and tenants held a rally to demand that corporate landlord, Q Residential, complete badly needed repairs. Tenants are fed up with repairs never being done on time. They demanded that Q Residential address: Bug infestations; mice and rats; building maintenance; elevator issues; and cracks in the buildings. Members have given the landlord five business days to arrange a meeting to sit down and discuss their issues, or they will escalate their campaign of direct action.

Bringing affordable technology to community members in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ACORN is collaborating with LakeCity Works to launch a Computer Enrichment Program! Donations of computers and other devices will be refurbished and sold at affordable prices, making them more accessible to more people.

ACORN Czech Republic spreads the word through comedy
ACORN has been working with famous Romani actor, Zdeněk Godla, who is interested in in the organization. After meeting with ACORN, he has recommended us to several Roma and other entrepreneurs. The organization is now working on preparing a larger cooperative project for affordable social housing. Stay tuned!

Members are getting organized in Liberia!
Thirteen towns held local leader elections and another three towns had elections for committee leaders, while other towns are preparing for elections. Leaders participated in training on a range of topics including storytelling, public speaking, and negotiation training. Next steps include sending letters to targets and local committee elections in newly identified towns.

ACORN Radio: The voice of the people!

Listen in to ACORN Radio to hear tales of organizing, member stories, local updates, and more!

Check out the schedule here 


Want to donate to ACORN International or get involved? Visit ACORN International 


 

Bonjour

Nous avons eu des projections récentes de “The Organizer” à 65 personnes à Philadelphie aux bureaux du projet de chômage de Philadelphie (Philadelphia Unemployment Project) et à 45 personnes au Centre de documentation de Maysles (Maysles Documentary Center) à New York, y compris d’anciens organisateurs et dirigeants vétérans d’ACORN. Nous avons également montré des clips avec une discussion sur la syndicalisation à Georgetown à Washington, DC. La formation continue continue à Milwaukee avec Amani United, y compris les campagnes de planification pour sauver une ligne de bus dans le quartier et les efforts pour lancer une campagne de bénéfices sociaux avec la Convention nationale démocrate (Democratic National Convention), qui est prévue pour juillet 2020. Nous avons repris contact avec CASA, une organisation de défense des droits des immigrés basée dans le Maryland, et nous avons fait une formation de comment faire du porte-à-porte avec ses vingt organisateurs communautaires. L’organisation CASA est intéressée dans l’aide à leur expansion à sept autres États en plus de Maryland, de la Virginie et du centre de la Pennsylvanie, où ils travaillent actuellement, ainsi qu’une assistance pour créer de nouvelles catégories de membres sur le modèle de l’expérience ACORN. De plus, il y a les discussions d’un partenariat international avec leurs membres et ACORN en Afrique. Ils ont plusieurs milliers de membres camerounais concentrés autour de White Oak, MD, donc les discussions initiales se concentrent sur le travail d’ACORN au Cameroun. Nous attendons la confirmation finale du travail de formation et de consultation pour la conférence permanente des Roms (Roma Standing Conference) en Bulgarie pour 30 organisateurs communautaires en août. Le réalisateur torontois du film “L’organisateur” (The Organizer) essaie d’organiser une projection de film à Toronto sur le vendredi avant la convention ACORN au Canada. La formation de campagne avec InAdvance à Oakland pour 25 organisateurs communautaires est prévue en mai et la réunion d’ACORN Canada HO/LO se passera en avril. Nous avons aussi les groupes de locataires irlandais qui envisagent une affiliation avec ACORN en avril ; l’équipe de Francfort s’apprête à s’inscrire pour organiser avec ACORN en juin et une filiale d’ACORN en France a lancé une campagne de syndicalisation pour l’expansion à Toulouse!

Wade, Organisateur en chef d’ ACORN International

Voir quelques points saillants ci-dessous.

ACORN dans le monde

La lutte pour le droit au logement à Ottawa
Les membres et les alliés d’ACORN se rallient à la cause de logement abordable et vivable en ville. Les loyers du marché ont augmenté d’environ un tiers au cours de la dernière décennie, tandis que le revenu médian régional n’a augmenté que de 4%. D’un autre côté, beaucoup de locataires sont sujets à des problèmes d’entretien, à un chauffage, à une eau chaude limités, à des cafards, à des punaises de lit et à des bâtiments inaccessibles. Ils attendent entre cinq et dix ans sur une liste d’attente de logement abordable. Les demandes d’ACORN inclut le zonage d’inclusion, les logements coopératifs et à but non lucratif sur les terres du gouvernement, les mesures prises pour lutter contre les rénovations et les licences accordées aux propriétaires. Le meeting de protestation a fini par les chants des membres d’ACORN de “Fight, fight, fight, housing is a right!”

La lutte pour les droits des travailleurs à Lyon
Le 20 mars, une soixantaine de travailleurs sous-traités ont organisé au sein de l’UNITI avec le soutien d’activistes à Lyon. Ils ont bloqué Primark et ils ont mis en garde le chef de l’entreprise, Protectim, pour les heures non rémunérées et les mauvaises conditions de travail.

Victoire à Douala! De l’eau pour les résidents de Bepanda Bonewonda après 6 ans
Grâce aux efforts d’organisation par les membres d’OnEstEnsemble, Camwater a finalement pris des mesures pour résoudre les problèmes d’eau de nombreux ménages. En 2013, le réseau hydrique a été détruit à cause de la construction du boulevard de la république. Malgré le manque d’eau dans le quartier, les résidents locaux ont continué à recevoir des factures d’eau. Après une réunion avec le directeur régional, une conduite d’eau a été posée pour rebrancher les ménages, mais elle a été dépendre du principe que les frais des compteurs d’eau accumulés après six ans sont payés. Le mercredi 20 mars 2019, les habitants se sont mobilisés et ont bloqué Camwater, exigeant que leur eau soit rétablie. Une délégation a été envoyée pour négocier et de nombreux engagements ont été pris, y compris la descente immédiate d’une équipe de terrain de Camwater pour commencer à rebrancher sur le réseau les résidents de Bepanda Bonewonda. La victoire! Camwater a également créé d’autres engagements, notamment le remplissage régulier des réservoirs d’eau pour l’accès à l’eau potable des ménages qui ne sont pas connectés au réseau.

Le retour de l’eau chaude dans la ville d’Aubervilliers, une victoire vitale pour les inhabitants!
Depuis janvier, les résidents de cinq tours à Aubervilliers étaient régulièrement défavorisés de chauffage et d’eau chaude, ce qui rendait les enfants malades et gênait grandement les résidents. Le lundi 25 mars, l’Alliance Citoyenne occupait le bureau du propriétaire de l’immeuble. La pression a fonctionné et le mardi 26 mars, l’eau chaude et le chauffage ont été restaurés. L’Alliance Citoyenne a toujours appelé à un rassemblement pour maintenir la pression. Cinquante personnes sont venues pour donner un dernier avertissement au propriétaire, avant de se quitter en disant, «Prenez une bonne douche!”

La section locale 100 se bat pour les écoles sans plomb à Houston
Le district scolaire indépendant de Houston a refusé d’installer des filtres à eau en plomb sur les fontaines d’eau à l’école, même après avoir dépensé trois millions de dollars pour analyser leurs effets sur l’eau et après avoir trouvé des niveaux élevés de plomb dans l’eau des écoles. La section locale 100 exige que toutes les écoles construites avant 1986, année où les autorités fédérales ont interdit l’utilisation de plomb dans les systèmes de plomberie, soient équipées de filtres en plomb. Si nous pouvons retirer le plomb des réserves nationales d’essence, nous devrions pouvoir le sortir de notre réserve d’eau!

“Dharavi Rocks!” ACORN aide les jeunes de Mumbai à développer leurs talents
ACORN mène “Dharavi Rocks,” un collectif de musique de jeunesse célébré, dans le cadre de leur travail d’apprentissage informel des arts. Dhavari Rocks aide à affirmer publiquement le potentiel humain des jeunes de Dharavi et à renforcer les compétences et les capacités de ceux qui y participent

 

 

ACORN Kenya organise des programmes d’alimentation!
ACORN prépare une campagne sur la question des programmes d’alimentation dans l’implantation urbaine de Korogocho. Les membres ont rencontré des principaux intervenants et ont tenu une petite réunion de planification. ACORN Kenya a également accueilli Eloïse, Organisateur international et militante d’ACORN au Cameroun, pour une semaine! L’équipe a beaucoup appris sur l’amélioration de l’organisation et le développement de leurs campagnes.

La lutte pour les droits de l’homme à Tegucigalpa
ACORN Tegucigalpa lutte pour la politique qui focalise l’attention sur les droits de l’homme et la prévention de la violence. L’organisation a fait la promotion de l’organisation auprès des étudiants de l’Université catholique du Honduras. ACORN a participé aussi dans une manifestation pour l’inclusion sur la journée internationale de l’autisme (International Autism Day).

Les membres de Toronto exigent des réparations des propriétaires de l’entreprise
Les membres et les locataires d’ACORN se sont rassemblés pour exiger que le propriétaire de l’entreprise, Q Residential, effectue les réparations indispensables. Les locataires sont exaspérés avec le fait que les réparations ne sont jamais effectuées à l’heure. Ils exigent que Q Residential aborde : les infestations d’insectes, les souris et les rats, l’entretien des bâtiments, les problèmes d’ascenseur et des fissures dans les bâtiments. Les membres ont donné au propriétaire cinq jours ouvrables pour organiser une réunion et discuter de leurs problèmes, sinon ils vont intensifier leur campagne d’action directe.!

ACORN du Royaume-Uni lutte pour des transports en commun abordables, des protections pour les locataires et des logements viables.
Birmingham et Brighton ont effectué un certain nombre d’affaires de défense des membres, et Brighton a été mentionné par le parlement le 13 mars. Bristol a résisté à trois expulsions illégales et a organisé une séance de stratégie pour développer sa campagne de logements abordables. Manchester a aidé à porter la campagne “Better Buses” à 10 000 signatures et a organisé des séances hebdomadaires pour faire du porte-à-porte. Ils ont construit sur son effort de groupe local Levenshulme. Un groupe de la tour de grande hauteur appelé “Three Sisters” de Newcastle a gagné l’installation de gicleurs et de vidéosurveillance thermique dans les goulottes et les boîtes où des dizaines d’incendies ont commencé!

L’introduction de la technologie abordable aux membres de la communauté en Nouvelle-Écosse
ACORN de la Nouvelle-Écosse collabore avec LakeCity Works pour le lancement d’un programme d’enrichissement d’ordinateur! Les dons d’ordinateurs et d’autres appareils seront remis à neuf et vendus à des prix abordables. Cela les rendra plus accessibles à plus de gens.

ACORN République tchèque passe le message par la comédie
ACORN ont travaillé avec l’acteur rom, Zdeněk Godla, qui est très célèbre et est intéressé par l’organisation. Après avoir rencontré ACORN, il nous a recommandé à plusieurs entrepreneurs roms et autres. L’organisation travaille maintenant pour préparer un projet coopératif plus vaste pour le logement social abordable. Restez à l’écoute!

Les membres s’organisent au Libéria!
Treize villes ont tenu des élections de dirigeants locaux et trois autres villes ont tenu des élections pour les dirigeants du comité, tandis que d’autres villes se préparent pour les élections. Les dirigeants ont participé à un stage de formation à l’enseignement sur un éventail de sujets, y compris les contes, la capacité de s’exprimer en public et la formation en négociation. Les prochaines étapes consistent à envoyer des lettres aux cibles et aux élections des comités locaux dans les villes récemment identifiées.

Radio ACORN : La voix du peuple !

Écoutez la radio ACORN pour entendre des récits d’organisation, d’histoires de membres, de mises à jour locales et plus encore ! Consultez l’horaire ici 

Vous voulez faire un don à ACORN International ou vous impliquer? 

Visitez ici 

Organizers’ Forum International Dialogue in Sri Lanka 2019

Dates:    September 8th through 13th (Sunday through Friday)

Place:     Columbo

Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is an island country below the Indian subcontinent located in the Indian Ocean.

Population
• 2018 estimate 21,670,000[3] (57th)
• 2012 census 20,277,597[4] (57th)
• Density 327/km2 (846.9/sq mi) (43rd)
GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
• Total $292.793 billion[5] (61st)
• Per capita $13,500[5] (91st)
GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
• Total $92.504 billion[5] (66th)
• Per capita $4,265[5] (109th)

Quoting from Wikipedia:  Sri Lanka…

officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent, but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

Sri Lanka’s documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years.[10] It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.[11][12] Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.[13][14][15]

The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. It has had a long history of international engagement, as a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two South Asian countries rated “high” on the Human Development Index (HDI), with its HDI rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations.[7] The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the “foremost place”, although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism is given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.[17]

The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The majority of the population is from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island’s history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the indigenous Vedda are also established groups on the island.

The various ethnic groups united to end British colonial rule, but the British legacy insisted on communal representation that eventually pitted the majority Sinhalese against the minority (over 800,000) Tamil leading to civil war in 1983 over a number of issues involving language and jobs, including provisions that made the Tamil virtually stateless and unable to obtain citizenship in the emerging nation.  The Tamil Tigers was a well-known guerilla effort classified as terrorist by many nations.  Attempts at peace broke down a number of times until after more than twenty-five years with the help of the Indian army a military victory was achieved over the Tamil in 2009.

More recently, Sri Lanka was in the news over a constitutional crisis involving the president, prime minister, and parliament in the fall of 2018.  A popular prime minister accused of corruption was ousted by a political coalition that elected the president who after several years in office suddenly returned the former prime minister to that job triggering mayhem.  Eventually, he was force to resign in the stalemate between the president of the parliament.

The Organizers’ Forum is interested in meeting with a number of groups in order to evaluate the progress of the country a decade after its civil war as it tries to resolve the historic issues that have divided its people and undercut its institutions.  A delegation from the Organizers’ Forum had undertaken a similar mission a decade after the end of apartheid in South Africa in order to understand how deeply change had become embedded and shaped the country’s future.  Similarly, the Organizers Forum delegation in Indonesia was able to view the impacts of ethnic strife in that country that had experienced state terror during the Cold War and how it had adapted in unique ways.

In this time when the issue of climate change has global importance, the Organizers’ Forum is also hoping to learn more about how an island nation like Sri Lanka is making plans to deal with the potential impact of rising seas.  Some members of the delegation have discussed a side trip to the Maldives in order to see that country “while it’s still there,” since many scientists also project that by the end of the century it could be underwater.

Long thought of as an exotic country, Sri Lanka is now at the crossroads of a different kind of future, and the Organizers Forum delegation is seeking to better understand what we have to learn – and to offer – at this critical juncture.

The Organizers’ Forum is a project of the Labor Neighbor Research & Training Center.  Interested parties need to contact director@laborneighbor.org in order to reserve a place.  The Forum covers housing, most meals, and in-country transportation and events, while members of the delegation and their organizations cover transportation to and from Sri Lanka and cover a modest program fee that allows from planning and logistics to make this trip happen.  Please contact us at your earliest convenience and certainly not later than August 1st.  As always, the earlier plane reservations are made, the cheaper for the delegates.

A visa is required to North American, UK, and European visitors that costs about $30 USD and is available electronically within three working days or at the airport, but best advice is getting it earlier.

This will be a great trip!


en_USEnglish