Introduction.  Alliance-UK is a social Development charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England & Wales on 13 March 2000 and registered as a charity on 30 May 2000. The Organization was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association.

Brief History. Alliance for African Assistance was founded in 1989 in San Diego, California, USA. It was founded by Walter Lam, a refugee, with the aim of creating an inclusive global society through improved welfare, self ~sufficiency, and full integration of Africans in the Diaspora. Of crucial concern to Walter Lam were immigrants communities who had applied for refugee status or political asylum in the United States. Using charitable grants and donations, Walter Lam sought to relieve the hardships faced by such persons living in the United States. Fourteen years on, Alliance- US had made a remarkable achievement. It runs on a budget of over $2m US Dollars (1.3m Pound Sterling) and employs nearly 70 staff with a global program that is inclusive.  The year 2000 saw the Alliance for African Assistance take a big step forward. In March 2000, Alliance-UK was established in London now with a budget of over 25K and net assets worth nearly 13K. Further to its growth, Alliance-UK was established in March 2002 as an NGO. This makes Alliance for African Assistance a truly international organization.

Objects of the Charity. The charity’s object are to relieve poverty of those in conditions of needs, hardship or distress by reason of their social or economic circumstances or as a result of local, national or international disasters including (without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing) persons who are immigrant to the United Kingdom or who have been granted or who have applied for refugee or political asylum status in the United Kingdom (or any like status which may hereafter replace them under the laws applicable in the United Kingdom) and   to undertake  or lay  out funds for  any other charitable purpose 

which w ill  benefit  such .persons living in the United Kingdom. Whilst Alliance for African Assistance carries out emergency relief work, it considers that the best method of tackling world poverty in the longer term is through a series of programs aimed to promote sustainable development in particular regions and to enable those communities to become as self sufficient as they can.

Our Work  focuses on unlocking potential of disadvantage people, helping them find job that utilizes their talent and ensuring their socio-economic well-being is catered for in a sustainable way, guiding and empowering them to achieve self-sufficiency, inclusiveness and opportunity for all. The programs carried out by the organization can be broadly categorized under a ‘6-point program of action’ as follows: P1.Employment Support: Helping people find job that utilizes their skills and talent. P2.Education &Training: helping people to acquire or develops new or improve on existing skill & knowledge that enhance their career prospect and employability.

P3.Capacity building:  designs to develop and empower the individual, community groups’ organizational capacity, provide consultation, aimed at promoting accountability & transparency. P4.DAM (Dance & Arts Music) promotion: promoting and empowering local artist group, exposing young & hidden talent. P5.Health Promotion:  ensuring health living, designed to increase awareness, encourage use of preventive measure and improving access to services. P6.Community Regeneration & Sustainable Development by promoting well-being, safety, facilitating integration and encouraging involvement & participation. How we achieved/meet this:  - Policy Lobbying & Campaign - Project - Conducting Training - Advocacy & guidance - Event organization & - Contracts.

Related Parties. Alliance-UK is an independent body with close relationship to its sisters Organization Alliance for African Assistance (Kampala, Uganda), an NGO established March 2002 and Alliance for African Assistance (San Diego Office, San Diego California, USA) a voluntary body founded in 1989The Organization also works with a series of partner organizations, with objects similar to our own, locally and in other parts of the world.  Our work with oversea partners has mainly been in the provision of technical assistance.

Operation. Global organization with a local focus. Our work compliment the good work of national Government, Private Sectors and other agencies in the Not for Profit sector.

Organizational Membership.  SRB Funding Appraisal panel – Southwark Council- Strategic Ethnic Alliance - Southwark Action for Voluntary organization - African HIV Policy Network (AHPN) - Immigration Sub-committee, AHPN - African Health Forum, LSL - Croydon African Network - Southwark Race & Equality Council  - Lambeth Learning Community (Brixton Online) - Home Office state of the sector Consultative Panel.

Calendar of Activities. Training ( New Trianing dates to be announce) - Meeting (BOD, FOA, Project, Artist Forum; Annual Sitting; AGM)  - Events  - Open House.  Staff & Volunteers. Our team is the most valuable Asset of the organisation. Alliance for African Assistance is currently served by Voluntary effort. To which we are grateful. We are sourcing funding for the following position:  1. Country Director; Finance & Operational Offcer, 2. Resource & Development Co-ordinator, Communication Officer, 3. Operational Administrator.

The need for volunteering. No man is an island. We exist in a world that comprises interdependent and co-dependent entities. In such an environment the importance of voluntary service cannot be overstated. By offering a helping hand you may not change the world overnight but you can change individual feelings from despair to hope, from feeling unloved to being cared for, from feeling unwanted to feeling needed. Giving up any amount of time to help others in some way from assisting an elderly person with their shopping or just acting as a companion for them, to more high profile work in social, medical or international relief fields, can have a pebble-dropped-in-water' effect which promotes a national and international awareness and respect for others and the society in which we live. Characteristics.  There are no limits to the opportunities that exist for volunteers of all ages and with all different kinds of skills and qualifications. Whether you are trained in a particular discipline or not, the overriding  characteristic essential to all volunteers is a desire and enthusiasm to help.  What you get. Volunteering is by no means a one way giving experience. In return for your time and assistance you may not receive many material benefits but other, arguably more rewarding, benefits can result. Some are subjective and hard to quantify such as personal development. Consider this A person teaching English among Black Minority Ethnic group may not only improve their own English skills but may gain a greater multi-cultural awareness and understanding, a social worker may gain a new perspective on his or her profession by practicing in Britain or Japan, as might a Agricultural or medical student, working in Africa.

Other benefit. Other benefits are more tangible such as enabling a future employer to recognize a team worker, a good organizer or someone with resourcefulness and adaptability. For someone unemployed, working on a local community project or for the National Trust can lead to the acquisition of new skills, which can be used as the basis of a CV to show a future employer. For those in retirement volunteering can offer a means for them to continue being active and full participants in their community or overseas. Opportunities  for  volunteers to offer their services whether to develop their communication

and managerial skills by operating   a radio station for marginalized groups, or to gain essential experience in the 'behind-the-scenes' workings of a theatre, or to heighten their awareness and that of other people. Opportunity to become member of the Board of Alliance for African Assistance, which is the governing body of the charity. Help at hand.   Childcare  cost.  We will cover your childcare cost incurred during the cause of your duties with Alliance-UK.

Funding & Development.  No specific fundraising activities undertaken at present. All our work is currently supported by grants and donations from individuals, private sectors, and public sectors. In the financial last 4 years we have been supported by a number grant making bodies and local authority. This includes Health First/South London Health Authority for Health Promotion activities (2001/02, 2002/03,2003/04) SRB6 Community Chest (Southwark), a campaign against hate crime (2001/02, 2002/03); South East London Community Foundation (2002/03); Comic Relief (2002/03); Training & Employment; Award for All Lottery funding (2002/03); for the Golden Celebration event, Hilden Charitable Fund for Volunteer Development Program (2002/03); Lambeth Community Fund (2003/2004) and Alliance for African Assistance (USA) for Resource Centre running Cost. We also received donation from various individuals, these undoubtedly has enhanced our community effort.  We are grateful to all our founders for their invaluable support of organization.

It should be remembered! Despite the exotic-sounding appeal of some voluntary opportunities such as assisting the monitoring of turtle activity in Costa Rica, it must be remembered that the work required can be very emotionally or physically demanding and is not for the faint-hearted.  Volunteer Position -  Project support Worker  -  Resource Centre Administrators. Make time: If you're interested in volunteering, please stop by to talk with us or give us a call. Contact Us:  Call: 020 7738 6412 or E-mail us. Visit us at: Resource & Development Centre,  Suite 49 Eurolink Business Centre 49 Effra Road Brixton SW2 1BZ.

International work. Work with Children and Displace people, on the entire team of Alliance for African Assistance had opportunity to address the resident of Gulu and Kitgum through local MegaFM Radio based in Gulu, Northern Uganda.  A Radio project on Young people aspiration & comic development to be develop in response to the needs of the. Our commitment to help poorer and disadvantage community is seen along side our partner, The Acholi Community in Diaspora (Canadian based Groups) in their work with Visually impaired people in Northern Uganda.

Projects/Event. Project Bulu, a HIV & Sexual Health Promotional Program: In September 2002, Alliance for African Assistance was awarded grant of £4000 (four thousand pounds only) from the small funding scheme Set up by South London NHS Heath Authority (now Lewisham PCT) run by Health First.

Back 2 works Project:  Employment & Training Program aimed at empowering the disadvantaged or hard to place communities of South London, with particular interest immediately on residence of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich in finding work or enhancing employability. Capital funding to purchase presentation and office equipments to improve its training delivery was received from Comic Relief and South East London Foundation.

The objectives of the Pilot HIV Project were the following: Provide de Training; Conduct Advocacy, Workshops/seminars and Leaflet/audio-visual resources. In line with the objectives of the set up for this purpose, Alliance for African Assistance planned and designed a range of activities that included Training Session, Confidentiality session, networking & outreach activities and community event that would fulfill all or most of the objectives of the fund. Five small group Training Session on basis HIV awareness, prevention assertiveness & Self-esteem were organized. 37 participants attended this. Also we carried out HIV prevention and sexual health promotion outreach activities through in a confidentiality session. 1500 Safer sex packs, over 1000 leaflets (various), 100 African AIDS helpline cards were distributed. The youth empowered through the informative session of live discussion with various Community groups representatives, People living with HIV/AIDS linking Training session activity with real life experiences. The project was linked with existing services through integrative service activities.

Back 2 works Project:  Employment & Training Program aimed at empowering the disadvantaged or hard to place communities of South London, with particular interest immediately on residence of Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich in finding work or enhancing employability. Capital funding to purchase presentation and office equipments to improve its training delivery was received from Comic Relief and South East London Foundation.

Key Activities and Outcome:  Project activities include. - Drop-in  - Training- HM, Welfare Benefit, Support Workers  - IT & Office Skills, & Customer Service.

A drop in service as part of employment support initiatives was operated. The user group both employed and unemployed enjoyed the following service:  - Online job and information search. - Computer aided CV Preparation - Job application forms completion – both online and the traditional approach. - Writing job cover letter. A good number of individual also dropped in to brush up their computer skill, learn & sharpen Office practice skill for instance in using of fax, copier, and filing, document scanning & Indexing.  13 people have now gained full time employment.

Training: A combine training course was run in Housing Management & Welfare Benefits. Training delegated had a unique chance to learn and practiced their skill on our Housing Management Software, Win House. This courses enable delegates to acquire skills that lead to position such as Housing Officers, Housing Advisors, Welfare Benefit Assessors, Determination Officer, etc. Overall 30 people were trained in the Period, 15 of which were those who initially volunteered with us. At least 20 people have gained full time paid employment with Housing Associations, Local Authority and Advice Agencies. 5 support workers (volunteers) were involved in the delivery of this service.

IT & Office Skills, & Customer Service combined, A total of 49 people have been served and trained in these program area. 10 youngsters, age group 5-11 have frequently benefited from our IT support with youngster using the popular BBC Revise

Project status and funding; This an on-going program with funding being sought for position of Project Coordinator and other running cost.

Community Outreach initiatives.  An Anti-Poverty program aimed at improving people livelihood and tackling poverty among disadvantage groups particularly those who are vulnerable and housebound clients or those in hospitals. 

Alliance-UK engaged 6 support workers (volunteers) and a total of 26 visits were made, 130 people served. These have also yielded over £500K in benefit up take for the clients.

Project status and funding: This is an ongoing project. Funding currently being sought for the position of Project Coordinator and other running cost.

Community Event. Team together trip- a seaside Day out was organized where the team (directors, MC, & Support team) and member of the community went to both the ports of Folkestone and Dover. 50 adult and 15 children & young enjoyed this occasion. Alliance-UK team included (5 directors, 7 Management & 25 Support team. The rest of the groups were member of the general public and service users. A beach race was organized.

Goldie Community award for All. Conducted on 25^th January 2003, a recognition and award for achievement and Contribution by people in the community. Honourees as young as 8 years of age were among the 33 award recipients at the Nettlefold Hall in West Norwood. The Award sponsored this event for All Lottery Funding under the Golden. 

DEAR Project; Dear Live Show Event, a Campaign Against Hate Crime. Alliance-uk 2003 Campaign theme was: Safer Southwark, we support you DEAR (Domestic Humility, Ethnic Diversity, Anti-social Behaviour Order/Contract & Racial Harmony).

A Brief Background… Following the successful staging of the campaign against hate crime, One Southwark One People Live show, theme don’t DARE (Domestic violence, Anti social behaviour Racial prejudice Ethnic divides) on 23rd March 2002, Alliance for African Assistance embarked on the complimentary live DEAR show. In February 2003, Alliance for African Assistance was awarded grant of £4998.51 (four thousand nine hundred and ninety eight pound and fifty one pence only) from the one-off funding scheme, SRB6 community Chest, Campaign against hate crime, Hate hurts.