|
Informing and Mobilizing US Grassroots Advocacy
Our History
Under the name of the Southern Africa Working Group (SAWG),
this network was founded to share information and mobilize
action in solidarity with the anti-Apartheid and grassroots
liberation movements of the Southern African countries
still remaining under white minority rule. With the successes
of those movements during the late 80s and early 90s, SAWG
needed to rename itself and define a new agenda. Adopting the
new name - The Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA) - it took up
the task of addressing a broad spectrum of US/Africa foreign
policy issues, with an expanded focus on sub-Saharan Africa,
and some attention to the northern African countries.
In 2008 ADNA's name was changed to ADNA Forum. For information on
meeting and activities please contact the facilitators:
Rocco Puopolo of Africa Faith and Justice
Network (director@afjn.org),
Roxanne Lawson of TransAfrica Forum (rlawson@transafricaforum.org), and Gerald LeMelle of Africa Action
(gerald@africaaction.org).
Our Purpose
Today, ADNA has three primary objectives:
- In Washington, DC we work to raise the level of
understanding and attention to current events in Africa
and in International policy and funding with Members of Congress,
with the President, with key Administration officials, and in
international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.
- Additionally, we work nationally and internationally through the
organizational members and contact networks
to increase the flow of dependable and timely action-oriented
information shared among the Africa advocacy community here in the
US, and between US-based groups and African grassroots groups.
- Finally, we mobilize progressive US voters across the country
to be politically active on key US/Africa and International
policy issues.
What We Do
The key to mounting effective popular political pressure on policy
makers at the national and international level is to build a broad based,
well-informed and persistently active constituency, especially where
those officials are elected and accountable to the citizens.
Collaboration among our organizations expands our reach and magnifies
our effect. We share background information and action strategies
such as situation updates from our partners in Africa, Action Alerts,
petition campaigns, letter-writing and call-in campaigns, advocacy days,
public vigils and demonstrations, and other creative ideas through
an e-mail communications system.
|
