Changing A Culture Of Poverty And Corruption

PACAW: Changing A Culture Of Poverty And Corruption To One Of Hope Through Education For Children In Africa

The mission of Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch (PACAW), is to nurture and develop a new generation of African leaders via access to a different educational culture at the primary and secondary school levels. In providing the infrastructure and staff for quality education for pupils in poor underserved communities Pan Africa Children Advocacy Watch promotes change.

“We can help develop better leaders when early education focuses on turning the gaze of the children away from avarice, extortion, selfishness, the vain, and obsession with accumulation of material wealth.” Dr. Sylvanus A. Ayeni is president of the nonprofit organization. “This type of education culture at the basic and secondary school levels would prepare young people for leadership that champions the development of their nations from within, and embraces living for a higher purpose.

“We’d like to expand our programs to several states in Nigeria,” says Dr. Ayeni. “In particular we would like a presence in the delta area and the northeastern part of the country where education has been brutally decimated by stone age ideologues.” Later, they plan to establish similar programs in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Biennial PACAW Leadership Academy is the second component of PACAW’s program. The Academy is for community leaders, the teachers and interested young graduates from the country’s tertiary educational institutions. The lessons and the values learned are then passed on to the children.

The third aspect of PACAW initiatives is the Community Economic Empowerment Program, intended to lift up the community economically. The goal is to transfer the PACAW programs to the community, the local government and perhaps, the state government within about ten years. This is designed to break the cycle of dependency which is so deeply entrenched in many nations of Sub-Saharan Africa.

PACAW is governed by members of an all-volunteer board in the USA and Africa. Members of the Organizing Committees of the programs at the grassroots level in Africa are all volunteers as well. Your assistance in helping us to get generous donations to this cause would be greatly appreciated. Currently, at least 95% of donations go directly to the village (community) in Africa for the projects to fulfill the mission of PACAW, Inc.

Dr. Ayeni is a retired neurosurgeon and former associate professor of neurosurgery at Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Nigeria, he has studied and taught around the world. For more information, please visit: www.pacaw.org.

PACAW, Inc. teachers and community leaders during the PACAW, Inc. Leadership Academy in Koro-Ekiti, Kwara State, Nigeria in September, 2014. PACAW, Inc. President, Dr. Ayeni, is in the middle row, fifth from left.

 

 

Combating Teen Homelessness In NYC With Technology

Combating Teen Homelessness In NYC With Technology
Top IT Experts Team Up to Educate Teens in Foster Care

The statistics are alarming. Eighty percent of homeless people in NYC were formerly in the foster care system.  When a foster-care youth reaches the age of 18 and has not been adopted, they “age out” of the system and are essentially abandoned and completely unprepared to be on their own. Almost universally, they have minimal education, very high dropout rates, absolutely no parental or adult guidance, no life skills, no qualifications, and no living arrangements.

That’s why the Techie Youth Foundation’s Founder and President – Eric David Benari, is on a mission. He’s teamed up with other experts in the field to provide free IT education to any youth of employable age in the foster-care system to help combat homelessness.

” It is never the kids’ fault they are in the foster-care system. Most of them enter the system due to severe parental abuse or extreme neglect. Kids who don’t enter the Techie Youth program and age-out of care are likely to become incarcerated within 18-24 months. Many will become homeless, and nearly half of all females will become pregnant within one year. Any of the students who participate in the program could within a very short time be earning much more than what is required to live adequately,” says Benari.

After five months of classes, the Techie Youth Foundation is proud to announce they recently celebrated their first graduating class at the Microsoft Store on 5th Avenue.

About Eric David Benari:

 David Benari, PMP, is the Founder & President of Techie Youth. He is an IT business expert and master-technologist who has founded and/or built the infrastructure for a large portfolio of ventures, spanning sectors of social networks, e-commerce, B2B, open-source, online advertising (while in a senior-role at Yahoo!) and others. Benari has been invited to speak at numerous conferences and universities, including NYU and MIT, and is a published writer for Forbes and MIT CIO Corner, to name a few. Benari  is also the Chairman/Coordinator/Organizer of the world’s largest community of database-technology professionals.

For more information on the Techie Youth Foundation, visit: www.TechieYouth.org
or www.TechieYouth.org/hope.

To see Class Photos, please visit: www.TechieYouth.org/gallery.

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There are children waiting 
in the US  foster care system

What ‘ya gonna do?

In one of those “kids say the darnedest things moments” when they spill the family secrets, a neighbor’s son told me “my parents always say that if it happens outside my door, I don’t need to get involved”. I wanted to ask if his parents explained what kind of things he shouldn’t be involved in – was it the argument overheard next door or the cry for help from a stranger? In the end, I decided not to question the youngster.

How much do we involve ourselves in the lives of others? And where do we draw the line?

What would you do if you knew a child was in trouble and possibly being abused by one of the adults she yearns to trust? There are some people who, by the nature of their jobs, are legally required to report all suspected child abuse such as teachers, doctors, police officers, and child care providers to name just a few. Any adult who lives with the child who has been abused is also legally required to report the situation although all too often these people are either involved in the abuse or complicity denying the existence.

What about the rest of us, what is our moral obligation to report when we’ve seen a child in distress with repeated and multiple bruises, or worse?

We need to learn to recognize the signs of abuse and not deny that it might be happening. Severe injuries, multiple bruises from obviously different occasions, fear at the idea of going home, a lack of medical care for illness or injury, detailed tales of sexual activity, consistently unkempt appearance, or frequent and constant hunger MAY be signs we should pay attention to. If a child comes to you with a blatant cry for help and story of an abusive situation, it shouldn’t be discounted without consideration. And as the parent of a child who once screamed for help standing at her bedroom window when she was angry for being sent to her room for a time-out, I am aware that sometimes things CAN be misunderstood.

If we must err though, we should err on the side of the child’s safety. Child protective agencies exist in every region and depending on the size of your municipality maybe even in your city. If you suspect the possibility of child abuse contacting them may very well be the first step in saving a child’s life. The staff at these offices are trained to determine if the information you provide is enough to warrant a more thorough investigation so they will ask you questions such as what you witnessed, if you’ve seen former evidence, and how well you know the people involved (to assess your vantage point). Your name will be kept out of it if they decide to investigate so you shouldn’t worry about repercussions. Unless it can be proven that you maliciously reported a false case, you are immune to any consequences. Cases will be investigated and any actions taken will be done in the best interests of the child.

When I researched information for my novel Bartlett’s Rule, I came across survivors of childhood abuse and one of the things repeatedly stated was why people who knew didn’t do anything to help. Physical and emotional scars never go away. Children are vulnerable and often not able to speak up and explain what is happening to them – but if we suspect abuse, we should do something to help. It’s the right thing.