A network of FIOH groups, non-government organisations,
and individuals from around the world having a similar approach to development
and world problems, has arisen from the work of the UK branch of FIOH
which was formed in 1982.
Using this network as a basis, the main purpose of this web site is
to bring to a wider audience a variety of perspectives and practical
experiences on social justice and care for the natural environment.
Many of these perspectives represent the overriding concern of the FIOH
movement for the world's poorest people. Hence this site will not only
show the personal testimonies of the main participants in the network,
but also case histories of individuals who have suffered from poverty,
exploitation or repression. This is an attempt to reflect the solidarity
that exists between those who wish to see changes in exploitative global
economic and political structures and those who are the chief victims
of those structures.
The UK and International Network co-ordinators are Mike
Thomas and Mohan Desari Rao.
UK
The administrative centre for this international network (outside
of Scandinavia) and the UK branch of FIOH is also the office of two
UK registered charities, the Future
in Our Hands Education and Development Fund and Plant
a Tree in Africa. The charities represent the intention of a small
group of FIOH participants to give practical expression to the movement's
concern for the poor.
By 2002 FIOH UK had facilitated volunteering opportunities for 20 volunteers
- from the UK, Austria, France, USA, Ireland and Australia.
The UK branch is seeking many more participants from the UK who are
able to give some financial support to the work of the Information Centre
at 48 Churchward Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1NH, help to
form local groups and become involved in a range of campaigning initiatives.
Kenya
The FIOH branch in Kenya (based in Kisumu) arose out of the link
between Cheltenham in the UK and Kisumu (Kenya's second largest city).
In 1988 a visiting social worker from Kisumu, attended an FIOH meeting
in Swindon and expressed an interest in the movement. She formed an
FIOH branch when she returned to Kisumu. The present co-ordinator is
Rom Wandera, a teacher in a poor rural school on the banks of Lake Victoria.
The branch has helped to form the locally influential 21st
Century Kisumu Forum (Agenda 21) which has been involved in tree
and shrub planting around the city, setting up womens co-operatives
and AIDS awareness campaigns.
The branch has been involved in establishing seedling nurseries and
tree planting in urban and rural areas and school sponsorship programmes
since its inception.
There are now also FIOH Womens Co-operative networks in Kimilili, Busia
and Muhoroni, all about 20 miles from Kisumu.
Ghana
The FIOH branch in Ghana was formed by a teacher, Ebenezer Nortey-Mensah
from Accra. Before starting the branch he obtained cheap typewriters
while attending a college in the UK in 1988. These were used in vocational
training for girls who might otherwise have been drawn into prostitution
because of poverty. He has also helped to establish a school and organic
farm and has set up an arrangement for overseas volunteers named Willing
Workers on Organic Farms.
Sierra Leone
Olatunde Johnson established the first Africa branch of FIOH in
Freetown in 1985 and another branch was established by Edward
Kargbo at Yonibana in 1988. These have been involved in tree planting,
savings and credit schemes, emergency rehabilitation work to help the
victims of the ten year civil war and a large scale crop growing programme.
Philippines
A small FIOH group has been formed on Culion Island (a former leprosy
colony established by the United States). This group, named Future in
Our Hands CLENCHED was helped by a non-government organisation, Tribal
Co-operation for Development (TRICORD) on the mainland to become government
registered. There are many leprosy victims and students in the group
Other branches in formation
Branches are in the process of formation in Tanzania, Zimbabwe,
Pakistan and Liberia. An FIOH Network India was inaugurated on 18th
Feb 2004.
Cameroon
Strategic Humanitarian
Services, one of the partner non government organisations of FIOH
has been instumental in the establishment of a network of womens co-operatives
named the Future in Our Hands Credit Union Co-operative Network, Cameroon.
For detailed information on the
work of the branches and groups listed above and non-government organisations
and individuals in the FIOH network, click on the links to the left
of this page.
Tanzania
Currently focussing on community tree nurseries and tree planting.
India
An FIOH Network was inaugurated on 18th Feb 2004. Co-ordinator:
Mohan Desari Rao , HEARTS,
P.O. Box 247, Arundelpet HPO, Guntur 522 002, Andhra Pradesh, India.
EMail: indiahearts@hotmail.com.
Pakistan
FIOH Pakistan
was established in 2005 as a result of the initiative of the Director
of the non-government organisation based in the Sindh Province. Dominic
Stephen is director of the Participatory Village
Development Programme. The orginal preparations for registration
and publicity, developing the constitution, etc have been undertaken
by the Programme Manager, Rufin
Wilson.
