UNION OF WEST AFRICA VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATIONS (U.W.A.V.W.A)

Transcription

1 UNION OF WEST AFRICA VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATIONS (U.W.A.V.W.A) CONSTITUTION... 2 HISTORY... 10

2 UNION OF WEST AFRICA VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATIONS (U.W.A.V.W.A) CONSTITUTION We, the Voluntary Workcamps Association of West Africa, conscious of the need to come together, for the purpose of helping with the development of our different countries, through practical demonstration, have decided to create a union, which shall be practical known as the Union of West Africa Voluntary Workcamps Association (U.W.A.V.W.A.) This organisation shall be a regional, non-political and non-religious organisation and has as its motto: UNITY, WORK AND PEACE CHAPTER I The aims of the union shall be Article 1 To endeavour through voluntary workcamps to achieve social and economic development of the member associations and other associations of West Africa. Article 2 To promote through practical action, the spirit of peaceful co-existence and international cooperation among the member associations and in non-member associations in West Africa. Article 3 To contribute by all means to the creation of justice, peace and collective development, Article 4 To work with the population of the member countries in accordance with their needs and the availability of funds within the framework of economic and social development. Article 5 To encourage working together in workcamp movement where there exist more than one voluntary workcamp association.

3 CHATER II Article 6 (a) The union shall adopt all programmes which correspond with its aims. (b) To organise in each West Africa country a workcamp in rotation. (c) To exchange and facilitate the movement of volunteer within the member associations. CHAPTER III Article 7 Membership: All voluntary workcamps associations in West Africa are eligible to membership. Article 8 All voluntary workcamps associations in West Africa intending to become members of the union should submit an application, which must be carefully studied by the executive committee and which finally recommends its findings to the general house. Article 9 All organisations involved in workcamp activities and recognised as such are eligible for membership. Article 10 All member organisations shall be bound by this constitution Article 11 All member associations must pay an agreed annual subscription.

4 CHAPTER IV Structure Article 12 U.W.A.V.W.A shall have an executive, consisting of five members Article 13 No two member associations of a country shall be member of the executive at any one time. Article 14 The executive shall consist of: (a) A President (b) A General Secretary (c) Assistant General Secretary, in-charge of projects (d) Treasure (e) Press Secretary Article 15 (a) The executive shall be elected at a biennial conference of members of U.W.A.V.W.A (b) There shall be an annual general meeting between June and September where officers will read their report. Article 16 The executive shall have a mandate of two years. Article 17 The President, Secretary and anyone member of the executive shall act in all emergencies. Article 18 The executive shall act as disciplinary committee, but shall not take and decision as far as the suspension, expulsion and dissolution of the union is concerned. This will be the responsibility of the general assembly.

5 CHAPTER V Article 19 Functions: (1) General Assembly (a) The general assembly shall be the supreme policy making body of U.W.A.V.W.A (b) Shall take all major decisions. (2) Executive (a) The executive shall carry out all decisions taken in the general assembly. (b) Shall determine the policy and programme of U.W.A.V.W.A subject to the approval of the general assembly. (3) President (i) The president shall preside over all executive meetings and general conference. (ii) The president shall supervise all the activities of the union. (iii) The president shall approve all spending and act as signatory to the accounts of U.W.A.V.W.A. (iv) The president shall be the legal representative of the union. (v) Any member of the executive can represent the union. (vi) In the absence of the president, any other member of the executive can act a approved by the executive. (4) Secretary General (i) The general secretary shall be responsible for all correspondence. (ii) The general secretary shall convene meetings in consultation with the president. (iii) The general secretary shall take minutes of all meetings. (iv) In the absence of the general secretary the assistant general secretary shall act in his capacity. (5) Treasurer (i) The treasurer shall be responsible for the collection and banking of contributions and other revenues of U.W.A.V.W.A, and giving an audited report to an assembly of U.W.A.V.W.A. (ii) The treasurer shall be a signatory counter-part to the accounts of U.W.A.V.W.A. (iii) The treasurer shall endeavour to raise funds for U.W.A.V.W.A (iv) The treasurer shall be responsible to the executive.

6 (6) Assistant General Secretary / In-charge of Projects (i) The assistant general secretary shall be responsible for finding projects. (ii) He shall make recommendations of his findings to the executives. (7) Press Secretary (i) The press secretary shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of U.W.A.V.W.A. bulletin to member associations and other associations. (ii) The press secretary shall be charged with compiling information and publicising all the activities of U.W.A.V.W.A. CHAPTER VI Article 20 The financial resources of U.W.A.V.W.A. shall come from membership fees and any other fund raised by the finance committee. Article 21 Admission fee is fixed at 100 US dollars, and an annual contribution fee of 50 dollars be paid by each member association. Article 22 U.W.A.V.W.A shall operate a bank account in an international bank in a member country. Article 23 The number of the bank account shall be communicated to all member associations for the payment of their subscription. Article 24 The membership fees are due by the 31 st March of each year. Article 25 The cheques issued by U.W.A.V.W.A. must be signed by the treasurer, counter-signed by the president or the secretary general. Article 26

7 The funds of U.W.A.V.W.A. are destined to finance the general administration of the union, running of the secretariat, workcamps, international meetings, training courses and travel of volunteers participating in these activities and any other activity corresponding to its aims. Article 27 The general assembly shall appoint a member organisation which is not serving in the executive, to provide an internal auditor to scrutinise the accounts of the union and to submit a report one month before the meeting of the general assembly. CHAPTER VII Article 28 U.W.A.V.W.A. shall adopt an emblem which shall be used on all its materials. Article 29 In the event that U.W.A.V.W.A. is disbanded, its assets shall be passed on to a charity organisation in West Africa. Article 30 Any association which does not conform to the present constitution is no longer a member of the union and can be re-admitted only after the approval of the general assembly. Article 31 The executive secretary should submit a budget for approval by the general assembly. Article 32 The dissolution of U.W.A.V.W.A. shall be decided at a general assembly convened for that purpose on the request of two-thirds of member association.

8 STANDING ORDERS 1) This constitution is subject to amendment at any general meeting of the union. 2) The president, though he cannot vote at meetings, has a casting vote in the event of a tie. 3) Election to the executive at the general conference can be either by a secret ballot or by show of hands in accordance with the decisions of the conference. 4) Any member of the executive who has failed to discharge duties assigned to hi, may be removed by a simple majority of people present at the A.G.M.; but the entire executive can only be removed on a vote of NON CONFIDENCE by a two thirds majority of member organisations present at the general conference. 5) A quorum shall be formed by two thirds of member organisations at a general conference and of members at executive level. 6) All actions of the executive are subject to ratification by a general conference. 7) The official language of U.W.A.V.W.A. shall be English and French. 8) U.W.A.V.W.A. must organize a fund-raising activity annually and not depend on foreign aid all the time. 9) Members who have resigned fro, the union will not get a refund. 10) In case of serious mismanagement of funds the general assembly will ask the individual and his association to pay back. 11) Any member organisation, which is in arrear of three years annually subscription will be expelled from the union and will only be remitted on the payment of such arrears. 12) Positions are reserved for associations and not individuals. 13) This constitution shall become effective from the date of adoption. The associations which are signatories to this constitution and standing orders are; 1. VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA V.W.A.G Ghana 2. VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA V.W.A.N. Nigeria 3. VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATION OF SIERRA LEONE V.W.A.S.L - Sierra Leone 4. ASSOCIATION TOGOLAISE DES VOLONTAIRES CHRETIENS AU TRAVAIL A.S.T.O.V.O.C.T. Togo

9 5. ASSOCIATION PROTESTANTE D ENTRAIDE A.P.E Senegal 6. ASSOCIATION IVOIRIENNE DE CHANTIER DE VOLONTAIRES A.I.C.V. Ivory Coast 7. ASSOCIATION VOLTAIQUE DE VOLONTARIAT A.V.V Upper Volta 8. OGANISATION SOCIALE DE VOLONTARIAT O.S.V Upper Volta *Revised Constitution in 1997*

10 HISTORY OF UNION OF WEST AFRICA VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATION PREAMBLE The History of the Union of West Africa Voluntary Workcamps Associations will not be completed without mentioning the role played by Gerson gu-konu a Togolese National who was in the world Service Civil International. In West Africa of the late fifties and early sixties there were voluntary service organisations which were existing independently carrying out their workcamp activities the best way they could, exchange volunteers with each other but never a very serious thought to the idea of forming a Regional group. The idea of forming a regional body was muted by Gerson gu-konu who met a fertile soil in the minds of the existing organisations : Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU), VOLUNTARY WORKCAMPS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (VWAN), the ODDEPPES of Dahomey, the ASTOVOCT of Togo and the AICA of Cote d Ivoire. These organisations became the founding fathers of the UWAVWA at a meeting held in Accra, Ghana in September, More organisations were later invited. There are the USJID in Dahomey, the AVEAP of the then Haute Volta now Burkina Faso and the Central Liberte of Senegal. By the following year 1971 at another meeting held in Accra, Ghana a formal format was set thereby giving birth to an ECOWAS of Voluntary Service Organisations before the political and economic ECOWAS of the governments of West Africa countries. This year 1971 also saw manning of various activities. Seminars, Leadership Training Courses, UWAVWA workcamp programmes and the Village Anilation Project which were made possible by CCIVS. Apart from regular meetings at which the above programmes were planned, mention must be made that almost all the programmes planned were executed: The march 1972 Seminar at Yemonsoukro ; Ivory Coast. It was at this meeting that the 3 rd leadership training was finally agreed upon and it took place in Nsutem, Ghana in the summer of that year. Another Leadership programme was planned and executed by the Union in 1974 in the Republic of Benin. This was held at Ecole Normale in Porto-Novo. A part from these some UWAVWA Camps were held in some countries of the region namely: Akroful-Agove in the Volta Region of Ghana ; Sokode in the Central Region of Togo and Igbodja-Save in the Central Region of the Republic of Benin to mention just a few.

11 The history of the Union up to this point would looks as if is a catalogue of successes. No, the Union has its reverses, setbacks and failures. Some of its main failures were the punctuation of the Village Animation Project of the Benin Republic. This was caused by over-dependence on foreign funds. The inability of member organisations and indeed the Union to raise its funds locally and internationally without going through a third party is another handicap. The last but not the least is human failure in the form of personification of office by regional office holders - human centricity, infra-structural bankruptcy and embroiled national chauvinism. All the above and some other reasons not mentioned contributed to the demise of the Union of West African Voluntary Workcamps Association. If lack of its own funds was the reason why the original UWAVWA became moribund, serious thought should be given to fund-raising both locally and internationally. Membership fees drive and appeal for donations from friendly countries and donor agencies should be explore to make the rejuvenated UWAVWA financially solid and erected on a very good foundation. Further efforts should also be made to recover the Union s funds in the Republic of Benin. THE WAY FORWARD Since WILL IS WAY members of the rejuvenated UWAVWA must first of all have the will to succeed at the back of their minds. Petty jealousies and lackadaisical attitude of the past must be thrown overboard and a new guard in the form of serious determination to move forward and succeed must be put on. The oldest Voluntary Workcamps Association in the region - VOLU-Ghana should come to the aid of the Union with all her experience, logistic, infrastructures and indeed financial backing. There is an African statement which says that if your junior brother s horse is on the loose, you must do everything to catch it. May be that is the only horse your family will ever own. Hegemony must stop. Member organisation should be in constant contact with each other so as to be in possession of first hand information about individual programmes. The issue of Networking and Capacity building should be promoted and enhanced. Appeal should be made to CCIVS to help in this information exchange problems so as to put necessary infrastructures in place. Many organisations have got no secretariat of their own so they need serious assistance in this regard. A man without a home cannot do any serious planning. Our Northern brothers should now shift their concentration to this region in terms of projects. In facts projects that will alleviate poverty at organisational and national level should be carried out. A poor organisation cannot change the status of its country if its own conditions do not improve.

12 In conclusion therefore, my appeal to all members shall be this let us come together and build a new UWAVWA. We can afford to disagree, we can afford to view things from different angles but we cannot afford to sacrifice the progress and improvement of UWAVWA for either personal, political or some other idiosyncrasies. Thank you very much and God bless. LONG LIVE UWAVWA. LONG LIVE REGIONAL MEMBERS HENRY KAYODE OYEKU «UWAVWA» V.W.A.N. NIGERIA, April 2005