WE CALL ON ALL AFRICAN WOMEN AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS ALL WOMEN'S AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF CHURCHES ALL THE WOMEN AND YOUTH OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS EVERY AFRICAN WOMAN AND YOUTH WHO WANTS TO MAKE A SERIOUS CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNIFICATION OF AFRICAN WOMEN AND AFRICAN PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE   AFRICAN WOMEN'S AND YOUTH CONFERENCE BUILDING AFRICAN WOMEN'S AND YOUTH MOVEMENTS AND FORMING INTERNATIONAL SISTERHOOD SATURDAY MARCH 8, 2008 ACCRA, GHANA, WEST AFRICA Theme: THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-RELIANCE FREE AFRICAN WOMEN'S AND YOUTH MOVEMENTS ARE NECESSARY IN ORDER TO EDUCATE, MOBILIZE, AND ORGANIZE THE LARGEST NUMBER OF AFRICAN WOMEN AND YOUTH AS POSSIBLE

Panel Topics Include

Why This African Women's and Youth Conference

  We are in the process of building powerful African Women's and Youth Movements throughout the world that will connect all African women and youth, inside and outside of Africa. This is a very important part of the African independence movement. An African Women's and Youth movement is necessary to educate, mobilize, and organize the largest number of African Women and Youth as possible. Our vision includes collectively solving our problems to obtain proper childcare, housing, collective kitchens, transportation, healthcare, clean drinking water for all and employment/skills, etc. We must build a strong infrastructure in Africa and we must be tightly organized outside of Africa.   The African Women's Charity Organization is proud to announce that we are organizing an African Women's and Youth Conference in Accra, Ghana in West Africa on March 8, 2008. This is going to be our second conference organized in Africa. This will be the 13^th conference that we have organized since 2000, the first eleven having been in the United States. The theme of this conference is "The Importance of Self-Reliance."   Africa has everything that it needs to develop into a world power. What is necessary to develop Africa is organization and confidence (among Africans that we can build Africa). The United States is a superpower in the world, but it was Africa (African people) that built the United States. Let us be clear. It was African slaves that built the United States and African people cannot be separated from Africa. So, if Africa built the United States, certainly Africa can build Africa.   One of the biggest negative effects of colonialism on Africa is that it left us with an inferiority complex. This is one reason that we lack confidence that we can build Africa. Colonialism and exploitation affected our consciousness in such a negative way that it has contributed to us thinking small and being petty.   The Strength of Being Self-Reliant versus the Weakness of Being Dependent   The strength of being self-reliant is that it gives us the power to make decisions in our own interest. The weakness of being dependent is that we have to do things that are in the interest of the people who gave us the aid and most of the time these things are not in our best interest. The strength of being self-reliant is that we develop our own organizational capability. The weakness of being dependent is that we depend on other people's organization. The strength of being self-reliant is that we are taking responsibility for our own well-being. The weakness of dependence is that we give someone else the responsibility for our well-being. The strength of being self-reliant is that we can change things in our best interest. The weakness of being dependent is that we cannot change things in our best interest. The strength of being self-reliant is that we take advantage of all our resources and creativity. The weakness of dependence is that we waste our resources and do not develop our creativity. The strength of being self-reliant is that we work hard in our own interest. The weakness of being dependent is that we become lazy and don't develop good work habits. The strength of being self-reliant is that we gain confidence in our ability and we have dignity. The weakness of being dependent is that we become beggars, feel inferior, and lose our dignity. The strength of being self-reliant is that we will develop enough to solve our problems and someday even help others solve the same problems. The weakness of being dependent is that we will never be able to help ourselves and therefore we could not help anyone else. The strength of being self-reliant is that we can unify Africa without anyone's permission. The weakness in being dependent is that we will never unify Africa because it is in the interest of those who give us AID, for us to remain weak and divided. The strength of being self-reliant is that we set an honorable example, an example that our youth can be proud of. The weakness of being dependent is that it is the worst example for our youth. The strength of being self-reliant is that it leads us to the emancipation of women and of all of the people. The weakness of being dependent is that it is a continuation of the oppression of women.    

 Charity begins at home for African women and women of African descent.