American problems to be represented at the World Social Forum

The World Social Forum will take place in Senegal next week. The annual meeting gathers grass roots organizations to talk about the social and development issues of the world. This year, a group of American NGOs will arrive at the forum to remind the world that there are poor people here as well. The American poor face struggles in obtaining food, water and employment just like those in the rest of the world.

From the Inter Press Service, writer Andrea Lunt tells us about some of the American NGOs that will attend the WSF.

"In some ways there is this misconception around the world that because we live in the States, we don't deal with poverty, but it is real, especially in Michigan," said Oya Amakisi, a social activist travelling to the WSF this year.

"Our lives are very precarious right now. A huge percentage of people don't talk about it, but there are folks in three- piece suits living in cars," she told IPS.

Amakisi was one of the organisers of last year's regional U.S. Social Forum (USSF), which brought together up to 20,000 participants from around the world for a five-day conference in Detroit.

She is also affiliated with the Detroit to Dakar (D2D) initiative which was launched to highlight the parallels between social struggles in North America and in developing countries in Africa.

Amakisi said she hoped the upcoming WSF would be a place where activists can converge to share experiences and put forward solutions, not just discuss problems.

"We want to really learn how to create long-term effective change and transformation. Another world is possible… this is not our only option; struggling every day is not our only option, trying to figure out if we can keep a roof over our heads and feed our children should not be our only option."

"How can we get the basics – food, water shelter, respect, safety, education. The only thing we want is to be treated like human beings and have our voices heard in terms of how our lives are handled."