| Last updated on November 12, 2008 |
CWAA engages in research activities investigating common and/or recurring challenges that are affecting the progress and quality of life of African immigrants and refugees in the United States. The research efforts focus on medical, psychological and social aspects of African immigrants' and refugees' lives. One goal is to find practical and long lasting means of ensuring their successful assimilation and adaptation into mainstream American social and professional culture. Other goals include strengthening family unit and improving health and overall quality of life.
Description:
Center for Well-being of Africans in America (CWAA) is a research-based non-profit organization aimed at investigating the well-being of African immigrants and refugees in America. CWAA partners with academic institutions, local governments and communities in pioneering and influencing culture-relevant evidence-based studies of prevention and intervention programs in social, health, behavioral and biobehavioral research. Programs leading to the development of sustained adaptation of relocation adjustment skills and coping skills without loss of African cultural distinctiveness are critical in successful assimilation and integration of Africans immigrants and refugees in America. Additionally, CWAA collaborates with other entities in research efforts directed at increasing the knowledge of cultural competency among healthcare and social service professionals.
History:
CWAA was founded after many conversations about challenges and distress African parents face raising their children in America. Often parents express concerns that there is scarcity of information on specific parenting challenges they encounter in relation to cultural conflicts, and subsequently ways to go about resolving these challenges.
Fear of family disintegration is strong. Many concerns revolve around an inter-generational gap that is exacerbated by varied rates of assimilation and adaptation between parents and their children. Children seem to readily assimilate to mainstream American culture while parents resist this rapid assimilation perhaps for fear of losing their identity. Assimilation and adaptation behaviors seem to be important factors that determine how parents raise their children or successfully adjust and integrate into their new environment. The shift in power that occur when parents depend on their children to serve as interpreters and guides disrupts, the boundaries of authority between the parent and the child contributing significantly to the inter-generational and parenting conflicts.
On issues of mental health, anecdotal evidence suggests underreported incidents of mental health issues in both parents and children of recent African immigrant and refugee population. Mood disorders are often minimized and mental illness stigmatized. Acculturative stress brought about by many factors including the loss of social roles due to the breakdown of traditional structure of community, is taking a toll on older members of the community. Reports of domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism, truancy, gang violence involvement, underemployment and unemployment are on the rise indicating a community in crisis.
It is the mission of CWAA therefore, to gather resources already available and, while taking great consideration of the uniqueness of African cultures, use scientific methods to find proven practices that provide lasting solutions to these common and emerging problems. The goal is to find the best ways to harmonize the values of African cultures with the skills necessary to successfully resettle in America. CWAA is hereby providing a vehicle by which efforts will be initiated to engage and pioneer research activities that bring together qualified researchers, government agencies, higher education institutions, local communities and individuals to work together on this common goal.
Contact person: Caroline Sawe, Executive Director, (phone), (email)
Address:
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P.O. Box 25339
Seattle, WA 98165-2239
This location is NOT handicap accessible |
Web Site: http://www.cwaaUSA.org
Miscellaneous Information
| Liability |
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No
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| Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers? |
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No
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| Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18? |
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No
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