Our Origins
Origin story & Beginnings
WIACT took root in founder Rashid Iddrisu’s experience as an economic migrant to Europe. He started his journey in March 3, 1998 and arrived in Canary Islands detention camp on October 12, 2000. Thirty-eight days later, he was set free. After two days he flew to Barcelona, Spain, landing...in the streets.
He began to help himself and other African migrants gain papers and meet basic needs, eventually founding the NGO—CEHDA—operating in Barcelona, Spain and Sawla, Ghana. Disillusioned with the migration experience, he considered how to address the underlying issues leading young people to risk everything to get to Europe. He decided to return to his African origins and heritage, realizing they are valuable resources for contemporary life. He was soon taking European volunteers back to Ghana to help with children’s education and to experience community life in African villages.
And then he started thinking about what sustains human development.
Rashid conceived and founded WIACT in Ghana in September 2019. In December, he formed a research-practice partnership with Professor Mette Brogden, at UArizona in Tucson after guest lecturing in her human rights graduate classes.
Our initiatives have been germinating for many years, and WIACT now gives a home and gathering place for all who are interested to learn of the rich knowledge and cultural traditions held by African peoples. Our philosophies contribute to healthier natural and social ecologies based on respect for self and others. Traditional Africa emphasizes reciprocity in relationships, community ownership of land and natural resources, and flows of goods and services to all.
We Advance Development in Indigenous Communities
Based on What People Know and Have Now
