Agency For African Families in Distress

The Agency For African Families in Distress (AAFID) is a non-profit, humanitarian, voluntary-development, gender-sensitive, non-governmental organisation. According to its own materials, it is dedicated to mobilising communities and to national, regional and international cooperation in order to bridge gaps in knowledge, policies and institutional capacities, and to transform and empower communities and institutions so that the psychological dimension becomes a priority agenda in social and criminal justice, education, health, and women, children and youth development. AAFID's work is organised around what it calls a 3-Dimensional Psychological Intervention Strategy (3-DPIS) Initiative, described as a model for transformational change, healing and empowerment of institutions and communities in Africa. The organisation frames this model as a response to what it describes as security, development and mental health crises in Nigeria and the wider African region. The 3-DPIS Model was first presented at a Stakeholders Forum on the theme "Security and Development Strategy for Africa" in December 2003, a forum organised by AAFID together with the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, Nigeria, during the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM). Beyond its intervention model, AAFID runs a Global Campaign called "the Women Go on!" Campaign, intended to sensitise and mobilise women in Nigeria, across the African region and worldwide regarding their roles, potentials and relevance in repositioning and healing. The organisation's stated mission is to connect with individuals, families, communities and institutions at national, regional and international levels to promote mental health and psychological well-being. Its stated vision is to bridge gaps in knowledge and institutional capacities and to transform and empower communities and institutions in order to break the cycle of violence and accelerate public safety and security. AAFID describes its membership as including psychologists, social workers, education experts, counsellors, researchers, administrators, philanthropists, advocates and journalists who are committed to the promotion of mental health, public safety, sustainable peace, security and development in communities and nations across the globe. Its website is hosted at aafid.org.uk, and its activities and framing centre on Nigeria and the broader African region, with an expressed international and global orientation.

The Agency For African Families in Distress (AAFID) presents itself as a non-profit, humanitarian, voluntary-development, gender-sensitive, non-governmental organisation dedicated to mobilising communities and to national, regional and international cooperation. Its stated purpose is to bridge gaps in knowledge, policies and institutional capacities and to transform and empower communities and institutions so that the psychological dimension becomes a priority agenda in social and criminal justice, education, health, and women, children and youth development. A key dated turning point in the organisation's own account is December 2003, when its 3-DPIS Model was first presented at a Stakeholders Forum on the theme "Security and Development Strategy for Africa". That forum was organised by AAFID together with the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, Nigeria, during the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM). AAFID describes the forum as an occasion for pro-social engagement to bridge critical gaps in knowledge, policies and institutional capacities of African nations. The organisation's work is structured around the 3-Dimensional Psychological Intervention Strategy (3-DPIS) Initiative, which it describes as a strategy for transformational change, healing and empowerment of institutions and communities in Africa, aimed at addressing security, development and mental health crises in Nigeria and the entire African region. AAFID also undertakes a Global Campaign, "the Women Go on!" Campaign, to sensitise and mobilise women in Nigeria, the entire Africa region and worldwide on their roles, potentials and relevance in repositioning and healing. AAFID states that its members include psychologists, social workers, education experts, counsellors, researchers, administrators, philanthropists, advocates and journalists who are committed to the promotion of mental health, public safety, sustainable peace, security and development in communities and nations across the globe. Its mission is framed as connecting with individuals, families, communities and institutions at national, regional and international levels to promote mental health and psychological well-being, while its vision is to bridge gaps in knowledge and institutional capacities and to break the cycle of violence and accelerate public safety and security. The organisation maintains a web presence at aafid.org.uk.

• 2003

  AAFID's 3-DPIS Model was first presented at a Stakeholders Forum on "Security and Development Strategy for Africa", organised by AAFID and the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, Nigeria, during the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM).

Non-profit, humanitarian, voluntary-development, gender-sensitive non-governmental organisation focused on mental health, public safety and community transformation in Africa.

1. 1AAFID – The Agency For African Families in Distressaafid.org.uk
2. 2About Us – AAFIDaafid.org.uk
3. 3Agency For African Families in Distresswikidata.org