ACORN International
Encyclopedia
ACORN International is a federation of member-based community organizations that is active in Canada
, Peru
, Argentina
, Mexico
, India
, Kenya
, the Dominican Republic
, Honduras
, South Korea
, Czech Republic
and Italy
with partners in the Philippines
and emerging affiliates in Trinidad & Tobago. The membership currently numbers approximately 55,000 families.
. The Founder and Chief Organizer is Wade Rathke
. The headquarters of ACORN International are in New Orleans and Toronto
. Much of the capacity outside of the organizing areas is provided by interns and volunteers that have come from George Brown College
(Toronto), Carleton University
(Ottawa), York University
(Toronto), Georgia State University
, the University of Edinburgh
(Scotland), and many others.
, Peru, working to organize ragpickers and hawkers in India's mega-slums, and working to raise the standards for tenants in cities across Canada. Much of ACORN International’s work focuses on mega-slums like Dharavi
(Mumbai), San Juan Laragancho (Lima), La Matanza (Buenos Aires), Korogocho
(Nairobi), the ITO community (Delhi), Col. Ramon Amalia Amador (Tegucigalpa
), and Choloma
(San Pedro Sula
) among others.
ACORN International's major projects have included the Commonwealth Games
campaign and the Remittance Justice campaign.
Well known efforts of ACORN International affiliates have included the Dharavi Project in Mumbai, the “Live Green” joint project with the City of Toronto, the Green Worker project in Delhi in the ITO displacement community, Club ACORN in Buenos Aires which is an after school program for children, and the successful and ongoing campaigns to win potable water in Col. Amador, San Juan Laragancho, the Neza in Mexico City, and Cholmo.
Many of the campaigns of ACORN International were discussed in essays included in "Global Grassroots: Perspectives on International Organizing," published by Social Policy
Press in summer 2011.
. Response received from a number of European Union international development agencies has been in substantial agreement with the report.
ACORN International is also working with computer experts in Kenya and Canada to develop tools accessible via mobile phones that would allow its members in developing countries to gather information through crowd sourcing and receive up to date pricing for best rates for remittance transmission and/or microloans.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
with partners in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and emerging affiliates in Trinidad & Tobago. The membership currently numbers approximately 55,000 families.
History
It was created in 2004 by members and staff of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform NowAssociation of Community Organizations for Reform Now
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now was a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocated for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues...
. The Founder and Chief Organizer is Wade Rathke
Wade Rathke
Wade Rathke is the founder of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and Service Employees International Union Local 100. He was ACORN's chief organizer from its founding in 1970 until he stepped down June 2, 2008...
. The headquarters of ACORN International are in New Orleans and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Much of the capacity outside of the organizing areas is provided by interns and volunteers that have come from George Brown College
George Brown College
George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...
(Toronto), Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
(Ottawa), York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
(Toronto), Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
, the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
(Scotland), and many others.
Campaigns
Since its creation it has focused on a wide variety of local campaigns and initiatives, including fighting for potable water, paved roads, schools and parks in San Juan Laragancho in LimaLima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru, working to organize ragpickers and hawkers in India's mega-slums, and working to raise the standards for tenants in cities across Canada. Much of ACORN International’s work focuses on mega-slums like Dharavi
Dharavi
Dharavi is a slum and administrative ward, over parts of Sion, Bandra, Kurla and Kalina suburbs of Mumbai, India. It is sandwiched between Mahim in the west and Sion in the east, and spread over an area of 175 hectares, or...
(Mumbai), San Juan Laragancho (Lima), La Matanza (Buenos Aires), Korogocho
Korogocho
Korogocho is one of the largest slum neighbourhoods of Nairobi, Kenya. Home to 150,000 to 200,000 people pressed into a 1.5 square kilometres, northeast of the city centre, Korogocho was founded as a shanty town on the then outskirts of the city. In 2009 it was estimated to be the fourth largest...
(Nairobi), the ITO community (Delhi), Col. Ramon Amalia Amador (Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
), and Choloma
Choloma
Choloma is a municipality in the Honduran department of Cortés. The mayor is Polo Crivelli. It is now the third largest city in Honduras.Many factories are stationed in Choloma due to cheap labor which has helped the municipality's economy. As a result of this fast food joints like Pizza Hut,...
(San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
) among others.
ACORN International's major projects have included the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
campaign and the Remittance Justice campaign.
Well known efforts of ACORN International affiliates have included the Dharavi Project in Mumbai, the “Live Green” joint project with the City of Toronto, the Green Worker project in Delhi in the ITO displacement community, Club ACORN in Buenos Aires which is an after school program for children, and the successful and ongoing campaigns to win potable water in Col. Amador, San Juan Laragancho, the Neza in Mexico City, and Cholmo.
Many of the campaigns of ACORN International were discussed in essays included in "Global Grassroots: Perspectives on International Organizing," published by Social Policy
Social policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
Press in summer 2011.
Current Projects
ACORN International is currently undertaking research for an additional focus on the interest rates, transparency, and role (if any) of micro-finance in poverty reduction. A white paper, along the lines of those developed for the Remittance Justice Campaign, entitled "Mega Troubles for Micro-Finance" was released in the summer of 2011 demanding among other things that no additional donor or government money be invested in micro-finance since it has failed to reduce poverty according to both ACORN International's research and research done by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action LabAbdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab is an academic center located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Economics which is dedicated to evaluating the impact of anti-poverty programs through randomized controlled trials similar to those used in medical research...
. Response received from a number of European Union international development agencies has been in substantial agreement with the report.
ACORN International is also working with computer experts in Kenya and Canada to develop tools accessible via mobile phones that would allow its members in developing countries to gather information through crowd sourcing and receive up to date pricing for best rates for remittance transmission and/or microloans.