The Adonis Musati Project desires to see thriving, resilient and integrated refugee and migrant communities where individuals support one another and contribute positively to South African society.
BACKGROUND
The Adonis Musati Project (AMP) was named after a young Zimbabwean man who died of starvation on the streets of Cape Town whilst queuing to get his asylum papers. The organisation was formed at the end of 2007, in an effort to ensure that no other refugee or asylum seeker would suffer the same fate.
Refugees and asylum seekers are amongst the most vulnerable populations in South African society. An overburdened health system, ill-defined government policies and poor dissemination of information, endemic corruption and prevailing xenophobic attitudes added to paucity of available information and assistance and linguistic and cultural barriers, create significant obstacles to accessing services, overcoming experienced trauma and integrating successfully into South African society.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 50% of refugees suffer from mental health problems including trauma and stress, as a result of having endured conflict and massive human rights violations. Many African refugees are fleeing from areas where sexual violence and mass atrocities are amongst the worst in the world.
Through our work with vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers in Cape Town, AMP has seen the detrimental effects that such traumatic experiences have on an individual. Many are in a permanent state of mental distress and immobilisation, which leaves them incapacitated and unable to tackle the continued challenges of supporting themselves and their families once in South Africa.
Since its inception, the Adonis Musati Project has been involved in a number of initiatives and activities to assist the vulnerable asylum seeker and refugee population in Cape Town, including health and welfare, training, education, advocacy, and psychosocial and mental health care. AMP believes in taking a holistic approach to offering assistance, addressing both the physical and mental needs of our clientele. The Adonis Musati Project strives to address the gap of access and availability in services for this population, whilst encouraging individual sustained growth and eventual self-reliance.
“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”
Mission
Our mission is to encourage resilience and self-determination in refugees and migrants and to equip them with knowledge and skills which will empower them to self-advocate, overcome adversity and integrate successfully into South African society.
OUR VALUES
Subscribe to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Treat everyone with dignity and respect
Foster an ethos of learning and sharing
Maintain integrity and accountability to clients, employees, sponsors and partners