Rationale

The problems of Africa are very well documented and have enjoyed massive publicity which in itself as the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair put it "A scar on the conscience of the world". Whether it is the famine in Ethiopia in the mid 80’s, the genocide in Rwanda in the mid 90’s, the refusal of leaders to respect the will of the people through the ballot box as we saw in Kenya recently and most current, the situation in Zimbabwe, we have witnessed the marginalisation of the people, entrenched corruption, gross abuse of Human rights and Constitutions, Institutionalisation of Tribalism and any other imaginable ill that can befall a people.

The net effect of the above and many more ills has been, mass migration of the "best brains" referred to as the "Brain Drain", endemic poverty, falling living standards and life expectancy and a continent tittering on the brink of disaster. Add to this mix the current upheavals and gloom forecast of food and water shortage, then you have a perfect recipe for civil strive and dying of biblical proportions.

"What can I do" I hear you ask?

The Derby for Africa initiative is not holding out itself as a panacea for the all the woes of Africa but rather attempting to bring together like minded individuals from Africa and the rest of the world to say:

STOP!	Genocide & Constitutional Abuse
START!	Making Human Rights for All Africans a Reality
WALK!	For Freedom Today & for All the Children of Tomorrow

Ours is a simple philosophy which challenges all human kind to rise up and make a positive move towards improving the lives of our fellow human beings. We have heard all the conference speeches and declarations, none more important than the Millennium goals set by the UN at the dawn of the 21 century. These fine words and intentions have translated into very little action on the ground. This initiative seeks to call for a new focus and direction which is to engage the masses in a meaningful and collaborative way, to empower them to take their destiny in their hands and move themselves up from the abyss of despair into the realms of hope for a brighter tomorrow for Africa’s children.