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When I landed in the republic of conscience
it was so noiseless when the engines stopped
I could hear a curlew high above the runway.
At immigration, the clerk was an old man
who produced a wallet from his homespun coat
and showed me a photograph of my grandfather.
The woman in customs asked me to declare
the words of our traditional cures and charms
to heal dumbness and avert the evil eye.
No porters. No interpreter. No taxi.
You carried your own burden and very soon
your symptoms of creeping privilege disappeared.
Fog is a dreaded omen there but lightning
spells universal good and parents hang
swaddled infants in trees during thunderstorms.
Salt is their precious mineral. And seashells
are held to the ear during births and funerals.
The base of all inks and pigments is seawater.
Their sacred symbol is a stylized boat.
The sail is an ear, the mast a sloping pen,
the hull a mouth-shape, the keel an open eye.

Frament 1, The Republic of Conscience, Seamus Heaney

Welcome

uadd is a Canadian non-profit organization devoted to improve democracy and international development. uadd makes it possible by direct public and stakeholder’s involvement through a varied line of projects that include research and direct action, and focuses from technology to social issues. 

We conceive ourselves as a means - as a channel - to make possible change and difficult improvements in remote areas or complex issues. We are capable to that for we have successful and committed practitioners and a talent network that covers different sector and many countries along Latin America. We have a pragmatic and systemic approach that have made many dreams come real.

Projects in our pipeline

Indigenous Peoples

We are partnering with Consorcio Justicia from Venezuela and soon with a major Canadian Indigenous population to develop support from Canada to indigenous peoples in Venezuela and Latin America. Partnering with other Latin American NGOs is in our plans. Warao, Yekuana and Sanema indigenous populations face enormous sustainability risks that could be reduced once they overcome a lack of skills to develop self-sustaining activities within their rural communities.


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Venezuelan Immigration to Canada and Worldwide

We established a program and a line of projects on Venezuelan immigration to Canada. One of such projects focuses on Calgary, Alberta. We want to understand patterns, issues, prospects, and make recommendations to stakeholders. Venezuelans are making an unique contribution to Calgary and specially through its Oil Industry. 

Another important and very relevant research has been commissioned to our partner Latinos Globales by the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF). The report and survey was issued on March 15, 2008, and results will go public soon. The Venezuelan and Colombian Diasporas were surveyed and characterized. Interesting findings indeed!

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The Presidency and Latin America

We have had a long standing interest in studying the Presidency in Latin America. At the moment, we are planning jointly with Consorcio Justicia to develop this line of work.


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Focusing on emerging critical issues in Latin America...

We are promoting a forum to contribute to strengthen the Canadian international development aid directed to Latin America. We strongly feel that new emerging patterns on politics now in place in the region may be reshaping the whole democratic picture and potentially affecting Canadian interests. A new Strategic Agenda based on critical issues and a long term perspective may be needed sooner than expected.

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