INFORMATION FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

After seven years of operation, SaferAfrica is changing its name to Surpaz. The change will take effect on Monday 7th of April, 2008.

The new name better reflects the evolution of our work over the years. SaferAfrica originally served to provide technical assistance and capacity to African international and regional organizations, governments and civil society organizations in the field of peace, safety, security and development. Through our assistance we have attempted to enhance and strengthen the capacity of both governmental and nongovernmental organizations so that they can better implement existing policies affecting human security, peace and development in Africa. In short, SaferAfrica is an implementation enhancement organization at the service of peace, safety, security and development.

In 2003 SaferAfrica started receiving requests for technical assistance from non- governmental organizations and governments, as well as international organizations, from outside of Africa. Our mission has taken us to Asia (Cambodia and Sri Lanka), the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East (Dubai and Jordan) to Central America (Nicaragua) and to South America (Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela). We have simultaneously continued to operate in Africa in Mali, Ghana, Senegal, Sudan, Uganda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, DRC, Burundi and Rwanda. As we assisted countries and regions outside of Africa, we have always attempted to generate South-South interactions and opportunities for region to region cooperation and exchange of information on issues of peace, safety, security and development.
Our work outside of Africa is growing and our name change is to reflect the international scope of our work as well as the belief that in South-South interactions the future of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and sustainable development lies. Our work outside of Africa and at South-South level will be enhanced through our name change. Surpaz means the “Peace of the South” and is a word readily understood by most languages and cultural groups. Our name may be changing but our work will not. Indeed, now more than ever the world needs a new dimension in the perpetual discussion of the construct and delivery of peace, development and prosperity for all.

Together with our new name, our Web address is changing to www.surpaz.org and email addresses are changing to [initials].[last name]@surpaz.org. (example [email][email protected]) This will be effective on May 1, 2008. We kindly request that you update your records to reflect our change of name to Surpaz and our new contact details. The Board of Directors of Surpaz look forward to our continued work and progress together in the years to come