Zanzibaris living in Canada to continue supporting the People's Bank of Zanzibar - A program to help poor kids in Zanzibar is launched in Canada

Zanzibaris living in Canada under a group acronym of ZACADIA (Zanzibar - Canadian Diaspora Association) have pledged to continue working with the People's Bank of Zanzibar Limited (PBZ Ltd) in their efforts to get a cheaper online money transfer company that would enable them to cheaply and reliably send money and airtime top-up to Zanzibar from the comfort of their homes in Canada, using a variety of payment methods including Canadian debit/credit cards and online bank transfers. 

ZACADIA whose main objective is to promote Zanzibar in Canada and to the outside world also coordinates and acts as a bridge between Zanzibaris living in Canada and their homeland. ZACADIA  is in direct contact with the Department of International Cooperation and Zanzibar Diaspora (DICZD) in the Ministry of State in the President's and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council's Office in Zanzibar.

 The Interim President presented to ZACADIA's Task Force his report on Saturday, the 14th of July, 2012, at the Toronto Driftwood Community Centre, after returning to Canada from Zanzibar where he was on a working visit for more than six months trying to connect with indigenous organizations in Zanzibar which have the same objectives in mind as ZACADIA. Receiving the Report, ZACADIA's  Task Force members expressed their willingness to continue working with the People's Bank of Zanzibar in order to get a cheaper provider of remittance services that the Peoples Bank of Zanzibar could work with worldwidely. According to the World Bank's Remittance Prices Database (http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org) a number of such companies are available, but due diligence is needed before one company could be accepted.

"While other people of other countries are contributing immensely towards the progress of their countries through remittances, we Zanzibaris need to do the same by first getting rid of excessive bureaucracy in our financial institutions at home". Quipped a member of the Task Force which has been entrusted with the assignment of finding out how ZACADIA can help Zanzibar move forward.

"We Zanzibaris living abroad have now the desire and willingness to remit our meager resources to our home country for the betterment of our people, but we  cannot do so through the present existing channels which charge exorbitantly". Retorted another disappointed member of the Task Force.

The President informed the members of the Task Force that while in Zanzibar he met some PBZ officials and that ZACADIA can now help Zanzibaris living in Canada to open foreign accounts in the People's Bank of Zanzibar without physically being there. The President made a clarion call to all Zanzibaris living in Canada to come forward for such help and immediately open such accounts so as to help Zanzibar economically. The President promised that ZACADIA will extend a helping hand to all national institutions in Zanzibar with the sole aim of rescuing Zanzibar from a socio-economic quagmire in which the whole world is today wallowing in. 

A new project to be undertaken by ZACADIA was also laid bare in the meeting. The project to be known as ZANZIBAR CHILDREN'S FUND PROGRAM will help to relieve poverty and advance education among the impoverished and underprivileged kids in the rural areas of Zanzibar and Pemba whose parents cannot afford to send them to schools. The project will provide financial assistance to such kids and basic necessities of life such as shoes, clothes, textbooks, exercise books, etc. This will be achieved by encouraging Zanzibaris and other philanthropists the world over to each sponsor a child. All it will take will just be $1 a day. If that is a burden to many, then 4 individuals could be allowed to sponsor one child, each donating only 25 cents a day! The project will also aim to enable the parents of such kids to be self-sufficient and self-reliant by providing them with training, tools and funds in order to break the cycle of poverty and be able to improve their lives.