Group started in Cedar Rapids helps with elections in Africa

CEDAR RAPIDS — As Iowa becomes fully immersed in presidential election politics, a Cedar Rapids group is getting involved in elections half a world away.

Wake Up For Your Rights, an organization started by Cedar Rapids resident Esaie Toingar, trained election observers for April 26 parliamentary elections in the West African country of Benin. The group is hoping to repeat its efforts in other countries across the region.

Toingar, who immigrated to Iowa from Chad in 1998, founded the not-for-profit to work for peace and justice across Africa. A former child soldier in Chad's civil war, he said he wants to pay forward some of the help he received after moving to the United States.

'We feel it's something we have to do because we have a moral obligation. Most of us (Wake Up For Your Rights members) went through these things, and we have to stand up,' he said.

Election observers take pictures and write reports on what they see, the good and bad.

'The value of election observers in general is to add to the transparency of the process,' said Jonathan Stonestreet, an associate director of the Democracy Program at the Carter Center, which is involved in election observation worldwide.

'The general public and political parties can feel confident the election process was done fairly and there haven't been significant problems,' he said. 'If an election has not gone well, it calls out the problems that have come up.'

For Toingar, free and fair elections are at the root of a host of other human rights problems.

'We believe when the voices of the people are respected, violence will be less,' he said. 'I don't say we're going to solve all the problems, but at least we can make an impact.'

Reaching out

Wake Up For Your Rights has seven board members based in Iowa and overseas who use their connections to partner with organizations on the ground.

In Benin, the organization reached out to local groups and invited them to send volunteers to be trained by regionally based experts. Wake Up For Your Rights then coordinated the teams of volunteers sent by 43 groups, which fanned out across the country.

Group members in Iowa provided technical and financial support and sent computers to assist in the efforts.

Along with observing, the group developed materials in local languages on human rights, with images for those who can't read.

Call Centers in Benin

Wake Up For Your Rights also set up call centers in different regions, in collaboration with the country's election commission.

If people weren't sure where to vote, or if they got turned away at the polls, they could call the help line for information.

After the election, observers compiled a report, which Toingar flew to Benin to discuss with the head of the election commission and the mayor of the capital city. One recommendation was to increase polling access for people with disabilities.

Presidentials elections will be held Feb. 28 in Benin, and Wake Up For Your Rights plans to be involved.

Benin has been a good country to start in, Toingar said, because it is peaceful, with an established democracy.

Spreading the help

The organization would like to use what they learned from this first mission as a model to expand into other countries.

Challenges doing so illustrate the issues board members are concerned about — plans to train observers for Oct. 11 elections in Burkina Faso were scrapped after the country's interim president and interim prime minister were kidnapped.

New elections have been scheduled for Nov. 29, and the board still is trying to decide whether to send observers.

Wake Up For Your Rights also is looking for funding partners to support expansion.

Wake Up For Your Rights coordinator Armel Mushekuru moved to Iowa from Rwanda two years ago, fearing political persecution.

'This is not only about Africans, it's about everyone,' he said. 'I can't go back home right now, but I know I can make some changes. As a human-rights organization, we want to take our experiences and contribute to our continent.'

To get involved

Wake Up For Your Rights welcomes community partners and volunteers. The group also is collecting coats and other winter clothes for immigrants and other Eastern Iowa residents in need. To get involved, call Esaie Toingar at (319) 423-8661 or email wakeup4yourrights@gmail.com.