The continent of Africa is a diverse place of many peoples and nations, with widely differing resources and needs. The American Friends Service Committee has worked in Africa for more than fifty years, where we see our role as that of a friend and supporter-learning, helping people build their own organizations and institutions, and then moving on. Because AFSC staff members in Africa are African, they are able to analyze events and problems in depth and send information to audiences outside the continent. This is information that journalists and visitors may miss or understand only superficially. AFSC's work in Africa is determined by spiritual grounding, practical realities, and political possibilities.
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In North Africa during the second World War, AFSC staff assisted refugees fleeing from Europe. During the Algerian War for Independence from France in the late l950s and 1960s, AFSC provided relief and training for Algerian refugees in Morocco and Tunisia and then helped them re-establish themselves in Algeria. Grinding mill operator from women's group. In West Africa, AFSC and the British Friends Service Council provided relief and assistance in reconciliation during the Nigeria-Biafra War of the late l960s. The two organizations held seminars to bring leaders of newly independent countries together.