Having lived in Sweden for a couple of years, Mr. Bony Ndjov-a-Shamalo moved to the UK, Luton, to start a new life. However, what he thought was going to be an easy transition into the UK system turned out to be completely difficult and frustrating.

When he migrated to Sweden, life was much easier considering that a support worker was assigned to assist him with information,advice, guidance or support necessary to access basic services that would help him integrate in the community. However, this was not the case in Luton and with no information to basic services or institutional help or guidance on how to access these services, life became a struggle.

During this time, he found that many Africans were facing similar hardships and struggling to integrate into the society. Many of them did not know where to get information or support on jobs, housing, access to education for children, healthcare for families, registering for benefits and other public services. This left them feeling excluded from the society and subsequently having an effect on their health, social well-being and forming, employability, and even sustenance of family relationships.

Through his experience and knowledge of the difficulties other Africans were facing, Mr. Bony saw the need for an organisation that would assist and support such individuals to overcome these hardships and help them to integrate more easily into the community.

Bedfordshire African Community Centre (BACC) was thus established in February 2002. Ever since, Mr. Bony together with other partners and a team of dedicated workers and volunteers have worked hand in hand in implementing a series of programmes, which are geared to help reduce these disadvantages which have left many being excluded from mainstream life and have caused psychological, physical, and mental trauma thus having an impact on their employability, health, social well-being and forming or sustaining family relationships.

  • Mission Statement:

    BACC aims to meet the needs of African community members by developing and promoting the integration of African and other disadvantaged groups into the wider community through a programme of information, advice, support and services.

    Aim:

    To empower, support and assist individuals and minority groups from the African Continent including Asylum Seekers, Migrant Workers and Refugees living in Luton and Bedfordshire to develop skills and values that are needed in the wider community and to support them to play a full part in the life of the mainstream community in Luton and Bedfordshire.

    Objectives:

    To promote the benefit of African people living in Luton, Bedfordshire and surrounding areas.

    To advance education and provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the African people.

    To relieve the suffering of people in the African Sub-Saharan countries who are in need, hardship or in distress and assist in the recovery of those who are sick, convalescent, disabled or infirmed.