COMMUNITY ADVICE AND SUPPORT SCHEME (CASS)
Introduction
My name is Eddy Oko-Jaja, the founder of CASS. The organization started in July 1998 when I had just completed my Law Degree at London Guildhall University now known as London Metropolitan.
I studied both Law and Politics in order to confront injustice and oppression of our world through helping myself and helping others.
Read more about my Studies and Charity work
Disabled after car crash
I arrived in England for medical rehabilitation following an automobile crash whereby I sustained spinal injuries in 1990. This left me paralysed from the waist down. The treatment was sponsored by the Federal Government of Nigeria where I worked as a Research officer, in The Federal Ministry of Transport.
At first I received medical treatment at Ijebu Ode State Hospital and later at National Orthopedic Hospital.
Training for Disabled
I received leadership training designed for disabled people co-ordinated by Leadership Consortium and British Telecommunication. The Consortium was funded by Midland Bank - now HSBC, Sainsbury, and a host of others including the Home Office.
Accessible vehicles
I wanted to utilise my new acquired skill and give something back to the society of Britain. I helped to find MOVE mobility vehicle charity to help disabled people to move around in accessible vehicles.
The Story of CASS by It's Founder
The first service form was a telephone advice assistance and information from my home. At that time I was living in Islington, London.
The CASS organisation only required me using my legal and advice skill to help people on the telephone. Then it became mandatory that I had to see some clients face-to-face to deal with their casework. The Mayor of Islington linked me to Holloway local group funded by Islington council. They offered me a place from where I could deliver this advice service to local people.
Community Advice and Support Scheme (CASS) has grown from working initially with my wife and some other volunteers. A few years ago we constituted a formal management committee to take CASS further to realise its long time goals. Our current Chair has been working hard to get the organisation moving forward and we have been able to secure a major grant from the Big Lottery fund in 2005. No doubt CASS has a lot of work to do and everyone involved with CASS continues to do their best in order to achieve much more than we have achieved so far.
The successes of CASS and numerous assistance and support we have offered the community where we operate speak for itself. We therefore, invite comments and messages of support from every member of the community who has benefited from CASS work or the family friends or well wishers to sign and state what service or benefit you or your person has received from CASS. Please advice us of what we have done well or what we have not got right and what you suggest we should do to make it right.
