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SHAREcircle
625 Madison Street(NEW)
Evanston, IL 60202-2202
Tel.: (847) 491-0800 (NEW)
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Guerra Freitas is a former elementary school teacher and philanthropic organizations worker, concerned about social and economic problems of countries either currently in conflict or emerging from conflict. In addition to working for SHAREcircle (SHARE) for the last 5 years, he spent 11 years of his life working for Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Angola, Africa, that dealt with orphans of war, children handicapped by land mines, mine awareness programs, de-mining projects, relief projects for refugees and internally displaced people, infrastructures and economic rehabilitation projects.

Freitas holds a B.A. from East-West University and he was named the valedictorian of his class. He expects to earn his Master’s degree on Public Policy and Administration at Northwestern University, this summer, and begin his Ph.D. program in Human Development and Social Policy, also at Northwestern University, in the fall of 2006. Freitas is the founder and current CEO of SHARE (www.sharecircle.org), which focuses on orphans and widows of war, single mothers, internally displaced people, and refugees in countries emerging from conflict and civil strife.

In 2003 - 2006, Freitas accepted the position of Assistant Director for Systems Engineering with the Center for Functional Genomics at Northwestern University.

Freitas resigned from CARE International in Angola, involved in relief and assistance of Refugees and Internally Displaced People, in 1998 after four years as Assistant Regional Administrator. He has attended various short-term courses in Management, Psychology and Philosophy in Germany and Holland, and in Conflict Resolution in Sierra Leone. In 1997, he traveled to South Africa in order to make presentations on the effects of land mines in Angola. In the same year, he delivered an address before the Inter-Action Forum, an association of NGOs based in Washington D. C., giving an update on CARE’s activities in Angola. Moreover, he had the privilege of speaking before the U. S. House of Representatives, on the topic of land mines in African nations emerging from conflicts. In addition, he made a presentation before representatives of the World Bank and offered his recommendations for resolving the political conflicts that continued to destabilize Angola at that point in time.

In 1993-94, he worked as the Vice-National Secretary for an Angolan Non-Government Organization called A.N.E.I.M., the Portuguese acronym for National Association for Support, Education and Instruction of the Under Age Forsaken and Disabled Children.

In 1992-93, unemployed because of the war in Angola, he founded a human rights organization, C.R.J.I.B., the Portuguese acronym for Representative Commission for Intellectual Young People. The purpose of this Non-Government Organization was to work side-by-side with the government of Bié province in particular, and with the government of Angola in general, in creating educational opportunities for the youth who lost their early years of education as a consequence of the war impact on their lives, families and country.

In his search for social peace-building, Guerra Freitas carried out many advocacy campaigns for many diplomats: ambassadors, ministers and prime ministers from different parts of the world. In 1997, he was honored with an invitation to speak at the White House concerning the impact of land mines on civilian population in war-torn African countries. To his deep disappointment, his flight from Johannesburg to New York was delayed and he missed the opportunity to meet with President Clinton.

Guerra Freitas has been interviewed extensively by the media, including Voice of America, National Public Radio (NPR)/WBEZ – Worldview, 848 (Chicago), WNUR 89.3 FM, Chicago Tribune, Afriscope Radio, RNA (Angolan National Radio), Radio Bié and several websites.

Guerra Freitas is a songwriter, recording, and performing artist. He lives in Evanston with his wife, Rosa Freitas, and two children, Elyzandra and Izequiel Freitas.