Introduction to and Summary of this Document

General Introduction

2006 was a year in which, unfortunately, the situation in the region of eastern Croatia, northern Bosnia and western Serbia (Vojvodina) did not change considerably.  There are still substantial problems with psychological and physical health and reconciliation has not really begun, this 11 years after the end of the most recent war.  Thus, there remains much for us to do.

The Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace (CWWPP) continued its activities on capacity building and mentoring and counseling in psychological trauma, civil society and non-violent conflict transformation.  Further, we are making large steps forward in the development of a Field Institute for Post-Conflict Studies including research and the development of online courses for people working in the field on similar issues and the development of easily accessible bachelors and masters programs.  Significant this year in this regard was the association with InterChange, a group of individuals and associated organizations based at the University of Toronto/OISE.

Internally, the organization grew in its management and professional capacities.  Thanks to our main donor, we were stable financially.  The Board also took on increased responsibility for the affairs of the organization. 

Thus, while there is still much to do in the Western Balkans and elsewhere, organizationally, we are optimistic about the way forward.

History and Mandate of the CWWPP

History

The Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace was formed in 1994 in The Netherlands by a number of physicians, social workers, teachers, religious leaders, scientists, other social services professionals and a financial expert and others who had been involved with refugees and asylum seekers.  Most had had at least some personal work experience in the countries resulting from the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  Most had also worked together previously in a number of committees and groups.

The impetus for starting the Coalition was a meeting of the so-called Balkan Group of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (later known as the Medical Network for Social Reconstruction in the Former Yugoslavia) in the spring of 1994, near Budapest. During that meeting, an appeal was made for foreign organizations to look closely at possible programs that would be adapted to local conditions. This approach would include psychological and medical aspects, non-violent conflict resolution, community building specific to the situation, and the empowerment of local individuals and groups.

The work of the CWWPP began with the assessment of the situation in the countries resulting from the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the summer of 1995 and has been in the region ever since.  The organization has been working in Eastern Croatia since 1996, worked in Brcko from 1997-2000, and had a small presence in Vojvodina and in the Posavina region of Bosnia Herzegovina.

The CWWPP has cooperated with international organizations, including UNTAES, the OSCE, and UNHCR and with local non-governmental and governmental agencies in all areas in which we have worked.

The CWWPP is registered as a non-profit organization in The Netherlands (Groningen Office, Winschoten Sub-Office of the Chamber of Commerce). We are registered in Croatia as a branch of a foreign organization.

The Mandate of the CWWPP

The mission of the CWWPP is transformation and prevention of violent conflict through direct, bottom-up work with people.  The organization maintains the following principles:

• The work must be extremely long-term;

• The work must be inter-disciplinary, encompassing fields including but not limited to psychological trauma, physical health, human rights, economics, non-violent conflict transformation and self-reliance and self-governance;

• The work must take into account the psychological, sociological, economical, religious, cultural and political background of the region and of the conflict.

• The work must include constant evaluation of and research into the local and general factors of the conflict and into the consequences of all interventions;

• Work must take place at the levels of the individual, the group, the family, the neighborhood, the community and the society in parallel.

The Situation in the Region

Unfortunately, the region remains much as it was in 2005.  There are few significant changes in the amount of psychological traumatization or of reconciliation.  Local, national and international politics and lack of regard for the people are, in our view, the greatest cause of this lack of progress.

CWWPP Activities During 2006

CWWPP activities expanded slightly in 2006.  We continued with a roughly similar number of groups and a somewhat increased number of clients. 

During 2006, we also increased our work on our intended online BA and MA programs and on planned online programs for people working in post-conflict areas.  Activity in these areas will be increased in 2007.

Further, we increased our connection with InterChange, which is based at the University of Toronto/OISE and which a group of individuals and associated organizations similar to ours in various parts of the world.

The Internal Situation of the CWWPP

Internally, we increased our management capacity and training thanks to our Board members and others.  Toward the end of the year there were a number of staff changes.  As of the end of 2007, all CWWPP staff had a professional degree or had been trained by us as lay counselors.  This represents an important increase in capacity.

Perspectives

We see a bright future for the CWWPP in 2007.  We have plans to continue current activities and increase our work in fieldwork and education.  While we intend to stay in Croatia, as soon as funds can be obtained we intend to increase our activities to other parts of the world.  We also intend to increase the amount of research that we are doing.  While we will be quite busy, we welcome the chance to do the work to which we are dedicated.

The Structure of this Document

·         Annual Report 2006

·         Financial Report for 2006 and Budget for 2007

·         Strategic Plan 2007 Research Interests of the CWWPP

·         Strategic Plan 2012

·         Strategic Plan 2017

Charles David Tauber, M.D.

March and August, 2007

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Annual Report 2006

The Situation in the Region

The situation in the region unfortunately did not change much in 2006.  According to the reports of such groups as Amnesty International, the US State Department and the OSCE (see our website for the links), there were slight improvements in some areas balanced by slight deteriorations in others, and thus the overall situation remained roughly the same as in 2005.

With regard to the psychological situation, we see no improvement and even slight deterioration.  There are virtually no local or foreign organizations working on this issue here aside from ourselves.  At this point, we do not have the capacity to do even a tenth of what we would like to and could be doing.  We are convinced more than ever that psychological work and work on the prevention of transmission of trauma is essential if the region is to recover.  It is simply not happening here.  While we sound like a broken tape recorder (or phonograph record, for the older people among us) when we say this, there are still high levels of suicides, addiction, domestic violence, problems with former soldiers, problems with youth, problems with civilian and war invalids, etc., etc.  With regard to addiction caused by physicians prescribing drugs, notably tranquillizers, anti-depressives and anti-psychotic drugs, it is notable that, as recently reported in one of the local newspapers, when police examined motorists, one in three was found to have some sort of drug (mostly benzodiazepines) in his/her blood.  Add this to the alcohol problem and the situation becomes clear, although that word may not be the best one in this situation.

With regard to reconciliation, the situation is the same or even worse as in previous years.  While some people occasionally get together for coffee or something stronger, this is not at all widespread.  Resentments are still high, and people are talking to one another only in the case of necessity.  Schools and cafés are still divided.  There is still a requirement to be careful about the accent with which one speaks. 

Unfortunately also, the political rhetoric continues.  Anniversaries are still used as occasions for exploiting hatreds and sorrows among the people.  Vukovar is particularly prone to this.  2 May (the day of the first battle) and 18-20 November (the day that Vukovar came into Serb hands) are particular occasions on which the politicians abuse and exploit the media and the people.  2007 being an election year, we are expecting even more of this kind of thing.  Dr. Samuel Johnson’s statement that “patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel” is shown all too clearly in the actions of the politicians here.

Barriers to Further Progress

We see a number of external barriers to the further progress of the organization, as given below.  We feel that none of these is wholly insurmountable, but they will take time and work to get through.  A number of further internal and external barriers are mentioned elsewhere in this report.

One key barrier that we see is that people here are more oriented toward short-term gain rather than long-term gain.  Thus, rather than setting up long-term relationships, be they financial or cooperative, they will work for short-term corruption or other types of gain.  This attitude unfortunately pervades these societies.

Another problem that is partially related is the corruption within the society which, in some areas of working, is almost a way of life.  The problem is a pervasive one.

Still another problem is apathy.  We believe this to have at least two sources, one cultural and one psychotraumatic.  Under the Communist and previous regimes, there was a kind of learned helplessness that did not reward initiative.  The psychological traumatization reinforces this lack of initiative.  This attitude is a problem that pervades a wide variety of aspects of life.  It leads to people not working for their own education or betterment and to a lack of investment of time and resources into the society as a whole.

Partially related to the problem of apathy is the problem of the general attitude toward volunteering.  Under Communism, there was “forced volunteering” such as that seen in many armies.  Thus, now, volunteering is not seen as a way to obtain experience or knowledge or to donate to others, and few people will “volunteer” without being paid.

Another set of barriers are the attitudes of politicians.  These have been discussed in the previous section.  Unfortunately, many organizations and individuals allow themselves to be politicized either directly, by taking up the attitudes of the political parties or individual politicians, or indirectly, through ethnic and other attitudes.  In this region, on all sides, there is a great deal of political pressure on all types of organizations, which has direct effects as well as indirect consequences as, for example, the lack of willingness to cooperate with other organizations.  Furthermore, local, national and international governmental and inter-governmental bodies have their own agenda, which may or may not be congruent with the needs of the people.

Furthermore, under Communism, foreigners and non-governmental organizations were considered to be spies.  This attitude of suspicion continues, frequently reinforced formally or informally by government and politicians.

Still another barrier is the physical appearance of Vukovar and surroundings.  While a great deal of the city has been rebuilt, at least a third of it has not been.  This brings with it constant unpleasant memories of the war.  There are also still substantial problems with landmines.  While some areas are marked, others are not.  This impedes recovery, rebuilding and recreation.  It is estimated that, at current rates of de‑mining, it will take somewhere between 50 and 100 years to solve the problem.

For all of these reasons, there has been a lack of input into the city and the region.  People do not want to come to invest or live here.  This is a vicious circle and leads to a lack of culture and lack of contact between people.  Thus, resources – and governmental, non-governmental and commercial organizations – tend to remain centralized in such cities as Zagreb, Belgrade and Sarajevo and do not come to places like Vukovar.  Even within the region, there is a centralization of resources in the cities and even less input to the villages.

There are several other barriers to our work and to our obtaining adequate funding.  One is the lack of knowledge by the outside world of the region and its problems.  We have the feeling that this is partially caused by a lack of publicity by organizations such as ours.  We also have the idea that part of this lack of knowledge is intentional.

Finally, there is a lack of reliable and accurate data about the region and its problems.  This is due to a lack of good research and to sometimes severe methodological problems in existing data.  Two examples are the lack of reliable demographics and the lack of physical and mental health epidemiological data.  In quite a few cases, methodology has been misused to strengthen the case of one side or the other.

None of the barriers cited above are insoluble.  However, all of them impede our work to an extensive degree.  Clearly, part of the challenge for the future is to overcome these barriers.

The Work of the CWWPP in 2006

Introduction

In general, the programs continued in 2006 at the levels of 2005.  The number of clients increased.  Toward the end of 2006 we began to write two-page brochures on a variety of subjects.  These will be spread throughout the region in 2007.  We expect that these will attract additional educational groups and clients.  Further, the initiatives with regard to the Institute for Post-Conflict Studies increased substantially in 2006.  These included the start of the volunteer work of Sandra Marić, whose task is to coordinate the programs and to guide students, the writing of a BA/MA curriculum and the first inquiries as to the possibilities of getting it accredited (the possibilities seem good) and the revision of the Summer Program and the Internship Program.  Although there is a great deal more to do, we are thus satisfied with the directions of our work and speed at which it is proceeding.

Clients and Groups in General

During 2006, the number of clients expanded by about a third to about 15.  For the first time, not only Charles David Tauber, but also other volunteers are leading groups and working with clients.  These have shown themselves to be excellent lay therapists.  It is also expected that others will be seeing clients in 2007.  The range of specific problems is extremely wide, including rape, post-traumatic stress problems, domestic violence, neuroses from childhood, anxiety, depression, psychosis and general dysfunctionality.  It is notable that, in addition to the expected war trauma, there are several features common to virtually all clients.  One is a problem with identity and self-image. This issue is one on which we wish to do further research.  The second is a problem with the father.  We see that fathers were either absent, as in the cases of early death of the father or in cases of the parents being guest workers, or were cold and ignored the client as a child.  Again, we wish to do further research in this area.  It must be noted that the time involved in dealing with crises must also be included in the time involved in dealing with individual clients.  While these are not frequent, they have occurred at least once for virtually every client.  It is expected that the number of individual clients will increase during 2007, especially with publicity such as posters and brochures, as indicated elsewhere in this report.

Veterans

We expect to resume our work with former soldiers during 2007.  The problems with Croat veterans include their strong politicization and the stigma attached to going for psychological assistance.  Ironically, most that we know personally are going to a psychiatrist to obtain a pension, and we thus get into the problem of secondary benefit from not being cured.  Another group of Croat veterans includes people who literally never go out the door and who are in poor condition.  We believe that this is a large group.  The problem with Serb veterans in Croatia is that they are not willing to come together for fear of being arrested or being considered a conspiracy against the state. We are also exploring the possibility of working with colleagues in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Early in 2007, a brochure inviting former soldiers to contact us will be written and spread through Vukovar-Sirmium and Osijek-Baranja Counties.  We expect this to attract a considerable number of clients.  We will then form both treatment groups and groups to educate the leaders of self-help groups, thus providing a snowball effect.  This is our general strategy will all target groups.

A small project will be financed by the Fred Foundation of The Netherlands in 2007 and 2008.

Work with the Relatives of Schizophrenics/Marimo

Our long-term work with Marimo continued in 2006.  It should be noted that the stigma on such families is extremely high and that they can get assistance nowhere else.  Charles David Tauber facilitated a weekly self-help group for relatives, providing expert information and carrying out group therapy.  Nenad Manojlović began individual counseling work with one client from that group.  A brochure will be produced in 2007.  This may lead to an additional group in Vukovar.

Sheltered Living/Sheltered Workshops

The need for sheltered living can be divided into two parts.  The first type is for the victims of domestic violence and the like, that is, a place where women and young people can get out of the line of fire and can recover and gain knowledge and skills to find new lives.  While there are a very few places in the region for women in an emergency, the numbers are not adequate and the facilities provide limited services for a very limited period of time.  The second type of need is for halfway houses for people under treatment for schizophrenia, for people with mental retardation and for physical invalids with limited capacities.  Neither assisted living schemes nor adapted workshops exist.  While we can provide a very few places for volunteers, these need to be turned into a major project.  Unfortunately, neither governments nor funding organizations seem to be willing to invest in them.

Domestic Violence

The problem of domestic violence continues to be a large one.  Our approach is to work with both the victims and the perpetrators to ensure that both the symptoms and the cause are treated.  Unfortunately, there is very little work on this problem and there is no work whatsoever with the perpetrators.  Our attempts to obtain funding have not been successful to date.

Youth

The problems with youth continue unabated in the region.  There is a high level of transmission of trauma, and the older portion of the group that can be considered to be youth was born during the war, implying direct trauma.  Nonetheless, there is no youth counseling service anywhere in the region.  We have received a small amount of funding for training from the MATRA Project of the Dutch Embassy of Zagreb, but we will have to put a certain amount of our own funding into the project to complete it.  Furthermore, these funds are only for training, not for the hiring of counselors for youth whom, ideally, we would like to have in Vukovar and in many villages.  Our vision of such a service is one that would be available on a very low threshold basis.  This is still another of the frustrations with which we are continually faced.

Local Community Centers Project

The idea of polyvalent centers in villages with broadly trained lay workers was one of the first ideas of the organization and is one that we still feel is highly relevant.  The problem is still the same – funding.  We still maintain that this would be one of the best solutions to the problems of the region.

Core Group

The “core” course is the general course at the heart of our work.  It includes work on the fundamentals of work with people, basic communication, basic psychology, the psychology of trauma, the psychology of specific groups, treatment, civil society, non-violent conflict transformation and the basis of human rights.  At the rate of 2-3 hours per week, the course lasts for about two years.  The course is highly participatory.  It gives a basis for work in non-governmental organizations in areas such as ours. 

In 2006, there were two such courses with a total of 8 people.  Over the years, we have given over 40 such courses.  In 2007, it is the intention to expand the number of such courses in several locations, notably to start two more courses in Vukovar and to expand them to Osijek.  We also intend to transform the course into online format and make it available on our website.

Invalids

We began to work with invalids in 2004 through a project with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) which gave us USD 18 000 to do small house repairs and a limited amount of psychosocial work.  This project was carried out together with Bubamara, an association of invalids in Vinkovci.  We were shocked by what we saw.  In some homes, there was no indoor plumbing or electricity.  Virtually none of the invalids got out, except on very limited occasions.  There was a lack of medical care and physiotherapy, and decubitus was common.  Further, there was no psychological assistance for the invalids or their families. 

In 2005, we started an educational group with Bubamara.  Very sadly, this was interrupted in the spring of 2006 by the death of Kristinka Martičić, the young sufferer from polio who had run the organization.  Only now, a year later, is Bubamara in the process of recovery and the future direction of the organization is still in doubt.

One project that both we and Bubamara are very anxious to carry out is mobile assistance to invalids and their carers.  We believe that even a visit once in two weeks for approximately an hour would assist very greatly.  The object of these visits would be to allow the people to ventilate and for a small amount of therapy.  It would also be of great assistance to teach carers and other non-professionals the basics of physiotherapy.  We have applied for the funding of such a project, as yet unsuccessfully.

The Project on the Jews of Vukovar

This project had been started in 2005 under the funding of the Hanadiv Foundation of London (this foundation has recently changed its name to the Rothschild Foundation of Europe) from which a grant of approximately 11 000 Euros was obtained.  The official project period extended to the end of February, 2006.  We have continued the project at the rate of about 1 person-day per week.  Unfortunately, the grant was not renewed for 2006-2007, although we have re-applied for 2007-2008.  During 2005-2006, 17 interviews were collected and more than 12 GB of material from the municipal museums of Vukovar and Ilok was collected and scanned.  Other local persons contributed materials.  Cooperation from local authorities, for once, has been excellent.  The project has created quite a bit of good will within the region, as Jews were highly valued in the region before the Second World War.  Older people remember them with fondness, as they were the philanthropists of the city in addition to being the merchants and educators.  The project continues at a similar low level.  Several funding proposals have been sent to continue the project.  A full report of the project is available on the website, and the final report to the Hanadiv Foundation is available to Board members upon request to us.  The preliminary results of the project were presented at the Vukovar Museum during the Pre-Passover Celebration 2006, with the Dutch and Israeli Ambassadors present.

Although the project is somewhat outside of the mandate of the CWWPP, it was taken on in order to provide data for the Synagogue Center/Institute Project.  The ultimate aims are to collect as much data as possible, to make these available on a website (ours or a separate one) and to publish a book on the subject.  With regard to the latter, a graduate student may eventually be employed.

Relations with Other Groups

Relations with other groups were at very least cordial in 2006.  We worked reasonably closely with a few organizations, notably Marimo and the Jewish Community of Osijek and to a certain extent with Proni Vukovar as can be seen elsewhere in this report.  We see other organizations somewhat more irregularly, but consider them our “close” friends.  We did not prioritize attendance at the large inter-organizational meetings generally held by the OSCE alternately in Vukovar and Osijek as we felt that these took large amounts of our time (2 ½ hours if held in Vukovar; 3 1/2  hours if held in Osijek) that could be better spent elsewhere.  Further, they were frequently announced only a week ahead of time, which often would have meant substantial scheduling changes.  The OSCE and the UNDP are the only IGOs left in this region, and the OSCE is expected to leave Croatia by the end of 2007.  Thus, unlike in previous years, we have not devoted large amounts of time to courting them.  While relations with governmental bodies have been slightly more cordial than in previous years, we have no substantial bonds with them as yet, as much as we would like to do so.

Jewish Community of Osijek

During 2006, there was extensive contact with the Jewish Community of Osijek.  We carried out the project on the Jews of Vukovar with their full knowledge.  Further, two of our workers (Nenad Manojlović and Saša Ostojić) implemented a project on the archiving of their books and records for a period of one month.  The purpose of this in terms of the CWWPP was to provide a small amount of additional funding.  In addition, we assisted the Community in the celebration of Passover in Vukovar.

Relations with them are good.  It is expected that, in 2007, there will be fewer common events.  However, a certain amount of this depends on the success of joint funding proposals.

Protestant Church of Borovo Naselje, Agape

During 2006, the relationship became closer.  We treated a number of clients together.  The pastor, Laszlo Nemeth, spoke at the Summer Program.  There have also been a number of informal discussions on policy.  One member of the Church is now working for the CWWPP and another is a volunteer.  We expect to maintain good relations and increase them in 2007.

Proni Vukovar

For the first time, we have had an informal relationship with Proni Vukovar, particularly with its leader, Goran Jelenić, who assisted us in obtaining contacts for the Dutch-finance MATRA Program on the training of leaders of youth groups.  Further, Proni organized a fair of NGOs in Vukovar in September, 2006 in which we participated.

Dijakonija

Dijakonija is a new organization formed in 2006 as the implementing organization for the Lutheran (“Evangelistički” as opposed to the “Evangeoski” or Evangelical) Church in Osijek.  The Lutheran Church of Osijek is also the home of Marimo, the self-help group for the families of schizophrenics in Osijek, although the two are not formally associated.  We have good relations with the pastors of that church, Branko and Ljiljana Berić and with Mirjana Valašek, who is also the head of Marimo, all of whom are intimately involved with Dijakonija.  Dijakonija plans to request funding from Lutheran and other religious sources, although their work will be with persons of all religions and ethnicities.  They have expressed an interest in work on domestic violence and with former soldiers.  We have agreed that we will use their facilities in Osijek for core groups as a first project.  This is expected to start in 2007.  We expect the number of activities to increase.

Europe House Vukovar

Relations with Europe House Vukovar remained cordial and even warm in 2006.  Late in 2006, the president of Europe House expressed an interest in closer relations.  We will explore that in the course of 2007.  We would see closer association as valuable for both Europe House and for us.

Youth Peace Group Danube (YPGD)

Again, relations have remained cordial.  Their representatives spoke as part of the Summer Program.

Center for Peace Vukovar

The Center for Peace Vukovar continues to give gratis legal advice in Vukovar and to work on legal matters concerning refugees and internally displaced persons.  Contact is friendly, with reference of clients in both directions as required.

Association The Bench We Share

The activities of The Bench We Share have been strongly inhibited by funding problems of that organization.  Our relations remain good.

Anti-Fascists of Trpinja

This is an organization of old Partisans in a village some seven kilometers west of Vukovar, most of whose members are over 75 who still fervently hold to the Tito line.  We somewhat irregularly give a few lectures for them.  We admire them because of their spirit.

Zdravo da Ste, Banja Luka

We have had intermittent relations with Zdravo da Ste for quite a long time, almost since our organization began.  There are branches in the Republika Srpska and in Serbia.  They showed renewed interest in us during the summer of 2006.  Unfortunately, the long-time leader of the Banja Luka branch, Professor Jovan Savić, died suddenly at the end of 2006.  We expect to contact the new leadership in Banja Luka during 2007.

The OSCE

During 2006, our relations with the OSCE in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were not close.  In Croatia, we see their periodic reports as valuable.  They will be leaving Croatia at the end of 2007, which we think is a mistake, as it will mean that there is no international body officially responsible for monitoring Croatia’s behavior.

With regard to Bosnia-Herzegovina, we gave a two-day seminar entitled Introduction to Research Methods without Statistics twice, once in Slatina, near Banja Luka and once in Sarajevo.

Governmental Bodies

Quite frankly, our priority has not been on cooperation with governmental bodies.  There are several reasons for this.  First, we see our mandate as work with the grassroots rather than with the government, that is, we believe in a bottom-up rather than a top-down approach.  Second, it takes a great deal of time.  Nonetheless, we hope for increased contact in the future.

Local Governmental Bodies

Relations have been cordial with local governmental bodies.  Representatives of Vukovar Municipality and Vukovar-Sirmium County have attended several of our events during 2006, notably the Pre-Passover Celebration and the 40^th Anniversary of Charles David Tauber having started work with non-governmental organizations. 

National Governmental Bodies

During 2006, there was little contact with such bodies.

The Dutch Embassy of Zagreb

Relations between us and the Dutch Embassy in Zagreb continued to be excellent during 2006.  The Ambassador and his wife, Lionel and Olga Veer, with whom we had been friends, left in August.  We were visited by the new Ambassador, Nienke Trooster, in the fall.  As has been mentioned, we have one project running with the Embassy at present.  There have been plans to apply to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Development in The Hague.  This awaits a personal trip by one of us.

The Israeli Embassy

Relations with the Israeli Embassy in Zagreb have also been good.  The Ambassador, Shmuel Meirom and his wife attended the Pre-Passover Celebration.  In late August, we had an extensive meeting with the Ambassador about a wide range of topics.

Field Institute for Post-Conflict Studies

There was significant progress during 2006 on the Institute for Post-Conflict Studies.  For the second year running, we held a Summer Program in Post-Conflict Studies.  An initial concept for a BA and MA Program in Field Post-Conflict Studies was drawn up, and we found a number of institutions that would at least consider accrediting the program.  The fleshing out of that program and the work of obtaining accreditation will be continued in 2007.  Further, we agreed that the Core Course (see above) would also be put into online format. 

Another development in 2006 was the progress on InterChange, an organization of people and organizations working on grassroots peacebuilding that has its base at the Transitional Learning Center of the University of Toronto/OISE.  We are involved with a number of committees and Charles David Tauber is a member of the Board of the organization.  Further, we have been designated as the Central and Eastern European Center of InterChange. 

Further, in September, 2006, Sandra Marić came to work with us to carry out the work with regard to the Institute.

Study Programs

Work on study programs costs us considerable staff time.  Until now, there has been considerable interest by students in coming to Vukovar, although this was somewhat less in 2006 than in previous years.  In 2006 we had two students in the Summer Program and one intern.  Further, there was progress on the BA and MA programs, which will be detailed below.  At the end of the year, the Croatian Law on Foreigners still formed a barrier to those wishing to stay with us for a period longer than three months who are not formally enrolled in a university program or who are not priests or ministers.  We are hoping that this will change in 2007.

Interns

During 2007 we had one intern who came to stay with us for two months at the end of 2006.  The internship went well.  However, we have concluded that it is too much of an investment of time to have individual interns for short periods and that , in future, all interns, except possibly those doing masters and doctoral research for extended periods, will have to come within the time of the Summer Program and other residential courses.

Summer Program

In 2006, two Ph.D. students, participated in the Summer Program.  An report has been placed on our website.  In general, the Program was successful.  Based on the suggestions of the participants and of staff, the Summer Program for 2007 has been adjusted in small ways.  Among other measures, a study guide for the Program has been written and is available on the CWWPP website.

The BA-MA Program in Field Post-Conflict Studies

Discussions on the Program continued in 2006.  In the fall, Sandra Marić began to coordinate it.  During the summer of 2006, Brad Blitz of Oxford Brooks University visited Vukovar.  He feels that there are good chances for accreditation at a university in the UK.  In the fall, Sandra Marić and Charles David Tauber wrote a basic list of courses for the Program and worked on the number of hours required for the accreditation under the Bologna Protocol.  This will be worked out further in 2007.  Further, preliminary discussions were held with InterChange on cooperation on this program.

Other Programs of Education and Research

In the fall, Sandra Marić began to work on connecting the CWWPP with various universities.  By the end of the year, she had found and written to some 30 programs in areas similar to ours.  The aim is to get universities to send their students to us for research and study and to develop joint programs in research and teaching.  Work is continuing.  We welcome all cooperation with universities and individual academics on educational and research programs.  A partial list of our research interests is given as an appendix to this document.

InterChange

InterChange (www.interchange4peace.org) is a group formed in 2005 at the University of Toronto/OISE arising out of a conference on initiatives in various parts of the world on Grassroots Peacebuilding.  Its aims are cooperation and exchange of information and resources on action, education and research in violent and post-violent regions.  During 2006, a good deal of the internal structure of InterChange was formed.  We were designated as the Center for Central and Eastern Europe.  Charles David Tauber has participated as a member of the Board and a number of committees, and is facilitator of the Education Committee.  A visit from InterChange members is expected sometime in 2007.

Consultancies

In 2006, we carried out one consultancy.  At the beginning of October, we gave a course lasting two days for the Education Department of the OSCE of Bosnia-Herzegovina  The course was entitled An Introduction to Research Methods Without Statistics.  The course was given twice to OSCE employees from various locations.  A report is on the CWWPP website.  A study guide, which is also on the website, was used during the consultancy. 

Visitors and Meetings

·         The Dutch Ambassadors, old and new, and the Dutch Embassy of Zagreb.  For several years we have had formal and friendly relationships with the former Dutch Ambassador, Lionel Veer, and his wife Olga.  They paid us several visits during 2006, and we visited them several times at the Embassy in Zagreb and at several other functions.  I attended the reception for their departure in August.  We visited and were visited by the new Dutch Ambassador, Nienke Trooster and expect to develop a good relationship with her as well.

·         We also visited the Israeli Embassy to give an update on the position in the region and in our organization.  The relationship with the Embassy is developing well.

·         The Rev. Gunnar Åkeson, a Lutheran minister from Sweden who is studying the region and who is responsible to one of the Swedish Lutheran bishops for the region visited us in the spring.  The Rev. Åkeson was referred here by the Lutheran Church of Osijek.  Charles David Tauber briefed him and gave him a tour of Vukovar during one afternoon.

·         Vladimir Emedi, Deputy Mayor of Vukovar.  During the Pre-Passover Celebration, Mr. Emedi approached us and requested a meeting, which was held several days later.

·         Stjepan Mijok.  Mr. Mijok is the owner of the Hotel Lav in Vukovar.  He asked for the meeting.  He wishes to hold a meeting with leading figures in Vukovar on reconciliation and an economic and social plan for the city.  He asked for our support, which was given.

·         Supervisory Board, Europe House Vukovar.  A review of the situation of Europe House was given.  The organization is in good condition. 

·         Charles David Tauber attended the meeting of the Anti-Fascist Pensioners on Saturday, 18 March.  He gave a short introduction to the CWWPP and what we do.

·         Dr. Ryoko Ebina of Tokyo came in April for discussions on cooperation.  We agreed to write several joint proposals. Dr. Felix Nathan Kellermann, previously of AMCHA, Israel. 

·         The Belgrade Psychodrama Group, including Dr. Zoran Ilić, Dr. Zoran Đurić and Dr. Jasna Velijković.  There was a feeling that further cooperation would be highly desirable.  During the year, various members of staff visited several psychodrama workshops held by the group in Belgrade.

·         Jayme Reaves, formerly of the Evangelical Theological Faculty of Osijek, brought a group of students from the Baptist Theological Seminary of Richmond, Virginia, USA.

·         We attended a meeting of European Union representatives held with non-governmental organizations in Vukovar. 

·         A group of 18 students from the University of Washington in Seattle visited us for one day.  We showed them the city and discussed cooperation.

·         We visited the Embassy of the USA as part of our maintenance of our relationship with them.

·         We discussed the Synagogue Center Project with Peter Kuzmić of the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Osijek, who also teaches at Harvard University in the USA.  He wishes continuation of the cooperation of the past.

·         We met with Giel de Pooter and Elly Poppe from the group Pax Kinderhulp from The Netherlands.  The group wishes to have vacations in The Netherlands for disadvantaged children in the Balkans. 

·         During the summer we met with Prof. Jovan Savić of Zdravo da Ste and the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Banja Luka.  We had agreed to write and attempt to find funding for a project to investigate the separate and joints effects of economics and counseling on youth.  Sadly, Prof. Savić died at the end of the year.  We expect to contact the successors of Prof. Savić at Zdravo da Ste in 2007.

·         Prof. Brad Blitz of Oxford Brooks University visited for several days in August.  We discussed joint educational and research programs.  Prof. Blitz believes that accreditation and/or approval of our programs is possible through a university in the UK.

·         David A. Jones, a social worker from Portland, Oregon, USA visited for several days in December to discuss possibilities for cooperation.  Unfortunately, we could not come to any agreement on the direction of joint plans. 

·         We met several times with Zoran Vargović of the Christian Counseling Center of the Evangelical Theological Faculty of Osijek.  Dr. Vargović wishes cooperation.  Modalities of such cooperation were discussed.  By the end of the year, discussions were continuing.

·         Norbert Hinterleitner of the Anne Frank Stichting of Amsterdam visited us.  We discussed possible joint programs.

·         Charles David Tauber met with Marian Liebmann, an art therapist and worker on restorative justice and mediation in the UK, when she was in Belgrade in November.  Ms. Liebmann recently has written a textbook on restorative justice.

·         In November we met with Eoghan Mackie from a UK organization known as Challenges Worldwide.

Events

·         On 25 January we held a program for persons in Vukovar interested in the London School of Economics – University of London BSc-MA Program.  Five persons attended.

·         The Pre-Passover Celebration was held on 3 April.  A report is available on the website.  We presented the results of the project on the Jews of Vukovar.

·         We attended the celebrations of Israeli Independence Day.

·         We attended the celebrations of the birthday of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.

·         We held a lunch to thank the personnel of the Municipal Museums of Vukovar and Ilok for their cooperation.

·         In June, we commemorated the International Day for the Victims of Torture with a bit of guerrilla theater in the streets of Vukovar on the plight of such victims.

·         In September, we celebrated Jewish Heritage Day in Vukovar.

·         In September, we took part in a Fair for NGOs put on by Proni and sponsored by the Dutch Government that included the opportunity for all Vukovar NGOs to show their programs.  Earlier, in the context of the same project, there had been programs including interviews with all NGOs, including ourselves, on Croatian Radio Vukovar and on the predominantly Serbian Radio Danube.

·         In September, Charles David Tauber celebrated his 40^th anniversary of working with NGOs.  The celebration was held in the Hotel Dunav.  Members of other NGOs as well as public officials and friends were invited.

·         We held a family day for staff on 1 September and an end of year dinner on 29 December.

Publicity

·         In January, there were several reports on the Jews of Vukovar project, including one on Vinkovci Television.

·         In connection with the Pre-Passover Celebration, we had articles in the following:  2 articles in Vukovarske Novine;  Glas Slavonie; Vinkovacka Televisija; Hrvatski Radio Vukovar.

·         There were two articles written by Charles Tauber in De Vriendenkring, the Dutch Quaker monthly magazine.

·         Interviews with Charles David Tauber, Robert Štrk and Saša Bjelanović held by Helen Seeney of Deutsche Welle English Service later became an important part of the program on Vukovar.

·         There was a report in Novi List (Rijeka) that was reprinted in Glas Slavonije on our work in Vukovar and our philosophy of self-help groups.

·         There were several articles in connection with the 40^th anniversary of Charles David Taubers start of work with non-governmental organizations.

The Question of Expansion to Other Regions

This question has been discussed extensively among the staff and the Board.  We feel that it is necessary to expand to other regions.  The questions that arise are how and at what speed.  It is clear to us that the principles that we are working with here are applicable to other regions.  We must work carefully.  Any commitment must be long-term.

In Memoriam

·         Our good friend and mentor, Prof. Adam Curle, one of the founders of the concept of Peace Studies and the Chair of the first faculty department to teach the subject, the University of Bradford, died in June, 2006 at the age of 90.  We placed a memorial on the website.

·         In December, Prof. Jovan Savić of the Philosophical Faculty of Banja Luka and the non-governmental organization Zdravo da Ste, died unexpectedly.

·         Michael Montilljo of the Jewish Community of Zagreb, who was the leader of a choir working for ecumenism and reconciliation in a variety of ways, died at the end of the year.

Internal Matters

Introduction

The CWWPP was in much better shape organizationally at the end of 2006 than it was at the end of 2005.  The administrative backlog was cleared.  Many of the basic personnel problems have been solved.  In the solution of the remaining problems, one fundamental step will be the hiring of a managerial assistant to reduce the workload of the Head of Mission.  We have been assured of continued core funding by our anonymous donor for the immediate future.  Fundraising is now on a solid course.  We have taken steps to ensure the sustainability of the organization through work on the Institute for Post-Conflict Studies.  There seem to be possibilities for the accreditation of its programs.  Further, a small group has formed a Steering Committee to reform the Board and to manage day-to-day matters, and that group is meeting on a regular basis.

Administration in General

The backlog of administration, which had been a problem for a number of years, was largely solved in 2005 and was definitively solved in 2006.

Finances

A separate financial report is given, starting on page X of this document, together with an annotated budget for 2007.

Fundraising

The fundraising strategy for 2006 was built on a number of pillars and will continue to be so.  Each of these will be considered in turn.

·         Large individual contributions.  There is one large contribution which amounted to USD 60,000 in 2006 and to USD 50,000 in each of 2005 and 2007, respectively. 

·         The contribution of Charles David Tauber.  This amounted to approximately 10 000 Euros in 2006.

·         A small amount in small personal contributions.  This came to slightly more than 700 Euros in 2006. 

·         An additional contribution this year came from a Dutch Quaker, Wim Nusselder amounting to 1200 Euros.

·         Foundation funding.  We received one grant during the year, from the Dutch Embassy of Zagreb for youth work, which extends into 2007.  In December of 2006, Sandra Pantić agreed to take over the critical function of fundraising.  This is an extremely difficult method of fundraising but must be a continuing one.

·         The Institute for Post-Conflict Studies and the Summer Program.  During the summer of 2006, we had two students.  This needs to be a key pillar of the fundraising strategy.

There are a number of issues with fundraising:

•  The Balkans in general and Croatia in particular are no longer seen as needy, and foundations in particular are moving away from the region, especially in light of Croatia being a candidate state for the European Union.

• The programs that we are promoting are seen as “peripheral” by funders, despite their being seen as crucial by experts working with conflict transformation.

There is a real question as to how to get the message across about the needs of the region as we perceive them.

The issues discussed above have led staff to discuss whether we should not be expanding more quickly into other regions and then diverting as much funding as we can to this one.  This opens up the question as to what techniques could be used to enter other areas and how funds could be obtained to do so.

Another question that arises is that of other techniques of obtaining sustainable funding.  We are open to new ideas.

Personnel

There were several changes in personnel during 2006.  Toward the end of the year, Saša Bjelanović left his position as fundraiser and assistant manager.  Sandra Pantić of Borovo Naselje took his place as fundraiser.  His managerial duties remained unfilled, and it is a challenge for 2007 to find someone to carry out these tasks.  Sandra Marić of Vinkovci joined us as Educational Coordinator.

All staff at the CWWPP are volunteers.  The staff currently consists of

It is clear that there are far too many management tasks for the current staff, and that a management assistant or manager will need to be found in 2007.

Further, it is clear that there is a need for some sort of occupational therapy scheme in the region that would benefit us and those working with us.  However, this takes our time and does not always provide us with reliable workers.

Education for Staff

There have been several types of education for staff during 2006.  First, all staff members have been required to participate in the Core Course.

Further, staff were encouraged to take part in the Belgrade Psychodrama Group Seminars.  That group wishes to begin an educational series in Vukovar, which at least some staff will be required to attend.

Supervision and Therapy

Supervision and therapy have gone well during 2006.  All staff have endorsed it and have benefited from it.  We feel strongly that dealing with the traumas of the staff is essential in this environment.  In this region, all persons have one or another sort of trauma that manifests itself to a greater or lesser degree.  This can strongly influence the performance of staff and has done so.  Thus, supervision and therapy are working well.

As staff increases, intervision may replace supervision.  We will have to determine the desires of staff in this regard.

There is the question of educating staff to at least BA and MA level, and the degree to which the CWWPP should pay for such education.  This will be dependent on funding.

The Croatian Laws on Volunteers and Foreigners

The Croatian laws on volunteers and foreigners continued to be a problem for us in 2006.  By the end of 2006, despite promises to bring these laws into line with European Union requirements, no new laws had been passed.  This means that it is very difficult for us to work with foreign volunteers staying longer than three months and with persons wishing to study without formal university registration.  All such persons require a work permit, which is difficult to obtain.  We are thus hoping for changes in 2007.

Housing

In June of 2006, we moved from Gundulićeva 12 to Marina Držića 12 in Vukovar.  The new building is one street to the south of the old one.  The amount of space available in the new location is slightly greater than in the old one.  Further, the street in the new location is somewhat quieter than that in the old location.

The new quarters required a small amount of adaptation for our needs.  Total costs were approximately 5000€. 

In our view it would be highly desirable to purchase either a house or to purchase land and to build a house on it.  Real estate prices in the region are low and rising, and such a building could be seen as a good investment.  Further adaptations could then be made to suit our specific needs.  Unfortunately, as a foreign organization, it is not possible for us to obtain credit in Croatia.  Early in 2007, a proposal will be written and put on the website and we are actively seeking funds to implement it.

The Newsletter

The newsletter was published twice in 2006.  Ideally, we would publish one four times per year.  Staff time does not permit this.  We have received praise for its format.  The newsletter is sent in text format to keep down the number of bytes received, as we are aware that some who get it have to pay for each byte they download.  We are also aware that some of those receiving it do not have sophisticated technology. 

The second problem with the sending of the newsletter is that of spam filters.  We thus send to groups of eight correspondents per e-mail.  This means that sending to approximately 4000 correspondents takes roughly three days.  For similar reasons, we must send it from several accounts.  This also means that some of our accounts are blocked by some ISPs and we thus need to use several accounts to send mail.  While we understand the problem – we receive more than 1000 items of spam per day – it takes effort to get around it.

Management

Management has improved substantially in 2006.  At the end of the year, the situation had improved considerably over previous years and was reasonably satisfactory and functional.

Board

There was a substantial improvement in 2006 over previous years.  A Steering Committee began to operate.  During 2006, the membership of the Board was revised and a committee structure was proposed.  It will be seen in 2007 how this functions.

Epilogue

2006 was a year of growth and professionalization of the organization.  This needs to continue in 2007 with refinement and expansion of programs both within the Balkans and beyond.  This applies to the educational and the field work sides of the organization.  This will entail substantial changes in management and working practices.  The role of the Board must also increase.  We look forward to it.

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Financial Report 2006 and Budget 2007

All amounts in Euros