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The Coalition for Work
with Psychotrauma and Peace Previous Newsletters
20 January, 2007
To read a version of this Update in Microsoft Word, click here.
The CWWPP Summer Program 2006 was completed on September 1, 2006. Two students completed the program. Two other students withdrew from the program because of personal and health reasons. The two students that finished the program were, Peter Locke, studying for his doctorate in Anthropology at Princeton University, USA, and Britt Baillie, studying for her doctorate religion at Cambridge University in the UK. Peter Locke also visited us in mid-December in the context of his Ph.D. work in Sarajevo. For a full report see http://www.cwwpp.org/Documents/Study/Summer%20Program%202006/Final%20Report%20Summer%20Program%202006%20External.doc. STUDYING WITH THE CWWPP: PLACES OPEN FOR MARCH, JUNE, SEPTEMBER, 2007 The CWWPP has announced its program for study for 2007. In addition to the two and a half month Summer Program, from mid-June until the end of August, 2007, there will be an Introductory Course in Post-Conflict Studies to be given twice, first from the beginning of March to the end of May, 2007 and again from mid-September to mid-December, 2007. There is also the possibility of assistance for Masters and Doctoral students. PLACES ARE STILL OPEN FOR ALL PROGRAMS IN 2007. More information is available on http://www.cwwpp.org/Study.htm. Unfortunately, since the last writing, the psychological, medical and reconciliation situation has not improved. There are no reliable figures to document the situation. We believe that most official figures contain at least a moderate amount of bias. However, from what we hear from colleagues, what we see with our own eyes and from the figures that are available we believe that the amount of psychological distress as a result of the war continues to increase. This includes suicides, domestic violence, lack of competent and complete medical care, high unemployment rates, and virtually no efforts aimed at reconciliation. Further, funding for democratization continues to diminish. Thus, virtually nothing is being done to make the region fit for integration into the European Union. Because this lack of action, we and others within the community of non-governmental organizations believe that further violence at some point in the future, be it in five, ten or fifty years is inevitable and can only be prevented by substantial injections of long-tem assistance that will address basic problems. We would also like to point that the foundations are avoiding projects working on Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo and are withdrawing their presence from the region. We regard this as a dangerous development in light of the above. Organizations and potential funders for this region that are interested in working on these issues should contact us at office@cwwpp.org.EUROPEAN UNION REPORTS ON CROATIA The European Union has recently brought out its newest report on Croatia. While cautiously optimistic on one or two areas, it reports a lack of progress in most areas. The report is available on http://www.delhrv.cec.eu.int/uploads/dokumenti/c0a541b8faf795a3ae01d34df7be6104.pdf. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS WITH InterChange InterChange, a young organization devoted to grassroots development in conflict and post-conflicts regions, consisting of individuals and organizations from this region, from Canada and from Africa based at the University of Toronto, continues to develop quickly. The organization now has Canadian non-profit tax-deductible status. It is developing programs in education and research on a multi-centric basis. The CWWPP is a founding partner of InterChange and is responsible for implementing its European Center. Charles David Tauber, M.D. has become a member of the Board. We continue to work diligently with InterChange to develop programs of research and education that we hope to be able to implement within the next several years. We will continue to report on the progress of our work with InterChange. CWWPP CONTINUES THE WORK ON HISTORY OF JEWS OF THE VUKOVAR REGION – FURTHER FUNDING NEEDED During the summer of 2005, the CWWPP received a grant of some 7500 GBP from the Hanadiv Foundation of London (now the Rothschild Foundation) to begin to investigate the history of the Jews of Vukovar and the surrounding area. This part of what will eventually be a project of five to six years was completed at the end of February, 2006. A complete report of the project is available at http://www.cwwpp.org/Projects%20Groups%20Associated%20Organizations.htm#Hanadiv. We are continuing the project even though further funding has not been secured. We are currently scanning birth and death certificates and marriage records from the period up to the Second World War in the Office of Civil Records of Vukovar. MATRA PROJECT - CWWPP CONTINUES WORK WITH YOUTH IN VILLAGES USING FUNDS FROM THE DUTCH EMBASSY OF ZAGREB Work continues on this project, which was reported upon in the last CWWPP Update. We have recruited persons from 10 villages to take part in the project, and we are still working on recruiting persons from several more villages. The project will educate young people in communications, psychological trauma, civil society and non-violent conflict transformation. The CWWPP will continue the project beyond the final date of the grant with its own funds. We continue to have about 10 clients and five other groups. The two core groups are progressing quite well. We are pleased to announce that all participants have passed their examinations in communications and psychological trauma and have started the module dealing with civil society. Similar core groups will start in Osijek in the early part of 2007. Once the current groups in Vukovar are completed, we will begin new ones. We also are continuing our work with Marimo, the group of the families of schizophrenics in Osijek where we are discussing the problems of the individual members and the problems of dealing with schizophrenic family members in general. We are looking at the possibilities of starting a similar group in Vukovar. Our work with Bubamara, the group of invalids in Vinkovci has been temporarily suspended because of the highly death of the group’s leader, Kristinka Marticic. Both Bubamara and the CWWPP are intending to restart the training of their staff. Further, we have begun to write a series of brochures on common problems with which we work. Within the next six weeks, these will be placed in strategic locations in Vukovar and other towns in Vukovar-Sirmium and Osijek-Baranja Counties. SUPPORT THE CWWPP. HELP US TO EXPAND OUR WORK We are pleased to announce that we have recently secured funding for our basic operating costs for 2007 from a donor in the USA who wishes that we do not publicize his/her name. The CWWPP would like to carry out many more projects than those for which we need funding. These are required for urgent work in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia and possibly in other post-conflict areas. For more information on the projects that we wish to carry out, see the Strategic Plan for 2006 at http://www.cwwpp.org/About%20Us-Strategic%20Plan.htm. Our Annual Report for 2006 and Strategic Plan for 2007 will be on the website shortly. To see how to contribute to the CWWPP, see http://www.cwwpp.org/Support.htm. CWWPP STARTS APPEAL FOR BUILDING The CWWPP wishes now to begin a project to purchase land and to build a building on it. The building crew will be multi-ethnic. The building process will include work on the psychological remainders of the war and on reconciliation. The building itself will also be open to use by other groups from the region. For more information and a proposal, see http://www.cwwpp.org/Documents/Proposals/Builiding Project 2007/Rebuilding Project.doc. The CWWPP gave two two-day long seminars in research methods for the OSCE Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. A report can be found on the CWWPP website http://www.cwwpp.org/Documents/Consultancies/OSCE%202006%2010%2024%20Public.doc. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GROUP VISITS THE CWWPP A group of 14 students and three professors from the University of Washington in Seattle, USA visited Vukovar and CWWPP Headquarters in early September, 2006. The group was given a tour of the city and the region and discussed issues related to the conflict and post-conflict periods here. We are looking forward to further cooperation with them. DR. BRADLEY BLITZ VISITS VUKOVAR Dr. Brad Blitz of Oxford Brooks University visited the CWWPP and Vukovar for several days in August, 2006. Dr. Blitz discussed further cooperation and development of joint programs. NEW DUTCH AMBASSADOR, NIENKE TROOSTER, VISITS THE CWWPP In conjunction with her visit to Vukovar in September, the new Dutch Ambassador to Zagreb, Nienke Trooster, spent approximately 90 minutes with the CWWPP discussing the issues of the region and possible further cooperation. We look forward to further contact. CWWPP HIRES AN INSTITUTE INITIATOR AND A NEW EXTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICER The CWWPP has recently hired an Institute Initiator, Sandra Maric. We are in a process of expanding contacts with universities, persons and institutions who are interested for doing joint research and/or educational programs should contact us at institute@cwwpp.org. Ms. Maric, together with Dr. Charles David Tauber, will be responsible for such contacts. Ms. Maric has a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Zagreb. Regretfully, Mr. Sasa Bjelanovic, our External Affairs Officer and Deputy Head of Mission, has recently left our employ. He is replaced as External Affairs Officer by Ms. Sandra Pantic of Borovo Naselje, a graduate of the Evangelical Theological Faculty of Osijek, Croatia. We are still searching for a manager to allow Charles David Tauber of some of his duties. This person must be either a Croatian citizen or a student because of Croatian immigration law. Further, Mr. Andrej Edelinski of Borovo Naselje is working with us as a volunteer on administration and research and Mr. Bojan Vukoja of Vukovar is working with us as a volunteer, currently exploring addiction issues. In September, 2006, Dr. Charles David Tauber celebrated 40 years in NGO sector. A reception was held in the Hotel Dunav with friends and local officials from Vukovar-Sirmium County and the City of Vukovar. Local media was also invited. IN MEMORIAM, ADAM CURLE, 1916 - 2006 We regret greatly the recently announced death of Professor Adam Curle. He was one of the founders of peace studies as an academic discipline. He was one of our dear colleagues and a good friend. He will be greatly missed. A complete obituary is given on the CWWPP website, http://www.cwwpp.org/Documents/Miscellaneous%20Documents/Adam%20Curle%201916-2006%20HR%20revised.doc. To see how to contribute to the CWWPP, see http://www.cwwpp.org/Support.htm. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR FINANCIAL AND MORAL SUPPORT Charles David Tauber, M.D. Head of Mission and the Staff of the CWWPP
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