The History of the Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace

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 (currently 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 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. To see which groups and how, see the paper given for the RIREC Conference at Notre Dame University in September, 2003 and the brochure on the activities of the CWWPP written in February, 2003.

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.

At the time when the organization began, we were closely associated with a number of organizations.  To see which and how, click here.

We were also closely associated with the Conflict Resolution Center International of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (CRCI).  Please also see the website of the CRCI, www.conflictres.org. 

The CWWPP was registered as a non-profit organization in The Netherlands (Groningen Office, Winschoten Sub-Office of the Chamber of Commerce) in 1997.

We were also registered in Croatia as a branch of a foreign organization.

The main office of the CWWPP for countries resulting from the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is in Vukovar, Croatia.  Our Western European office is in Nieuwe Pekela, The Netherlands.  For more information, click here.