Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace
website http://www.cwwpp.org
The newsletter of the Coalition for Work with Psychotrauma and Peace
1 July, 2006
This Update can also be found on the CWWPP website, www.cwwpp.org.
THE CWWPP HAS MOVED OUR HEADQUARTERS
On 27 June, 2006 the CWWPP moved its headquarters one street further in Vukovar. The new address and telephone numbers are: M. Drzica 12, 32000 Vukovar. The +385-32-441975 telephone and fax number remains the same. The +385-32-444662 number is replaced by +385-32-450991. All e-mail addresses remain the same.
STUDYING WITH THE CWWPP IN 2007
The CWWPP has announced its program for studying in 2007. In addition to the two and a half month Summer Program which lasts 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 mid-January to mid-April, 2007 and again from mid-September to mid-December, 2007. There is also the possibility of assistance for Masters and Doctoral students. More information is available on http://www.cwwpp.org/Study.htm.
SITUATION IN THE REGION
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.
CROATIAN GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS STILL HINDERING NGO’S
Whether or not with specific intent, Croatian government regulations continue to hinder non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). First, when we recently tried to register a newly bought car, we found that we could not, as the central identification number (“maticni brojâ€) had been abolished for foreign NGO’s. Further, although we and other foreign organizations have been told that we have the legal right to register cars, no one (and we have called quite a few ministries and governmental offices) COULD tell us how to do it, even after five weeks of intensive inquiry. We finally got it solved through the intervention of the Office for International Relations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Another Croatian law still seriously hindering the operation of NGO’s, both foreign and local, is the lack of a law on volunteering, as reported in the previous CWWPP Update. This means that foreigners, except those coming as either “missionaries†or as full-time students, cannot stay in the country for more than 90 days. While we have been told that there is a law that has been put forward by Deputy Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s Ministry of the Family, Defenders and Inter-Generational Solidarity, no one can tell us when the law will actually be put into the Parliament’s (Sabor’s) schedule. We were told that the law should have been on the books already. Another rumor says that it will be ready for the International Day of Volunteers on 5 December. While we hope for the best, we are still skeptical.
A third area in which Croatian law hinders NGO’s is in regard to taxes. Unlike many other countries, all NGO’s in Croatia are required to pay sales tax at a staggering 22%. Further, there is no regulation on tax-deductible contributions to NGO’s, thus hindering corporate and private donations to NGO’s.
Thus, much needs to change if Croatia is truly serious about encouraging the civil sector.
THE OSCE PROGRESS REPORT ON CROATIA JUNE, 2006 AND THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT ON CROATIA FOR 2005
In June, 2006, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) came out with its semi-annual report on the progress of the country. This report is available on the OSCE website at http://www.osce.org/croatia/ or alternatively on the CWWPP website at http://www.cwwpp.org/Documents.htm#Other%20Orgs. While there has been a great deal of ballyhoo about the large amount of progress that the report supposedly documents, in reality what is said in the report gives rise to only a small degree of optimism. As noted above, Croatia still has a long way to go on many fronts, not the least of them civil society, human rights, reconciliation, discrimination and economic development.
Amnesty International has also come out with its report on Croatia for 2005, which is available at http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/croatia/document.do?id=ar&yr=2006. Unfortunately, this report is also not terribly encouraging.
THE CWWPP IS NOW ASSOCIATED WITH INTERCHANGE
In June, 2005, a number of people from the University of Toronto organized a conference entitled Grassroots Peacebuilding in Action and Dialogue to which a number of people working in the field in various countries were invited. During the past year, this group of people has developed into the organization known as InterChange. The organization is in the stage of registering as an ngo in Canada and will be associated with centers in other countries. It will include joint action, research and education projects for professionals and non-professionals. At present, InterChange will have three centers, one in Toronto , one in Vukovar (to be coordinated by the CWWPP initially) and in Nairobi and will no doubt expand further. We find this an extremely exciting development and are working intensively with InterChange to develop and implement a number of further plans. Those who receive this Update will receive a first newsletter from InterChange later in the year.
THE CWWPP SUMMER PROGRAM 2006 BEGINS
Two students, 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 , have joined the Summer Program for 2006. The Program continues until 1 September. The Program is similar to the one being offered for 2007 (see www.cwwpp.org/Study). More on their progress will be presented in the next CWWPP Update.
THE CWWPP CELEBRATES PASSOVER WITH THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF OSIJEK
On Sunday, 2 April, 2007 the CWWPP and the Jewish Community of Osijek celebrated Passover in Vukovar. This Pre-Passover celebration was the fourth since the end of the Second World War and included several talks about the project on the Jews of Vukovar financed by the Hanadiv Foundation (see below), a tour of the Jewish graveyard and of the site where the synagogue had been and lunch, during which the Choir of the Jewish Community of Novi Sad and the Jewish Children’s group of Osijek performed and during which several learned men, notably the new Rabbi of Croatia, Eliezer Aloni and Tomislav Halbror of Subotica. Further, the Ambassadors of Israel and The Netherlands and their families were present. Of course, members of virtually all Jewish Communities of the region came to Vukovar for the occasion.
DR. PETER FELIX NATAN MARKUS KELLERMANN VISITS THE CWWPP
Dr. Kellermann, Executive Director of AMCHA, an organization in Israel working with the victims, of the Holocaust, including those of later generations, visited the CWWPP and the region from 18 to 24 May, 2006 . Dr. Kellermann toured the region and spoke with a number of experts and persons from non-governmental organizations and a representative of the Jewish Community of Osijek during his visit.
DR. RYOKO EBINA VISITS THE CWWPP
Ryoko Ebina , the Director of Global Health Communications, www.globalhealthcommunications.com , came to Vukovar again in the spring of 2006 in connection with her work on health promotion. Dr. Ebina gave talks in Osijek and Vukovar on her work on positive mechanisms for dealing with trauma. Plans were made to cooperate and ideas for joint proposals were discussed.
CWWPP COMMEMORATES INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE VICTIMS OF TORTURE
On 26 June, 2006 , the CWWPP commemorated the International Day for the Victims of Torture by holding a demonstration in the center of Vukovar in orange jump suits, seeking to bring attention to the problems of torture victims all over the world. This is particularly important in this region, where many people from all sides were subjected to torture.
CWWPP COMPLETES THE FIRST STEPS IN A PROJECT ON THE JEWS OF VUKOVAR FINANCED BY THE HANADIV FOUNDATION
During the summer of 2005, the CWWPP received a grant of some 7500 GBP from the Hanadiv Foundation of London 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. In that period, we collected 17 interviews with people who remember Jews from before the Second World War (unfortunately, very few returned). We also collected more than 3000 documents and more than 1100 photographs in Vukovar and Ilok. We are very grateful to the Municipal Museums of Vukovar and Ilok for their cooperation. A complete report of the project is available at http://www.cwwpp.org/Projects%20Groups%20Associated%20Organizations.htm#Hanadiv. We intend to continue the project as soon as further funding is secured.
CWWPP RECEIVES GRANT FOR WORK WITH YOUTH IN VILLAGES FROM THE DUTCH EMBASSY OF ZAGREB
The Dutch Embassy of Zagreb has given the CWWPP a grant of slightly more than 11000 Euros under the MATRA Program to work with young people in teaching skills in psychological trauma and civil society. The work fits perfectly into the Strategic Plan of the CWWPP for 2006 (http://www.cwwpp.org/About%20Us-Strategic%20Plan.htm) in terms of re-expanding our work to village level and working from the ground up. The grant period lasts until the end of May, 2007. We shall be reporting on its first phases later in the year.
GROUPS AND CLIENTS
We continue to have about 15 clients and five other groups. The two core groups are progressing quite well. We also are continuing our work with Marimo, the group of the families of schizophrenics in Osijek .
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. We very much mourn Kristinka’s death. She was a brave woman who struggled with infantile paralysis from an early and managed to overcome her disabilities. Our greatest sympathies are with her parents and with her husband, Ivica and with the members of Bubamara who depended on her and who admired her, as did we.
CWWPP PURCHASES A VAN
Thanks partly to the contribution of Jan Sizoo and his wife, Eri, the CWWPP has purchased a nine passenger Volkswagen Transporter van from 1992. This van will be used for the transport of visitors, including students, and staff.
SUPPORT THE CWWPP
The CWWPP would like to carry out many more projects than those for which we have funding. These are required for urgent work in 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.
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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