Chernobyl Children’s
Project International: Biggest convoy yet
Sunday April 9th 2006 will see the largest ever send-off of
humanitarian aid from Irish soil to Chernobyl-affected areas,
since the Chernobyl Children's Project International was established.
At 1.23am on 26th April 1986 the worst environmental disaster
known to mankind took place in Chernobyl. This year marks
the 20th anniversary of the disaster and far from being “history,”
the accident continues to affect millions – especially
children – in Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia. This
year’s convoy will consist of 15 articulated trucks
and 27 ambulances carrying €3 million worth of aid to
the affected areas of Belarus. Volunteers from all over the
country who have fundraised for the past year will drive the
vehicles (over 84 humanitarian aid workers will accompany
the convoy).
The day’s events on Sunday April 9th will
get underway at 11 am in Midleton Heritage Centre. Duncan
Stewart will act as MC and Adi Roche and Ali Hewson will launch
the Convoy as it departs for Rosslare harbour before sailing
on to Pembroke, passing through ten different countries on
the way to Belarus. The departure promises to be a fun family
day out with Vertigo supplying the music. The event is being
organised by Midleton Outreach Group and sponsored by the
business community in Midleton. Under the leadership of Adi
Roche, the project has initiated over 16 developmental and
aid programmes and delivered humanitarian and medical aid
valued at over €60M to the areas most affected by the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
A rest and recuperation program has enabled
more than 13,000 sick children to come to Ireland for medical
treatment and recuperation over the past 15 summers. E-mail
adiroche@chernobyl-ireland.com
and website
Phone 021-4312999. You can make secure donations via the website,
or donate via bank transfer or cheque. Postal address; CCPI,
Ballycurreeen Industrial Estate, Kinsale Road, Cork [See also
Editorial on Chernobyl]
Iraq War: Belfast USA
Consulate baptised
It may have been the first action of its kind at the new,
less accessible, US Consulate at Danesfort, Stranmillis in
Belfast; on Monday 20th March, the 3rd anniversary of the
invasion of Iraq, peace activists from the Belfast-based Justice
Not Terror Coalition (JNTC) staged a ‘die-in’
at the main gate, blocking it for some time and pouring artificial
blood on the ground. Ten people were involved in the actual
blockade and others supported the event and spoke. Just before
the action Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Kevin Cassidy had
delivered a letter and met with a deputy consul. A fuller
report is available online.
The JNTC in Belfast is co-ordinating nonviolent
resistance actions to the occupation of Iraq throughout 2006
in support of the Global
Call to Action for an end to US military occupation of
Iraq. Weekly open planning meetings each Tuesday, 7.30pm @
Peace House, 224 Lisburn Road, Belfast. Next action: International
Workers Day focussing on war profiteers. Contact JNC at jntcx@bonbon.net
or phone (44) (0)771 511 0517.
Greening Christians
and churches
How to get people started is often a problem on any issue,
and also how to focus an initial concern, and in this context
what the relationship is between green issues and Christian
belief and activity. The perfect programme is now available
in Ireland; Eco-Congregation. The Eco-Congregation
Ireland website (adapted from British material) provides
all that local churches need to work through the issues and
get their green game up to scratch (there are detailed modules
on doing a church audit, Creation, bible studies, youth ideas,
community and the world etc.) and contacts in the four largest
Christian churches are listed.
Meath Peace Group: Legacy
of war, 1916
The next two meetings are as follows. Monday 10th April: “The
Legacy of War” (Public talk No. 60) with speaker
Martin Snoddon, Director of the Conflict Trauma Resource Centre,
Belfast. Martin Snoddon will outline the findings of the recent
report published by the CTRC, “The Legacy of
War”, which documents research conducted in
2004-05 into the experiences of former members of the UDR
and their families. This session will be chaired by Roy Garland.
Monday 24th April: “Easter 1916” with speaker
Dr Charles Townshend, Professor of Modern History, Keele University,
chaired by Brendan O’Brien. Both meetings start at 8.00
pm at St Columban’s College, Dalgan Park, (4 miles south
of) Navan. Queries can be made to 01 – 6259438, e-mail
meathpeace@hotmail.com
and the website is at http://www.meathpeacegroup.org
Take the PRG train for
Derry
The following courses will be offered by the Peace and Reconciliation
Group in Spring/Autumn 2006:
Introduction to Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Skills (OCN Level 2, with 3 Credits), 15th – 17th
May.
Intermediate Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Skills, (OCN Level 3, with 6 Credits), Wednesday, 24th May
and every Wednesday thereafter until Wednesday, 28th June.
Advanced Conflict Resolution and Mediation
Skills, (OCN Level 3 with 9 Credits), Thursday, 14th September
and every Thursday thereafter until Thursday 16th November.
The venue for these courses will be the office
of the Peace and Reconciliation Group. For further information
phone PRG at 028 - 71369206, email info@peaceprg.co.uk,
or at 18/20 Bishop St. L’Derry BT48 6PW. Web http://www.peaceprg.co.uk
SCI/IVS/SCI Directory of
International Volunteer Projects
The 2006 edition of the inestimable and invaluable International
Volunteer Projects book is just becoming available from Service
Civil International sections VSI (Voluntary Service International)
in the Republic and IVS (International Voluntary Service)
in the North. This details 500 short term opportunities, typically
for 2 to 3 weeks, in around fifty countries with varied kinds
of work, so varied that there should be something for everyone
this summer.
- The International Volunteer Projects Book is available at
€4 from newsagents, bookshops, libraries, universities,
youth organisations, Volunteer Centres etc. in the Republic,
or directly from VSI at 30 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1, phone
01 – 8551011, call in or send a postal order / cheque
for €4. The VSI website is at http://www.vsi.ie
with a link to the online search engine at http://camps.sciint.org
- IVS have the book available for £2.50 (plus 50p postage)
within Northern Ireland and their website at http://www.ivsni.org
also has a link to the international SCI directory. IVS, 34
Shaftesbury Square, Belfast BT2 7DB, phone 028 – 90238147.
‘The Challenge
of Change’ Convention, Newry, June
Facilitated by Mediation Northern Ireland, and sponsored by
Newry and Mourne District Council and Belfast City Council,
in association with Louth County Council, ‘The Challenge
of Change’ convention promoting civic awareness of the
challenges of diversity in Northern Ireland takes place from
Monday 5th – Wednesday 7th June. Speakers include Prof
John Paul Lederach (University of Notre Dame) and Trevor Phillips
(Chair of Commission for Racial Equality, Britain). This convention
will bring together politicians, business people, public servants,
the community, voluntary and faith sectors to discuss concepts,
share experiences and examine best practice around issues
of Difference, Integration, Diversity and Reconciliation.
Full programme details will be available soon from Hilary.Halliday@newryandmourne.gov.uk
or maureen@mediationnorthernireland.org
or visit http://www.challengeofchange.org
[Leaflet enclosed for some people receiving this as a paper
copy]
Institute for Conflict
Research: “Policing, Accountability and….”
Two new reports from the Institute for Conflict Research (ICR)
are on “Policing, Accountability and the Black and Minority
Ethnic Communities in Northern Ireland” (138 pages,
£5) and “Policing, Accountability and the Lesbian,
Gay and Bisexual Community in Northern Ireland” (121
pages, £5) both written by Katy Radford, Jennifer Betts
and Malcolm Ostermeyer. Paper copies available from the ICR
office or they’re on the website at http://www.conflictresearch.org.uk
ICR, North City Business Centre, 2 Duncairn Gardens, Belfast
BT15 2GG, phone 028 – 9074 2682, e-mail info@conflictresearch.org.uk
Community Relations
Week
Community relations week takes place in Northern Ireland from
24th – 28 April with a huge range of events. See the
Community Relations Council (CRC) website for details at http://www.community-relations.org.uk
(click on ‘News’ and then ‘Community Relations
Week’) or contact CRC, 6 Murray Street, Belfast, BT1
6DN, phone 028 9022 7500.
- One event taking place organised by Mediation
Northern Ireland (MNI) is a one-day Advanced Workshop on “Mediation
and Civic Diplomacy – applying mediation to societal
division”, with MNI Director Brendan McAllister on Friday
28th April, cost £125. It is most suitable for those
with experience of using mediation or who have responsibilities
at a strategic level within their sector. Contact MNI, 83
University Street, Belfast BT7 1HP, e-mail training@mediationnorthernireland.org
and website http://www.mediationnorthernireland.org
or ph. 028 – 9043 8614.
West Papua Action
After a lengthy stint of ten years as coordinator, Mark Doris
has retired from the post which has been taken up by Marzia
Baldassari, and in an article in the current 'West Papua News'
Mark Doris looks back over this time. Priorities for the coming
year, defined at the AGM, include campaigning for access to
West Papua by foreign journalists and tourists as well as
freedom of expression and assembly, campaigning for the withdrawal
of the military to barracks, for freedom for political prisoners
and to keep up pressure for a UN review of the so-called 'Act
of Free Choice' (incorporating West Papua in Indonesia). Various
resources are available. Annual membership is €15 (concessions
available). West Papua Action, 134 Phibsborough Road, Dublin
7, ph 01 - 860 3431, e-mail wpaction@iol.ie
and web http://westpapuaaction.org
Convergence: getting
fuelled down
The Convergence 11th Sustainable Living Festival has the title
'Learning to Live With Less Fossil Fuel' , and takes place
from 19th -23rd April with a wide variety of events, all in
the heart of Dublin at the Cultivate Centre for Sustainable
Living and Learning in Temple Bar. See http://www.sustainable.ie
for full programme. Sustainable Ireland Cooperative, Cultivate,
15-19 Essex Street West, Dublin 8, phone 01 6746415 and e-mail:
mailto:info@sustainable.ie
Peacenik
A new British-based internet
initiative - is a not for profit enterprise, a project
of Ekklesia, that will raise money for peace initiatives such
as Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) who recently hit the headlines
for their nonviolent stand in Iraq. It’s a new ISP (Internet
Service Provider). Visit http://www.peacenik.co.uk
for more details of the project, as well as how to make Peacenik.co.uk
your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or get a Peacenik email
address. Users get to choose what projects they want to support.
WRI ‘Globalising
Nonviolence’
The War Resisters International (WRI) conference on ‘Globalising
Nonviolence’ takes place at Schloss Eringerfeld, Paderborn,
Germany from 23 – 27 July. The WRI believes that nonviolence
has a major role to play in globalisation from below and this
conference provides an opportunity to meet activists from
all over the world and work on relevant topics and themes.
See http://www.globalisingnonviolence.org
for details or contact War Resisters International, 5 Caledonian
Road, London N1 9DX, England, phone +44 20 72784040 or contact
registration@globalisingnonviolence.org
The general WRI website is at http://www.wri-irg.org
Latin America Week
This takes place from 22nd – 28th April with the apposite
title “Draining away our wealth – Ownership
of natural resources in Latin America and Ireland”
and is organised by the Latin America Solidarity Campaign
(LASC) in association with a variety of other organisations.
There are events in Dublin (the main conference is in Dublin
on 22nd April), Dingle, Limerick, Galway and Mayo. See http://www.lasc.ie
for details. LASC is at 5 Merrion Row, Dublin 2, phone: 01-6760435,
fax: 01-6621784, e-mail: info@lasc.ie
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