Archive file

VIP No.4, October 19th, 1993

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Volunteers Information Pakrac

Adress:
  International volunteers working camp
  Pedagoska Skola
  4355 Pakrac, Croatia
Fax & Phone:
  00385 46 84 007 (Mark "Volunteers camp")

a) Situation Report
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Besides some shooting at night and few explosions in the
neighbourhood, this last week was quiet again. It's getting really
colder (You see, we have to write about the weather because nothing
special happened). Four conscious objectors from Austria arrived to
start humanitarian work. They will stay for one year. We have now the
possibility to use their van and office. Good news is that Wam Kat has
returned from his information trip to Holland. He brought one TV
journalist who will make a report for the Dutch television.

The volunteers are growing more and more into the social net of the
village. Some people had compassion with us, because of our bad food
situation, and established that we can eat more healthy food in local
families. The coffein level of us reaches almost the lethal dosis as
it is a big pleasure for the people here to invite us for drinking
coffee, talking and looking at photos.

b) Volunteers Activities
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1. Reconstruction & Support

- Working Groups
This week, all working groups worked in the same street in Lipik,
close to a UN checkpoint. The task was to clean destroyed houses and
to collect material (bricks, steel, wood, etc.) which can be used to
rebuild these houses. Surprisingly, some Argentinian UN soldiers came
and helped us. They offered us to exchange fresh meat, of which they
have almost nothing, for sugar, chocolate, coffee and tea, in which
they are oversupplied.

- Children's Playground
The work on the playground is going on, but slowly. The biggest
problem is always how and where to get material. For example a lack of
wood preservative stopped the work on the seesaw. So far we have
repaired a swing, buried many tires and we have an idea how to repair
the slide. Children already playing there seem to enjoy
it.

- Preparation Of Our New House
This week a plumber will repair the water installations in the toilet.
Our aim is to move in at least 12 days. At the end of this week we
will sign a contract with the owner for a period of one year under the
condition of 'no drugs'. Maybe we can get bunkbeds from Caritas, who
buyed some for refugee houses in Lipik, which are too big to use
there.

- Juggling Courses
Burkie and Gauthier have just started a juggling course on monday,
open for everybody. Although it is too soon to make any prediction for
the future, three children looked especially interested. So new
voluntary 'jugglers' are very welcome in Pakrac.

2. Social Activities

- English lessons
Lynette from North Dakota (Not from England as we wrote. Sorry !)
decided to stay longer. She wants to organise the lessons in a better
way.

- Games With Children
The children are the door to the future, and they are interested and
open to join creative activities like drawing, music, workshops as
well as sportive activities. Last Saturday we organised for the first
time games in the afternoon. It was very succesful so we decided to
make this regularly.

3. Volunteers Radio

This week 5 new volunteers were introduced: Tina, Alessandra, Jan,
Eike and Frank. Tina gave a live performance on her violin, while
Frank led the interview to a more philosophical ground. We started
searching students for the next week which are interested to discuss
with volunteers.

4. Ideas, Plans & Projects

- Music Group
There is the idea to form a music group out of volunteers and locals
to give a live concert, if possible in the 'Papiga' bar.

- Exchange Of Children Drawings
The plan is to exchange children drawings between the primary schools
in the Serbian and Croatian parts of Pakrac on the one hand and
primary schools from other countries on the other hand. It could be
the first very careful step to start some kind of communication.

c) Letters and Donations
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Thanks to the Peace Center Zagreb, who gave us a personal computer
with a brand new mouse. Thanks to Claire and Jackie for their letter
from Scotland.

d) List of Needs
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boardgames
Water color & brushes
Bigsized paper
Finger paint
Bracelets
Gips for masks
Clay to make sculptures
tools to repair bikes
cleaning material for floor like broom, soap, sponges, sweeping
material
Shoepolish
Brushes to clean shoes, clothes
Washing machine
Insulation material sport material Minibus

Money donations are still welcome!

                   "Wake me up when I'm thirsty"

                The Pakrac volunteers, 19.10.1993