People in Need

Dissidents and human rights defenders for V�clav Havel

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:12:09 GMT

Dissidents and human rights defenders for V�clav Havel

V�clav Havel, in his life, his work and his political career always stood strongly in defense of those living under oppression and injustice. His messages touched and inspired millions of people, but he has been also directly involved in helping many dissidents and activists who, just as himself during the Communist times, continued the hard struggle for freedom.

In no particular order, we have thus compiled of some of the reactions to V�clav Havel�s passing from his friends, dissidents and activists around the world.

Needless to say, he was an extremely important person for all of us at People in Need, both in the sense of spiritual leadership and his practical willingness to always engage in defense of those oppressed, despite of extremely busy agenda and progressively grave illness. It may well be that our organization would never have existed if it weren�t for V�clav Havel.

People in Need

NGO, Prague, Czech Republic

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Bishop Desmond M. Tutu

Oswaldo Paya, dissident and leader of the Cuban Christian Liberation Movement

Guillermo Fariñas Hern�ndez, independent journalists and recipient of the Sakharov Prize

Pedro Arg�elles Mor�n, former political prisoner

Yoani Sanchez, independent Cuban journalist and blogger

Ladan Boroumand, human rights activist

Bo Kyi, head of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)

Min Zin, opposition journalists

Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Belarusian opposition leader, former Presidential candidate

Signatories of Charter 08, Chinese manifesto calling for greater civic freedoms

Tienchi Martin-Liao, president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center

Liu Junning, Charter 08 signatory, political philosopher

Ran Yunfei, blogger, recently released from detention

Ye Du, Charter 08 signatory, writer, recently released from secret detention

Mozhixu, Charter 08 signatory, close supporter of Liu Xiaobo, influential blogger

Memorial, leading Russian human rights NGO

Ludmila Alexeyeva, former Soviet dissident, Chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group

Adam Michnik, former dissident, journalist, historian

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

His Holiness wrote that in his death, the world has lost a great statesman whose steadfast and unflinching determination played a key role in bringing freedom and democracy to the then Czechoslovakia. He was an unassuming and a courageous leader whom His Holiness personally had the greatest admiration and respect and will miss him.

His Holiness recalled that he had the privilege of meeting President V�clav Havel in February 1990 – months after he became President following the Velvet Revolution, which he led with an extraordinary display of people power. Over the ensuing two decades he had the opportunity to meet with him regularly, most recently in Prague on 10 December 2011. His Holiness concluded by offering his heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Dagmar Havlova and other members of their family and those who were closely associated with him.

He stated that perhaps the best tribute we could honor and remember President V�clav Havel is to work as best we can towards building a more peaceful, open and just world.

Bishop Desmond M. Tutu

The world has lost a remarkably inspiring stalwart, a champion of human rights, the freedom for which each one of us was created. He used his formidable gifts to inspire others to join in the struggle against injustice and oppression, reminding them that right and goodness would ultimately prevail as they did in the Velvet Revolution that toppled the communist juggernaut in his country. I was privileged to collaborate with him in a report on human rights violations in Burma which was presented to the UN Security Council. I send my condolences to President Vaclav Havel's family, his compatriots and to all lovers of freedom and justice.

Oswaldo Paya, dissident and leader of the Cuban Christian Liberation Movement

Cuba

My friend Havel

I know that many people can say "my friend Havel", and in these painful days, but also days of celebration of Havel's life, there will be a lot of voices saying the same words, not to show off but to thank him for his friendship. I'm grateful to Havel, and I'm grateful to God for Havel.

When I was a teenager, one night, watching TV, I saw that the army of the Warsaw Pact had seized Czechoslovakia. We already had heard about Prague’s Spring also known as the ‘Spring of Hope’. Maybe many people around the world thought that the empire's tanks and power could destroy this hope. What Havel did is that he represented his people but he never took their place. People always played the leading role in the liberation of his country.

That’s how the now famous Charta 77 came into existence. There is no need to start with a historical analysis now, but I can talk about this pilgrimage of the Czechoslovakian people –as we called them when they were just a country of two nations, both of them loved by Cubans- whose gift to the world was this wind of freedom.

His pilgrimage was also the story of our lives, the story of our people full of hope even when the totalitarian regimes seem like something eternal and overwhelming. This man, and let me proudly and with a sense of humility refer to him as ‘MY FRIEND’ knew how to lift the radical flag of peace: the flag of the Power of Powerless. I think he had to be somehow illuminated to promote these ideas. Because The Power of Powerless is the voice of all the poor people, of all those that are disadvantaged and without chances in life and it is the voice of every human being who always preserved the seeds of liberty inside his heart, believing in God or not, and who can actually live to see these seeds blossom at any moment.

Guillermo Fariñas Hern�ndez, independent journalists and recipient of the Sakharov Prize

Cuba

An icon of Democracy and liberty has died. God bless the memory of Vaclav Havel.
Murio un icono de la Democracia y la Libertad. Dios bendiga la memoria de Vaclav Havel.

Pedro Arg�elles Mor�n, former political prisoner

Cuba

Vaclav Havel is gone physically, because spiritually, he will always be present among those engaged in the civic struggle for fundamental rights and freedoms.

Havel ha desaparecido fisicamente,porque espiritualmente,siempre estara presente entre los luchadores civilista a favor de los derechos y libertades fundamentales.

Yoani Sanchez, independent Cuban journalist and blogger

Cuba

Vaclav Havel has passed away and we barely started to walk the path he walked dozens of years ago. Vaclav Havel’s book "The power of the powerless" helped me find my voice, to recognize myself as a civic being. Thank you, teacher!

Ladan Boroumand, human rights activist

Iran

... There are beautiful stories, one wishes to be unending, and there are people one wishes they would never die, for their very existence is a ray of hope in the tragedy of life.

It is a very sad news. We have translated a good part of Havel's political essays into Farsi, and I have been delaying editing it, because there is always an emergency with the Iranians. My dream was that once I would be finished with the editing I would go to him and interview him for the preface. I knew he was ill and I knew I should have done it before.

...

It is through his writings, more precisely, "the power of the powerless" that I first met Havel and befriended him dearly. The subversive power of the truth, he so eloquently brought to light, was somehow known intuitively to me but, his writing helped strengthening and clarifying my conviction. When we decided to translate his political essays, we asked him for the copyright permission, and we were ready to purchase it, but he graciously gave it to us.

Then, an extraordinary evening came at the library of U.S.Congress. He used his time, the time that was dedicated to honor him and his remarkable achievements to give visibility and support to obscure dissidents from around the world, those men and women known to no one in the world but the security forces in their respective countries and with a little bit of luck to the NED.

As I was watching him talk and then give the floor to a few dissidents of different nationalities, I thought, I have my preface, I will recount this evening when a hero so gracefully and so discretely gives his audience and invaluable lesson of humility and empathy.

I will cherish this precious moment for ever, and I will make sure that my fellow countrymen will know about it. About a writer, a philosopher, a dissident, a resistant, and a statesman whose very existence in the 20th century allowed the victory of humanity over the evil of totalitarianism.

Bo Kyi, head of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)

Burma

AAPP expresses its deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Vaclav Havel, playwright and statesman, who passed away on 18 December at the age of 75. Vaclav Havel’s unwavering commitment to human rights and democracy in Burma was and will continue to be a source of inspiration for the millions who stand against the monoliths of injustice and oppression. We, as democracy activists, have lost a strong ally in our relentless quest for the restoration of fundamental rights and freedoms in Burma. Vaclav Havel was one of the strongest longstanding supporters of the democracy movement in Burma. The passing of Vaclav Havel will leave a void in the hearts and minds of all who are committed to safeguarding human rights and the unmarked “power of the powerless.”

AAPP is proud to call Vaclav Havel a personal friend; one who dispensed valuable advice on Burma’s long road to freedom. We are honored to have met and worked with such an inspiring individual who served as a moral beacon for truth and equality worldwide. Those who stand on the side of democracy in Burma have lost a true friend.

Min Zin, opposition journalists

Burma

It was such a great honor for me to meet him for at least three times and even sat next to him in the conference. Since I was in Burma reading a poor Xerox copy of The Power of the Powerless, he has guided me all the way long until now.

I remember his happy face and smile looking at me when I talked about how he has come to be well known in Burma because of the regime's vilification of him and his support for democracy movement in Burma. People read between the lines and learned his views from a series of NLM articles that attacked him viciously. I said to him these attacks made you so popular in Burma more than Daw Suu's weekend talks about your works. He was laughing. I still have two books he autographed for me. I even asked him to autograph for one of my teachers. See - I took all possible advantages out of him. He was such a caring father figure. One of the best memories in my life was to be Prague learning from Havel and hanging out with people like you and Jiri in the city.

My heart is going out you and people of Czech Republic. I do say prayer to President Havel and share my merits to him. Please extend my deepest condolences to the members of his family, which I mean the whole Czech Republic and freedom-loving world at large.

Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Belarusian opposition leader, former Presidential candidate

Belarus

For me, Vaclav Havel is a model of a politician. He has combined in him many great features. He was a person of huge moral authority. He was also able to have an effective political activity. They say politics is a dirty business. I think Havel by all his deeds contradicted this statement. This personality could be in politics preserving dignity and decency for the sake of his nation and humanistic values.

I was invited by him several times to Prague Forum. Despite many other prominent guests he always managed to find time to speak about Belarus and discuss what can be done.

He has been one of the greatest friends of democratic Belarus. He was our speaker, our advocate and inspirer. He has done a lot for supporting freedom and returning Belarus to Europe. He was always convincing others to realize that Europe is not complete without democratic Belarus, that Belarus is a European nation. He is perceived as a great European. He is perhaps the greatest authority for Belarusian democrats. He is a symbol of successful changes for all post-communist world.

By what he’s done Vaclav Havel is immortal. I hope that we all will do our best to keep and preserve the legacy of Vaclav Havel.

Signatories of Charter 08, Chinese manifesto calling for greater civic freedoms

China

Vaclav Havel, the Conscience of Humanity

News of the passing on December 18, 2011, of Vaclav Havel, the distinguished playwright and moving force behind “Charter 77,” brought shock and pain to Chinese citizens who three years earlier had signed Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democracy and human rights. While we join people around the world in grieving since that darkest of days, our minds are filled as well with indelible memories of Mr. Havel and with the immense respect that we feel for this great defender of universal human rights. We express our sincere condolences to his family and wish, in addition, that the more than ten million citizens of the Czech Republic will know that we join them in their grieving. The loss of Mr. Havel is not only a severe loss to the Czech Republic. It is a loss that extends through the world, a loss to all defenders of freedom, democracy, and human rights.

...

For China, he leaves a long record of moral support of democracy and human rights:

He condemned the June Fourth massacre. In 1989, when the communist regime used tanks and machine guns to suppress a peaceful student democracy movement in Beijing, Havel went to the airwaves to denounce this cowardly violence in the strongest of terms. In 1999, on the tenth anniversary of the massacre, when students at Harvard University organized a memorial session, Havel—now as the president of his country—wrote an open letter expressing his support for democracy in China.

He stoutly supported Charter 08 and its call for democracy and human rights. In December, 2008, Liu Xiaobo, Zhang Zuhua and a number of other Chinese, inspired by Charter 77 and by the counsels of their own consciences, drafted and published Charter 08 calling for “freedom, democracy, human rights, and constitutional government.” Havel immediately expressed his strong support of this initiative. On December 19, 2008 he wrote in The Wall Street Journal comparing Charter 08 to Charter 77 and praising its authors not only for their stand on democracy and human rights but also for their wisdom in calling for “better environmental protection, a bridging of the rural-urban divide, better provision of social security, and a serious effort to reconcile with human-rights abuses committed in decades past.” He referred to “the broad appeal of the ideas” of the Charter, as evidenced in the wide range of Chinese people who signed it. He denounced the repression of Liu Xiaobo, Zhang Zuhua and others who had worked on the charter and wrote that “the Chinese government should learn well the lesson of the Charter 77 movement: that intimidation, propaganda campaigns, and repression are no substitute for reasoned dialogue.” Later he wrote in The New York Times that “Charter 08 has articulated an alternative vision of China, challenging the official line that any decisions on reforms are the exclusive province of the state… It has encouraged younger Chinese to become politically active, and has boldly made the case for the rule of law and constitutional multiparty democracy.” On March 11, 2009, at an international human-rights film festival in Prague, Havel represented the selection committee of the Homo Homini Human Rights Prize in bestowing the prize upon Liu Xiaobo and all who signed Charter 08.

He called for the release of Liu Xiaobo and all political prisoners. During 2008-2010, when the Beijing regime detained, arrested, sentenced, and imprisoned Liu Xiaobo for his part in Charter 08, Mr. Havel followed events continuously and closely.

...

He nominated Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize. When Chinese authorities sentenced Liu Xiaobo to eleven years in prison, Mr. Havel expressed his outrage in several ways. First he conveyed his sympathy and encouragement to Liu’s wife, Liu Xia; next he berated the Beijing regime for its moral failure in repressing human rights; and then he led an international initiative, involving Bishop Tutu from South Africa, the Dalai Lama, and other respected figures in the world, to join in nominating Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize. In January, 2010, the group wrote a joint letter to the prize committee in Oslo, and eight months later, on September 20, Havel and others published an op ed in The New York Times expressing the hope that the prize could go to the imprisoned Liu.

When the prestigious award did indeed go to Liu, it had a tremendous effect in raising the visibility and influence, both within China and internationally, of Charter 08 and the cause of Chinese democracy and human rights. The prize helped to establish Liu Xiaobo as the spiritual leader of China’s movement for democracy and human rights and caused Charter 08 to be seen as its core document and primary emblem.

For all these reasons we feel the passing of Vaclav Havel to be a huge loss to the movement for democracy and human rights in China.

...

In grief, we here offer him our final salute. Esteemed Mr. Havel:

--The universal human rights that you defended are identical to those that we defend.

--The freedom and democracy that you pursued are the very ones that we pursue.

--Your Charter 77 and our Charter 08 are iron cousins.

We pledge to you that we will persist with Charter 08 in China and with the ideals of democracy and human rights that you and we share. We call upon our fellow citizens who feel a similar sense of crisis, responsibility, and mission, whether they are inside the government or not, and regardless of their social status, to set aside small differences, to embrace the broad goals of the Charter 08 citizens' movement, and to join in bringing a great new day to Chinese society. We are confident that the dream of a free and democratic China, under a constitution and the rule of law, is achievable in the not-too-distant future.

Rest in peace, dear Mr. Havel. You are not

alone.

(Translated from Chinese by Perry Link)

Tienchi Martin-Liao, president of the Independent Chinese PEN Center

China

The Independent Chinese PEN (ICPC), my Chinese colleagues and I are deeply saddened that Mr. V�clav Havel has passed away on 18th December. Mr. Havel was a great humanist. His humanity illuminated both his literary and political achievements. As a past victim of the communist-dictatorship, he set up an example, how powerful a powerless is in fighting for the freedom and human dignity.

Havel's spirit and courage have inspired generations of Chinese intellectuals. People devour his books and speeches. The former president of ICPC, Mr. Liu Xiaobo, has been a follower of Mr. Havel ever since he was a young writer in the 80s. He has modeled Charter 77 and initiated with others the Charter 08 in searching for a democratic future of China in 2008. After Liu's arrest and sentence, Mr. Havel has shown his solidarity with Liu Xiaobo and appealed repeatedly for his release. He also nominated Liu to Noble Peace Prize. On 10th December this year, despite his bad health, Mr. Havel still launched the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague, a roundtable focused on the democracy and human rights situation in Asia as well as in commemoration of the first anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo.

The world and the Chinese intellectuals will keep V�clav Havel in their memory as paragon and friend. The world becomes more beautiful and dignified because of you.

Liu Junning, Charter 08 signatory, political philosopher

China

.. Havel is a great defender of human dignity, the author of a great Charter 77. Once, I met Havel in Prague in 2008. For this occasion of commemorating this great human being who was fighting with totalitarianism and succeeded, I am posting his famous words here: ‘Using all possible means to organize the people, so the people gained so-called liberation, from this notorious deed, we have long suffered the pain.’

Ran Yunfei, blogger, recently released from detention

China

.. .a remarkable freedom fighter of the 20th century passed away, but I believe his following words will continue to inspire us: “I can act in ways that I consider appropriate. I deeply believe that each human being should act this way, namely, to shoulder one’s own responsibilities. Some people will oppose this and say this is useless. My answer is very simple: it works.”

Ye Du, Charter 08 signatory, writer, recently released from secret detention

China

pic.twitter.com/JI11f27d

On the table of the Czech Consulate are the white lilies and white roses I respectfully delivered, on one side are books of photos about Mr. Havel’s life, one book is open, fixed on the picture with hundreds of thousands of people on the square in Prague during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. Dictatorship will inevitably collapse, freedom will inevitably arrive.

Mozhixu , Charter 08 signatory, close supporter of Liu Xiaobo, influential blogger

China

Havel lives through the ages! He is the most active supporter and publicist of Charter 08, also one of the most powerful persons who nominated Liu Xiaobo for the Novel Peace Prize. I am forever grateful to him.

Memorial, leading Russian human rights NGO

Russia

We have lost V�clav Havel. We have lost a playwright, essayist, political writer, whose name has become – for the Czech Republic, Russia and all of Eastern Europe – a symbol of intellectual resistance to dictatorship, a symbol of the ultimate victory of free reason and free expression over state lies and violence.

We have lost a man whose entire oeuvre and public activities embodied the spirit of the Czech nation and Czech culture – the spirit of commonsense wisdom and wise irony. Nothing was more alien to Havel than false theatricality, particularly that of a ' father of the nation', of a tribune and a prophet; than the self-satisfied theatricality of dogmatic self-righteousness, whatever its source.

We have lost a statesman, whose policies were based on values and developed through the theory and practice of Resistance, values that his late teacher and friend, the philosopher Jan Pato�ka, has called “apolitical politics”.

It was President V�clav Havel's apolitical politics – these days we would call it 'civic politics' – that enabled the Czech people to turn the socialist Absurdistan of Havel's plays into a country of freedom and stable democracy in a time span shorter than anyone could have imagined.

V�clav Havel was the rare, one might say historical, fortune visited upon the Czech nation.

For the past twenty years the following sentence has been popular in Russia: “What this country is missing is a Havel!” We have been repeating this sentence in recent days as mass demonstrations in defence of democracy and freedom were being held in Moscow and other Russian cities.

Now all of mankind will miss Havel.

Ludmila Alexeyeva, former Soviet dissident, Chair of the Moscow Helsinki Group

Russia

V�clav Havel is a totally exceptional person. Such are not born in every country and every generation. His influence on his compatriots and on all of us wherever we live, is above all moral. It is someone who is absolutely decent and even noble. He is among the rare people who don�t change according to circumstances. Even as a political prisoner, he kept his sense of dignity, inner peace and his principles. At the same time, he thought of others, too. And even when he became the head of state and a politician of world importance. He stayed the same. And staying yourself, keeping your nobleness, your principles in any circumstances and position – that is a remarkable trait. We have had such a person in Andrey Sakharov.

Adam Michnik, former dissident, journalist, historian

Poland

I was in Prague for his birthday and I already saw a person very frail and gravely ill. He moved around with difficulties, but his mind worked brilliantly. I gave him an essay of mine, beautifully decorated by our editors and printers. (...) Now I know that the text, a preface to a compilation of his works „The Power of the Powerless and other essays“, was in fact an obituary.

Thank You Mr. President

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:12:18 GMT

The twenty years in which we had the opportunity, in many different ways, to work with, meet, or complement V�clav Havel,sometimes through close coordination, sometimes through a synergy based on shared world views, has come to an end. Two, surprisingly long and yet all too quick, decades during which Havel often served as an example, an inspiration, and an unwavering support and aid.

Personally, I thought that every meeting you had with him was pleasing, encouraging, and had a way of strengthening you. While V�clav Havel has never been officially linked to People in Need, he was in fact, one of its founding fathers. And, we are forever indebted to him for his advice and assistance.

So what we can and will do is continue in the work in which he strongly supported us and in which he would gladly take part if he were still here.

�imon P�nek

Dear Friends of People in Need,

We all feel similar sadness now. Everything I have taken part in during the last 20 years and was of some significance and purpose: SOS Sarajevo, Month for Bosnia, the visits of dissidents from different countries to the Czech Republic, One World, Homo Homini, the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for Nobel Peace Prize; all this succeeded in large part thanks to V�clav Havel.

It has been a great privilege for us to be able to work so much with V�clav Havel, and he sincerely trusted us, cheered us on, and supported our efforts.

Igor Bla�evi�

Now, you can buy a goat or a donkey as a Christmas gift and send it to Africa

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:12:02 GMT

Still don’t know what to buy for Christmas for your friends and family? Your loved ones live overseas and you’re wondering how to avoid the terrifying delivery costs? People in Need, a Czech NGO, offers you a unique opportunity this year to surprise your friends and at the same time help those who need help the most.

“The www.real-gift.org is the new English version of www.skutecnydarek.cz that was launched three years ago. Thanks to people who will purchase gift certificates in our charity e-shop we will be able to help children in an orphanage in Congo, farmers in Ethiopia, or women in Cambodia. We try to distribute assistance carefully and so we can provide our donors with a detailed and transparent report on how we used the money raised in the Real Gift campaign”, says �imon P�nek, director of the organization.

A quarter of a million trees, 522 goats, 2,763 chickens, 86 sheep, 59 cows, 40 donkeys with carts and many other gifts have been distributed in the past year by People in Need in the poorest countries of the world.

www.real-gift.org

Within the three years of its existence, the Real Gift e-shop has become one of the most successful projects of this type in the Czech Republic. So far this year, donors have bought items worth more than 3 million CZK, last year it was more than 9 million CZK. "We are expecting a big turnover in the next 14 days. From last years’ experience we know that most of the gifts are sold in the pre-Christmas period", says the campaign coordinator Tom� Vyhn�lek. According to him, the best-sellers are goats and chickens; the other popular gift certificates include school supplies for children in Africa.

View photos below. We can send them in print quality upon request.

"When we came up with the idea for the campaign three years ago, we wanted to show people a new way to donate. We felt that some people want to know in detail exactly how their gift will be used and what is the situation of people whom they help. Therefore, for each product we offer, we specify how it helps and what the living conditions of the people in need are. Donors can easily find detailed information on the situation in specific countries, and stories of people whom we have helped thanks to the Real Gift", says Vyhn�lek.

Thanks to the e-shop, people can choose a new way of helping in several countries and give it as an original Christmas gift to their friends or send an electronic certificate to business partners abroad.

How does Real Gift help

"Animals and materials are always bought in the countries where they are being distributed, to avoid unnecessary transportation costs", describes campaign coordinator Tom� Vyhn�lek. "The idea was based on the needs of developmental aid missions of People in Need. In short, the goats we are selling in the campaign correspond to the real needs of people and really help them, "says Vyhn�lek.

The gifts are a part of a complex programme to help local people make a better life for themselves and to stand on their own feet. In Haiti that suffered an earthquake disaster and where People in Need build schools, Real Gift is building quality wooden school benches. In the north of Sri Lanka, where People in Need help refugees to secure livelihoods and to start a family business, 37 cows in the late stage of pregnancy or with calves and 19 goats were given away. Milk animals enrich the people’s diet and sales of other animals will support the families’ budgets. Thanks to the donations, another 59 families were able to establish small businesses in the form of small shop, carpentry workshops or small electrical trades.

How does Real Gift work in practice

The principle is simple. By purchasing a gift certificate for a goat, donors contribute to the "Livelihoods programme" and a real goat will be purchased for this money. If at some point in time, more goat certificates are being sold than is actually needed, PIN will instead buy sheep, for example , but will always use this gift within the “Livelihood programme”. The same rule applied to the programmes "School", "Health" and "Water".

www.real-gift.org

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:12:51 GMT

�lovek v t�sni si v�s dovoluje pozvat na zah�jen� v�stavy barmsk�ch um�lc�, kter� se uskute�n� p�i p��le�itosti oslav Dne lidsk�ch pr�v ji� tuto sobotu 10. prosince 2011 od 14:00 – 20:00 hodin v N�rodn� technick� knihovn� v Praze (Technick� 6, Praha 6 - Dejvice).

Tato akce je organizovan� ve spolupr�ci s British Council, Britsk�m velvyslanectv�m a Barmsk�m centrem, za podpory Informa�n�ho centra OSN v Praze.

Program:
14.00 prom�t�n� kr�tk�ch film� o �ivot� v Barm� (angl./cz)
15.30 setk�n� s barmsk�mi rodinami �ij�c�mi v �R
16.00 pohybov� p�edstaven� barmsk�ho um�lce Htein Lin
16.30 slavnostn� zah�jen� v�stavy
17.30 prom�t�n� filmu Proti proudu – barm�t� politi�t� v�zni (angl./cz) a n�sledn� diskuse se z�stupcem 'Association of Political Prisoners Burma' Bo Kyi

Svoji ��ast na zah�jen� v�stavy pros�m potvr�te do 7. prosince 2011 na adresu: rsvp@britishcouncil.cz

Vstup je voln�.

Two new mobile clinics serve Mongolian countryside

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:12:23 GMT

In October, the first two mobile clinics were ceremonially handed over to representatives of provincial hospitals in the west Mongolian aimags of Ovorkhangai and Arkhangai. The ceremony was attended among others by a representative of the Czech Embassy in Mongolia, Pavla ��kov�, provincial governors, mayors, directors of hospitals, and journalists. Twenty-nine doctors and nurses were trained in operating modern diagnostic equipment, so they could fully utilize the potential of these mobile clinics. Theoretical workshop and on-job training in operating the equipment was conducted by medical expert, Jitka Dresslerov�, who has a history of long-term cooperation with People in Need. Jitka Dresslerov� evaluated the training very positively: "I was pleasantly surprised by the level of the Mongolian medical staff, they learned everything very quickly."
((1)) A first pilot trip to Mongolia's rural areas has shown great interest in the mobile clinic services. Everywhere where the clinic with a medical team arrived, crowds of villagers eagerly awaited and the medical team has treated more than 700 patients. Local people most frequently suffer from heart disease, liver disease, and tuberculosis. "The medical team is great, it helps people in difficult local conditions and also gives them the belief that there is someone to take care of them," says Jitka Dresslerov�.
((2)) How to provide expert medical care to people living a nomadic lifestyle in the countryside is one of the fundamental problems of the Mongolian public healthcare system. More than half of the total 3 million Mongolians live scattered across the Mongolian steppes, mountains and the Gobi Desert with an area of 1.5 million km2. Such a low population density makes it virtually impossible and very expensive to achieve an adequate quality of healthcare in the Mongolian countryside. Basic healthcare is accessible but the possibility of examination by a specialist, modern diagnostic equipment or provision of first aid in emergency cases is completely lacking. If a Mongolian peasant becomes ill, he cannot afford to leave his animals without care, and he often would have to travel hundreds of kilometers to a provincial hospital, where he could receive adequate professional care. The journey itself is for many people unaffordable.

((3)) Within the project, financially supported by the Czech Development Agency, we cooperate with provincial hospitals to improve the administration of expert healthcare directly in the countryside. Within six provincial hospitals, mobile clinics are set up in the form of 4-wheel drive vans equipped with the necessary devices and material. These mobile clinics will regularly pay visits to all the soums and provide support to rural health centers, which often lack necessary staff and/or equipment. They will support these health centers primarily with the diagnosis and disease control and prevention, as well as emergency first aid. In addition, in cases of unexpected complications during deliveries, they will be able to transfer mothers to a hospital or to ensure a safe delivery on site. "The reactions of the hospital staff made it apparent just how much they appreciate the help from the Czech Republic. I realized that donated equipment and materials will definitely not remain unpacked in a warehouse, " says Dresslerov�.

For more information please contact: Petr Drbohlav, Regional Coordinator for Asia and Country Representative to Mongolia - petr.drbohlav@peopleinneed.cz

BUILD WITH US ANOTHER SCHOOL IN AFRICA!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:11:32 GMT

In the mountainous areas of Debre Sina in Ethiopia we are starting to build a thirteenth school from the money collected in the project Build a School in Africa. Join us! For the city and its surroundings there is currently only one elementary school available. Despite the fact that learning takes place in two shifts, usually 70 children attend one class. Help us to change it!

In Ethiopia, this situation is not any exception. And only half the children complete their basic education here. Children in one of the world's poorest countries are therefore trying their quest for easier education. Building schools and educating local teachers aims at helping people to get out of the vicious circle of poverty.

Zdroj Ethiopia - schools built within the project Build a school in Africa 2011

How to help build a school in the Ethiopian Debre Sina and give more children a chance for a better education and thus the future? You can either contribute to the collection account 222 444 555 / 0300 or send an SMS AFRICA at number 87 777 (SMS price is 30 CZK).

See how the action Build a school in Africa Postavme �kolu v Africe changed the life of a thirteen-year-old Kasech.

A year ago Kasech would spend three hours a day on the way to school. And the way was not an easy one. At home, she also had the responsibilities that are part of the childhood of every Ethiopian child. "I had to carry water and firewood, bring grass for pets, help with meal preparation. I ended in the night. I was doing my homework by candlelight, but often I didn’t have any more strength to do it. That annoyed me. I enjoy learning a lot, once I'd like to become a teacher myself. I know that education is very important”, says fourth-year student. This year Kasech life has changed. Thanks to donors from the Czech Republic who contributed to the collection of Build a School in Africa, a short walk way from her village in Dara Malo a new school was opened. "It makes me happy. Everything is now much easier for me and my friends", she does not hide the enthusiasm.

Let's build another school in Africa!

Already for the eighth year of the action Build a school in Africa, we started collecting the money again on the 9th October 2011 together with the Czech scouts. Weekly collection throughout the Czech Republic was accompanied by various social and cultural events. "We at the school in Debre Sina have received 600 thousand crowns, which covers the cost of one-third of the building, says Alena Prussians, coordinator of the project Build a school in Africa. "We will be glad when you contribute to the collection and help us build a new school as soon as possible. In three weeks we want to start digging the foundations", says Pr��ov�.

Thanks to donors from the Czech Republic in Ethiopia, since 2005 we have already built 12 new schools for more than 3000 children. New buildings have large windows, are furnished and equipped and some of them are provided with roof water collectors. Besides the actual construction of schools in Ethiopia, we are also educating the teachers.

How much does a new school cost?

A brick (concrete blocks) = 100 CZK
Bag of cement = 300 CZK
School desk with two chairs = 2000 CZK
Board = 800 CZK

With the amount of the gift you can also reduce the tax base, which also applies to employees. Just fill out this simple form.

For more information about schools already built, including photographs, visit www.skolavafrice.cz

More than 15OO children attend „Czech schools“ in Haiti

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:11:06 GMT

At the beginning of the Haitian school year more than 1500 children had the chance to attend one of ten new schools which were built from money of Czech donors. By the end of the year People in Need is finishing the next six schools. Two and a half years ago the earthquake caused more than 200 thousands lives. According to UN more than half a million people still live in provisional camps.

The epicenter hit the island on the 12th of January 2010 by 7.0 on the Richter scale. In the area Petit Goave 34% of all school building were destroyed, 47% building were strongly damaged and only 19% building stayed undamaged. The ten new schools which have been built by PIN started to open their doors from October 3rd when the new school year begun. „The school building has a capacity for 100 children and in case of two-shift working it can even allow 200 children to attend school” said PIN coordinator for Haitian mission Lucie Spru�inov�. Until the end of year PIN wants to finish six other buildings. ((1)) People who participate constructing timber buildings were trained in a three-months retraining course of bricklayer and joiner supported by People in Need. „Together with local partners People in Need has a workroom, where the wood is processed and single components are created, which are carried to the place of construction. FInally a school can be completed within a few months” said Lucie Spru�inov�.

People in Need is building the next schools in remote mountain areas. „We suffer the lack of water, that we need to construct foundations. To this reason a local people had to arrange water in any way, even for their own needs – in some cases it means to carry water on heads” said Spru�inov�. The involvement of communities is a basic principle of People in Need. Therefore, the community will take care for the buildings.

People in Need has a certain experience from other countries how to establish education and to construct school buildings together with the locals. In the first phase provisional school sheds are built. As soon as all materials are available, wooden school buildings are constructed. With money from Czech donors People in Need could help 10,000 pupils returning to school. ((2)) In October, about 50% of all children will go to school in Haiti. The ability to attend schools will be enhanced compared to the situation before the earthquake. „The Haitian education system is relatively specific. Only small percentage of schools is national” said Jana Vychn�lkov�, Haitian coordinator of People in Need. For example, in the region Petit Goave only 10% national schools are existing, the rest are private, community or Christian schools. „It is the same with high schools. In Haiti, only six years of elementary schools are obligatory and less children even had the chance to attend any school, in some rural areas the possibility to go to school have been even worse” said Vyhn�lkov�.

Misleading E-Mail!

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:10:42 GMT

On the morning of October 24, a hoax spread hundreds E-mail accounts. In the E-mail, the cheaters ask for contact deteails and money on behalf of „People In Need“.
Please, do not trust this E-Mail!

The E-mails are sent from mstcf@pin-clovekvtisni.cz with the subject „Subject: Part Time Job!“. However, it is possible, that there are more different versions of this hoax.

“We hope nobody will suffer financial losses and the Emails are hoaxes no one is putting trust on,“ said Tom� Urban, Head of the Media Department at „People In Need“.

Cambodia suffers the worst floods since 10 years

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:11:23 GMT

Kampong Chhnang / Prague, 20 October 2011 – Cambodia is recently experiencing the worst seasonal floods since the last ten years. It is assumed that the floods caused 247 causalities and with increasing water level, the number of causalities might rise as well. To date, the floods affected more than 1.5 million people in two thirds of the provinces and more than 90 000 families had to be evacuated. People in Need (PIN) was providing aid for the families concerned quickly, through funds for clean water and medicines.

Photos of flooded Cambodia

While PIN runs a permanent mission in Cambodia, it is able to react immediately in situation that require quick help. "As soon as it became clear that this year's floods are going to result in the worse consequences than the normal seasonal flooding, we sent two survey teams to our missioners. Thanks to the financial resources of PIN’s Club of Friends, we were able to start helping the affected families in a few days", explains Petr Schmied, Head of Mission in Cambodia.

"The government and nonprofit organizations are mainly distributing food, but the health of local people has yet received little attention. Water flooded houses as well as sources of drinking water and to this reason most people drink dirty water from the river, which is contaminated with tons of sewage and waste. Therefore, we distribute water purification tablets, soap, resources for treatment of diarrhea and inform people how to reduce the risk of infection and disease", says Schmied. In areas with an increased incidence of malaria, PIN provided people with impregnated mosquito nets, and the poorest families received rice to overcome periods they are not able to earn money.

The monsoon rains flooded 17 out of 24 Cambodian provinces. The floods are responsible for an estimated number of 247 causalities and destroyed 200,000 hectares of rice fields (about 10% of the national crop), damaged 2400 km roads and 1,000 schools. According to the Cambodian government the costs exceed the amount of the reconstruction funds after the devastating floods in 2000 with an total of $ 161 million. ((1))

Due to a combination of heavy rainfalls and typhoons caused floods in Asian countries like Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines. "Until today provinces like Kampong Chhnang suffer the worst consequences of the floods and about 1,300 families are directly affected", said Veronika ��astn� to who is coordinating help. While the government and NGOs gradually provide basic needs, the most disabled people are worried about their future. "In some areas the people lost all rice crops they are dependent on throughout the year. In addition, they do not have seeds to sow the next season. Especially for the poorest people it will be very difficult to cope such a loss and next year they will be in a even more burdensome situation", said Schmied.

Prior aim of PIN is to cover the next months by maintaining health care and restore livelihoods that the people will be able to stand on their own feet again. To this reason “we need to provide seeds to plant rice, help to reconstruct small farms, clean wells, and establish health care centeres”, Schmied explains.

In collaboration with health care centers and the Italian organizations CESVI, which is a partner of international operating NGOs of Aliance2015, PIN is working locally to provide quick help. Thanks to the fund of the “Club of Friends of People” 150,000 CZK could have been used for immediate help in Cambodia.

After two months humanitarian aid in Somali Region: child mortality has been stopped, and help was provided to 13,000 locals

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:10:08 GMT

Somali region/Prague, October 17, 2011 – People In Need (PIN) has distributed help to 13,000 refugees in Godere, who flew from famine in Somalia. Last week, about 290 tons of food were delivered to Godere. Within two months, PIN managed to decrease the child-mortality rate and improve health conditions.

About 290 tons of food were delivered by ten trucks to Godere, where each family got 90 kg of corn flour, 5 litres of oil and 50 kg of special nutrition FAMIX. The recent and continuing unfavourable situation still causes the arriving of refugees in the area. Actually, about 90 people come to Godere every day. To this reason, the number of refugees in the area has already doubled and 2,000 families were delivered with food by PIN. By using the term family, it describes a mother with her up to six children. “The distribution was unproblematic, locals contribute us and newly arriving refugees coming without any personal belongings and suffering from hunger. They are also happy to share the food with each other,” said Marie Sk�lov�, who was organizing the activities in Godere in the beginning of October.

PIN works in Godere since August, when PIN found thousands of refugees in the dessert. PN was the first NGO that helped them. “The people in Godere have been and still are completely dependent on external assistance. Therefore, we need to provide complex humanitarian help for them,” says Marek �tys, head of Ethiopian PIN mission.

Humanitarian aid even results in complex conditions: with the distribution of food and special nutrition, high child mortality was decreasing. According to a survey of Merlin organization, which opened a small clinic/ambulance in Godere, the health conditions of the refugees are stabilized at the moment.

“All allocations included packages that may look banal but remain an important tool to get food, water and to cook in them. So every family is able to fetch water and simultaneously cook food with one instrument. A plastic tarpaulin is thus provided to give the people the opportunity to protect themselves from rain, and blankets should keep children and old people warm. Based on our deliveries we can cover the basic human needs and increase the dignity of their lives,” said Mary Skalov�.

In Godere, PIN is daily transferring 28 thousand litre drinking water and is thus supporting the reconstruction of wells. By repairing or rebuilding latrines, local people can even earn a small amount of money. Our trained volunteers moreover educate the people in hygiene treatment and two mobile health ambulances currently take care of inhabitants of 14 villages near Godere. For children who constitute the majority of the refugees, PIN started to reconstruct a school.

PIN is planning to work in Godere until the end of the year. The refugees do not want to leave the area yet and return home in case family members from Somalia come to Godere. “Actually the strategy for the first months of next year is now developed. We would like to lower the volume of distributions and support people return home. We will definitely help them to go back to traditional agriculture and pastorialsm instead of becoming „permanent refugees“, as it happened to tens of thousands people in Ethiopia,“ said Marek �tys.

To date, PIN collected 15 million CZK and released 2 millions from the fund “Club of Friends” to help people fleeing from the famine in Somalia.

Collection Account - 7069 7069/0300
For international transfers: IBAN: CZ87 0300 0000 0000 7069 7069; BIC (SWIFT): CEKOCZPP
Text message with „DMS SOSSOMALSKO“ to number 87777 (max 30CZK/ 1,25€; recipient will receive 27 CZK; only from Czech mobiles)

Drought in the Horn of Africa
Extreme drought hit the region in the Horn of Africa this summer. The drought affected 13 million people, especially children. In the worst affected country Somalia (where famine has been declared in six areas), people were fleeing to neighbouring countries. In Ethiopia only 170,991 people escaped. Although the Horn of Africa now expects rainy season, the situation remains serious for the following months. According to the UN, humanitarian aid reached 1.85 million Somalis, however, the lives of at least 750 000 people are still in danger.