Subject: Visit of Tatjana Kecman and Jelena [anti}, members of
"MOST" group, to UNPA zone, sector West under the Serb control, from
January 11- 20 1994.
During this visit, we went to Pakrac, Gavrinica and some villages
in the area, Oku~ane and village Raji}e near by. If we had better means of
transportation, we would probably visit the entire territory. On the other
hand, those circumstances contributed that our contacts and observations,
in the part where we were, be more complete.
We brought about 400 books for the library of schools in Pakrac
that we gathered together with radio B-92, and that action is still going
on so we hope that we can help other schools in sector West with books. We
brought also some school material and equipment for children, and 15
register books.
We made contacts with persons of authority in all levels; from the
president of executive board of the community of Pakrac and his associates,
to the headmaster of the school. Thorough talks were held also with
teachers, women who live there, refugees from west Slavonija, young people,
children, priest and soldiers. We had an informal talk with lieutenant
colonel Romani}.
We met mister Michael Platzer twice and we informed him about what
we have done. To our great pleasure, on several occasions we met Mrs.
Annette O'Gorman and international volunteers: Martin, Beate and Rainhold,
and also Wam Kat and Lynette Larsen. We twice met Mr. Veljko D`akula, Du{an
E}imovi} and Mladen Kuli}, who helped us with accommodation, communication
and to contact persons important for our work and project.
Identified needs we suggest to be divided on two levels: personal
(psychological) and social (community).
PERSONAL NEEDS
On this level, children age 7-14 are in great need of
activities which would decrease the consequences of war, and increase their
creative potentials. That is why psychologist Tatjana Kecman held creative
workshop, first with the teachers from Pakrac, and then with school
children of all ages in Pakrac and villages Brusnik, [eovica, ^agli}i and
Raji}i.
This program inspires children and teachers to build creative
process. It brakes psychological stagnation, it offers stress and trauma
relief, and activates positive personal capacities. For these purposes was
used the handbook in Serbian and English, issued by UNICEF, UNHCR and the
Center for Antiwar Action, Belgrade. Tatjana Kecman is one of the authors
of the handbook. Since the teachers showed great interest for this kind of
work, Center for Antiwar Action will donate a sufficient number of
handbooks. We plan during our next visit to hold a seminar on how to use
the handbook and how can teachers create workshops on their own.
Jelena [anti}, choreographer and ballet teacher held with same
groups workshop for expressing through music and movements. The need for
modern expressing was especially obvious among older girls, while the
younger ones enjoyed in creating movements through improvisation. This work
with music and movement contributes in widening the imagination of the
children, tension relief they are living in, and forming complete
personalities.
Workshops provoked big interest both among children and teachers.
Jelena [anti} donated four cassettes with classical and modern music for
work. In the meantime, teachers will be able to hold workshops for music
and dance themselves.
In the area we had visited, there were 15 children age 7-14 who
witnessed the murder of one of their parents. One girl tried to commit
suicide after that. Tatjana Kecman will work with those children according
to special program at least once a month, and in periods when she's not
there, she will find or increase the existing supportive system for each
and every child. Where it is necessary, the whole family will be included
in the work.
Young people, (high school), are mostly in Oku~ani. It proved
necessary to ask the authorities to secure the places where young people
meet (Law and police should enforce carrying of firearms in those places).
Large number of wounding and killing took place in those clubs. It would
be very important if we can find two volunteers in Oku~ani to work on
creative workshops with young people.
In conversation with groups of women in Pakrac and Brusnik (with
women refugees) we found out that in first faze they need help for
articulation of needs. Their needs are connected with founding activities
which will enable them to make things for sail. We will try to find buyers
in Belgrade. Most of them now how to see, crochet and sew.. This kind of
work will gathered them on one place, for instance school, so together they
could articulate their other needs.
Mrs, Annette O ' Gorman, with assistant is working on
rehabilitation of psychologic capacities of women which lost their close
relatives in war. We are for now orientated on needs on social level, and
they are proving better psychologic organization on personal level.
In conversation with grown up men we found out vary similar needs
like among women. That's a need for creation activities like agriculture
and other similar work. Men are vary good in making ancient things for
house and we could help them with modern design. Advantage of these
activities is in availableness of these materials in their places.
PUBLIC NEEDS
For spring seeding they need seed for: potato, garlic, parsley,
carrot, cabbage, pepper, tomato, salad.
- artificial fertilizer NPK (15,15,15), 7 - 8 tons. Also they fuel for
machines.
- space for young children who are not going to school where could be
organized program and different activities
- space and office for needs of volunteers, seminars, gathering of women
and other different activities and entertainment of young people. For
entries we need: telephone, fax, computer, TV and tape recorder.
- Bakery for bread and baked goods. Equipment: mixer, boll, oven, table for
dough.
- Mill - equipment
- Sawmill - equipment
- Apparatus for making milk products
Needs for school:
Teacher of English.
For teachers - books with plain and program for primary school in
Yugoslavia.
Books for school : 20 for I class, 40 for II class, complete set for VII
and VIII class, working lists for I, II, III, IV class;
For mathematics: geometric models, rulers
Materials for physics: batteries, voltmeter, amperemeter, generator,
transformer, machines for conduction of electricity
Material for chemistry: test tubes, something for blazing, chemical things
for experiments.
For biology: microscope
For foreign languages: records and cassettes for English language,
dictionaries for English
Technical education: things for making things of wood, metal, plastic..
Musical education: synthesizer, accordion, melodic elements, (5 peaces),
cassettes and records with classical music (operas: Mozart, Verdi, Vagner,
Veber...), Betowen IX Sipmhony, concerts of Mendelson, Paganini, Chopen...
cassettes with modern music for dance section
For painting education: white paper (different sizes); colored paper;
pencils for painting, aquarel colors, black drawing ink and equipment for
drawing, newspapers for mosaiques
Physical education: 10 balls
Social plays: check, puzzles, and other plays
For creative workshops: color paper 15 peaces, big papers for panels 15
peaces, color pencils and colors 20 peaces, seizers for children 15 peaces,
glue ribbon 15 peaces, glue 15 peaces, pins 1o boxes.
Things for cleaning of rooms
All Pakrac area has 480 pupils from 7 to 14 years in 21 classes. In
schools there are 25 teachers which didn't get payment last three months.
We suggest to find financial sources to stimulate teachers to stay.
School in [eovica is damaged and they need quick repairment of
rooms with theater scene which will be vary useful for further work with
children and young people.
School in Brusnik needs cassette player for batteries and
electricity.
School in ^agli}i is robbed during the war and they need sanitary
facilities.
School in Raji}i needs:
Financial stimulation for teachers who are leaving: teachers of history,
physics and mathematics
Cassette player and cassettes with classical music
For English courses - dictionary
TV
For school pickup truck, for transportation of children from Paklenica to
Raj~i}a they need accumulator and front glass (TAM, Maribor, Slovenia)
Lock for 8 doors
Things for cleaning school, for three months: things for cleaning
toilets(one big box), toilette paper, paste for floors (24 box), cleaning
brashes
Health service needs:
- doctor
- pharmacist
- dentist
- dentist chair and instruments for work
- dentist material
For women refuges from Brusnik:
- thread for knitting and emboridery (about 5 kg)
For women in Pakrac
- material for sawing of underwear (about 100m)
- thread for knitting and emboridery (about 5 kg)
Needs for church will be given to Patriarchy in Belgrade.
Humanitarian aid for individuals will be provided in Belgrade:
- placing a mentally disturbed person from Brusnik to a stationary in
Serbia
- placing of a three retarded children in a suitable institution
- finding clothes for 6 orphan (whose father was killed recently)
- for two old inhabitants (family @esti}), providing basic needs for home
and personal use
- 15 children from Pakrac are without any shoes
- providing basic needs for three babies which were born in Brusnik
- three women have to get new glasses (from Annette O' Gorman's group)
In agreement with Wam Kat and Linette Larsen, three or four
volunteers from Belgrade and Pan~evo should be joined in international camp
at the end of February .
Priorities for basic needs in west-UNPA area :
- recourses for spring seeding should be provided in February
- doctor (Anette O' Gorman is thinking of the possibility that he would be
financed from her own program, 100 DM)
- English teacher (Mrs. O ' Gorman is also thinking of financing from her
own program, 100 DM)
- pharmacist (70 DM)
- dentist (70 DM)
- kindergarten
- providing supplies for teachers in primary schools (30 DM)
CONCLUSION
Local authorities as well as the most of the people is opened for
cooperation and ready to except international and volunteers from Belgrade
and Pan~evo. We think that it's extremely important for priority programs
to start vary soon because people are preparing to leave this area. In that
case, we suppose, the militant ....
PLAN FOR FURTHER WORK ON PROJECT "PAKRAC":
We plan to spend every month 3 - 6 dayes in Section - West for
control and development of program which we initiated during our first
visit. For March we are planing several shows with famous theatre and TV
actor for children Branko Mili}evi} - Kockica.
Some of other belgrade theatre actors are also prepared to come to
play small theatre plays for children and adults.
For summer, we are planing cinema in open, so we could cover whole area
with movie shows.
When we found place we will organize exhibitions.
Volunteers from Belgrade and Pan~evo are going to work constantly
with children from primary and secondary school in Section - West as well
as with international volunteers. they are going to work together on common
tasks with agreement with coordinator.
Estimation of possible cooperation with croatian side:
- Exchange of material for work with children
- Exchange of pictures and letters among children
- Exchange of year school plays /in June/
- Visits of international volunteers on both sides
- Regular mail between two sides of Pakrac
- Regular visits of relatives and friends.
With change of circumstances it will open new possibilities for new
programs.
January 27th 1994.
Belgrade
Tatjana Kecman
Jelena [anti}
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