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Joost van Beek: Update on Balkan Sunflowers in Albania |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <nettime-l-temp@material.net> is the temporary home of the nettime-l list while desk.nl rebuilds its list-serving machine. please continue to send messages to <nettime-l@desk.nl> and your commands to <majordomo@desk.nl>. nettime-l-temp should be active for approximately 2 weeks (11-28 Jun 99). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From: "Joost van Beek" <joost@capitolonline.nl> To: balkansunflower-list@ddh.nl Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 02:35:36 +0100 Subject: [Balkansunflower-list] Update on Balkan Sunflowers in Albania Balkan Sunflowers International Volunteer Project to help the Kosovo refugees - Update: Way Stations (June 17) Balkan Sunflowers c/o postfach 1219, D-14806 Belzig + 49 33841 30670 (30671 fax) balkansunflowers@mir.org applications: steffie@mir.org info: lists@mir.org Account: SUNFLOWER Accountnr 160 160 1 Bank Oekobank Frankfurt (Germany) BLZ 500 901 00 As the latest issues of Wam Kats Tirana Diaries have clearly illustrated, the major political developments of the past week have changed the entire context in which the Balkan Sunflowers initiative operates. The Yugoslav troops are steadily withdrawing from Kosovo@ and as KFOR troops move in, in vain the Kosovar refugees in Albania and Macedonia are implored to exercise patience and wait in the refugee camps until Kosov@ is safe. Many of them want to go home and are moving within Albania and Macedonia towards the border, or even across the border into Kosov@ proper, much quicker than was expected. This does not necessarily mean that they will all have left Macedonia and Albania by the end of summer. As Kosov@ remains an unsafe place where of many families' houses only rubble remains, many might still have to spend the winter in Albanian refugee camps. The Balkan Sunflowers volunteers will be there to help out in any way they can, and if and when it is possible, they might also be able to support returning refugees in Kosov@ itself. For now however, the biggest challenge refugee relief workers are faced with is the trek back: the huge number of Kosovar refugees already setting out, or planning to do so, for the Kosovar borders. UNHCR and CARE International have initiated a relief effort in which many NGO's are now taking part, that will offer practical support to the refugees trekking back, setting up a number of 'Way Stations' along the routes they are taking. In these Way Stations "there [will be] petrol, water, technical help for the broken cars and tractors. Medical supplies, refreshments and food for the people. At each "way station" also a parking lot with shade will be provided so that refugees can sleep in their cars there as well if they want. Thanks to NATO these places will be safeguarded", as Wam Kat reported in his 15/6 Diary entry. The Way Stations will remain in place until September and the Balkan Sunflowers volunteers will be there as well. In cooperation with the Albanian and Kosov@ Youth Councils they will provide "Youth and Children Places" there. These will be special playing and creativity places for children, youth and adults. They will double as small information centers, answering questions about which NGO's provide what kind of assistance in Kosov@, as well as informing about how to protect oneself against the danger of landmines and unexploded ammunition. Seven to ten volunteers from the Sunflowers and the Youth Councils will be in each of the way stations to look after the children and teenagers, organising activities and providing distractions... We'd like to start at the 22th June with the first Way Station and expand our presence with one new Way Station each third day (maybe even faster), starting with the way stations nearest to Kukes. This means there will be a lot of work to do for Balkan Sunflowers volunteers in Albania, and new volunteers will be needed to join those already there! If you're going soon, chances are that this will be the kind of work you'll be doing. FROM THE DIARY In his 15/6 Tirana Diary entry Wam Kat sketched the kind of activities the Sunflowers volunteers will be setting up in the Way Stations. He wrote about how "to be able to run these children and youth places we need a lot of volunteers, every station needs at least five international people, plus three Kosovars and two Albanians (the last two groups are now settled in, on thursday we will have a meeting with the first twentyfive who'd like to help). It must be people who can get on their feets as soon as a small convoy of tractors arrives and have ideas about what you can do, sing songs, do some games, play football or volleyball, etc. It will be very different from working in camps, since people will only stay there for one night or maybe even only half an hour. And new groups will be arriving all day long. But it is neccessary that we can give those children something to do, to get them active after sitting for hours and hours. And to get them away from the cars and their parents, when the cars are getting fixed for the next part of the exodus. Furthermore it is needed that ideas are created what those kids can do on their journey. Maybe we can provide childrens books or lists of questions they have to answer before they come to the next station. An advantage of doing activities in these "way stations" is that almost all Kosovars will pass through them in the next two and a half months. They will travel over the golden, the copper and the silver road, these next few days NATO and the Albanian government will mark the roads, NATO won't be able to repair all those roads in time, but still people will travel. Our volunteers in the camps are also explaining that the movement from the camps is starting, not big yet, but lots of people are already talking about it. One major problem is at this moment what the Russians will do. The Kosovars don't want to return to Kosov@ when Russian troops have to safeguard them, "Russians are just Serbs in camouflage" is what people say." FORMAL PROJECT INFORMATION The Way Stations are being set up by a number of cooperating NGO's. What are the specifics about this project? Here's the details and definitions about who does what and where exactly. In co-operation with UNHCR, CARE International has undertaken the set-up of seven Way Stations in Albania to assist returning Kosovars, specifically those travelling by tractors and slow-moving vehicles. Simply defined, a Way Station is a stopping place where travelers can receive food and water, use sanitary facilities, receive basic medical attention, and transportation vehicles can receive gasoline. Way stations are not designed to provide overnight accommodations, except in the case of refugees travelling by tractors - secure parking spots are available where travelers may sleep in their vehicles. It is anticipated that the average stop will be for 20 minutes to an hour. The Way Stations will be strategically located to serve tractors and slow moving vehicles along two routes. Each station will be approximately 50-60 kilometers apart, approximately one day's ride, along an interior and a coastal route from the south, as well as a west to east route toward Kukes. LOCATIONS Three Way Stations have already been established on the west to east road from Mjeda to Kukes. Mjeda the midway point for travelers on the coastal route, as well as a stop for train and bus transports. More extensive services are provided at the station, including a large transit centre. The way station for vehicles will be located alongside the transit center.(135 km from Kukes) Puke the first stop along the west to east route, serving vehicles from both the Northwest and the south (98 km from Kukes) Shemri the final stop before Kukes for all vehicles travelling from the north and south (32 km from Kukes). Four additional Way Stations will be established by June 20th on two routes from the Southern regions: Mamurras area (Lac ?): the first stopping point for self - mobile (by tractor, car, etc.) refugees travelling North along the coastal route; Lezhe: the second stop on the coastal route; Rreshen: the second stop after Mamurras for travelers on the interior route; Gojan: the third stop along the interior route. SPECIFIC SERVICES AT WAY STATIONS Each Way Station will have standard services, except at the Mjeda location where it will operate in conjunction with the transit centers to provide more comprehensive services. The basic offerings will include first aid, vehicle repair and recovery, water and sanitation, limited food and non-food items, lost and found and basic vulnerable care. As mentioned previously, the stations will also provide a secure place for vehicles to park for the night, however sleeping accommodations will not be provided. CARE's ROLE CARE International will serve as site manager for the Way Stations. CARE will be responsible for identifying and negotiating for the location, setting up the station, hiring and organizing staff to marshal traffic, maintenance of site infrastructure, garbage collection, co-ordination logistics, serving as liaison with UNHCR and NATO, and the fundamental management activities (record keeping, reporting etc.) Additionally, CARE will be co-ordinating the activities of partner NGOs to ensure the effective delivery of services. PARTNER NGO ROLES A number of NGO partners have provided their services for the first three stations including GOAL, HCC, Concern, THW, Northwest Medical and IMC. However, additional partners may also be needed for the new stations in areas such as: -food and water distribution -first aid -vulnerable services -simple lighting at the camps (erecting and maintaining ) -latrine building , etc. In cooperation with the Albanian Youth Council and the Kosova Youth Council Balkan Sunflowers will add to each Way Station special playing and creativity places for children, youth and adults, as well as a kind of small information center for information what kind of NGO's people can contact in Kosovo for what kind of help, information about what to do when you see landmines or unexploded ammunition. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED MORE THAN EVER Message from Wam, 17/6: At this moment the help from volunteers is more needed than before, the people are on the road and they will end up in a few weeks in refugee camps in Kosov@, and then sunflowers also have to be there. All the well-coordinated camps here in Albania, which have been built in the past eight weeks will be almost empty. The refugees which will stay over the winter are planned to be brought to the few winterised camps, and there Sunflowers just have started the work. So please spread that news that we NEED VOLUNTEERS HERE AND NOW. Especially also to do the so-called way stations about which I was sending information yesterday. They will be in place till the end of September probably and will also be erected in Kosov@ in the coming weeks, we need a lot of people for them, and for the collection centers which will be at the both sides of the Albanian/Kosov@ border. Most other organisations who are doing social work are stuck in the already existing camps (from where refugees are leaving) and therefore these camps will have no people to do anything. What's more, these are also the places from where people will return to their homes and so here contacts can be made for new Sunflower activities in Kosov@. SOME PRACTICAL REQUESTS The Way Stations projects poses its own challenges to the Balkan Sunflowers organisation in terms of material needs as well. A specific "wish-list" listing the items needed most has therefore been drawn up. If you think you can help please look it through and see what you might be able to provide us with. Ideally we are looking for donations from or through other NGO's, as their access to transport networks of their own would greatly facilitate getting the goods to where they are needed. THE "WISH-LIST" FOR THE WAY STATIONS PROJECT For each Way Station we need: one large activity tent two small tents for volunteers to sleep in (as they will be on duty for one till three weeks) paper, paint, siccors, clay, etc. for 5000 children money for building materials for a playground (app. $750) tables and banks 10 foot-, volley- and basketballs a notice board small toys (also to give away) information kits on mine-awareness (optional) cassette recorder to play music video equipment to show videos about mine-awareness For the overall coordination we also need: 1 Minibus for transport of materials (plus fuel) 1 Minibus for transport of volunteers (plus fuel) Money to produce a weekly infopaper (app. $1000 per month) Money for overall coordination (app. $1000 per month) The minibuses could afterwards be donated to the Kosova and Albanian Youth Councils for their activities. --------------------------------------------------------------- - News from the | To (un)subscribe: Send an E-mail to: Balkan Sunflower | majordomo@ddh.nl and put in the text body: | (un)subscribe balkansunflower-list --------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- News from the | To unsubscribe: Send an E-mail to: Balkan Sunflowers | majordomo@ddh.nl and put in the text body: (the new SunCokret) | unsubscribe balkansunflower-list ---------------------------------------------------------------- More on the project: http://www.ddh.nl/org/balkansunflower