FPCD Launches Green Community Hub Project in South Africa

THE FPCD LAUNCHES GREEN COMMUNITY HUB PROJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HANDS ON THE WORLD GLOBAL


(Young girls with shaven heads are the ones who must leave school walking miles to fetch water from mud holes.)

Dear Supporters of The Foundation for Post Conflict Development,

I would like to thank Executive Director Claudia Abate and Director of Special Projects David Gethings for reviewing my work and making the decision to become a partner in our next community development project.

Your donation will allow us to start our third school village project to create a Green Community Hub that will allow the Umgodi Primary School of 600 students and the surrounding village of over 1,500 people to have access to running water. Our mission and goals match the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations which will hopefully be met by 2015.

(A women at Green Community Hub School in Ixopo South Africa uses newly installed sinks.)

I attended the 2000 Millennium Conference for the Environment and Youth, where issues involving food and water security were discussed among world leaders and teens who were there to develop leadership skills and also learn how to take action to make a positive difference. I was then inspired to start my own non-profit organization and use my status as an author to raise awareness and organize fundraising while managing projects that will hopefully lead people to sustainability and not dependability. Also, helping the UN with its 2015 goal of providing tools and organizational schemes that will help in creating programs that allow access to food and water for every human being is among my own organization’s goals.

Clean running water is a human right, which is stated as the UN’s third target mission. Article 24 of the United Nations Charter addresses the right for every child to have food and clean running water, but the need is overwhelming and we must work together as a global team to attack these issues.

(Rachael Paulson distributes Lifestraws to students at adopted schools in South Africa. Lessons of water borne diseases and prevention are introduced. Lifestraw is an invention that kills disease and filters the water.)

Our organization plans to address 700 school villages in this one province of South Africa. The schools and clinic villages are hours apart from each other. The concept of forming set models in districts that are in a state of emergency has shown great promise as the teachers and principals will have a center point to come to for information to improve on their lives.

Nearly 1 billion people in this world are without clean water, and having no form of sanitation at all. In areas of our world where HIV is leaving one out of every 5 children an orphan, we must take action to assist these forgotten children.

Our Green Community Hubs consists of drilling a borehole, installing a pump and then extending pipes out into the community. Sinks are installed, and food gardens are then added for seedling programs. These stages will provide water and food security for the orphans of these areas. Also, the community will take home seedlings to start its own gardens. Water will now be obtained from a close and safe location.

Your donation will also help the women of this area who spend 6 hours per day fetching water. Young girls are put into danger as they walk miles into dark and unseen ditches in the search for water. The end result of this search is usually a mud-filled hole that is shared with animals, and water is fetched and carried back to school and home. I hope to break the cycle of this gender issue in my Hub areas by educating children in our schools while our infrastructure projects are going on outdoors. We have also asked the boys to assist in the water fetching while I am there.

My relationships at my Green Community Hubs allow me to share information with the Zulu people, handing out materials and supplies, but best of all information that will allow them to become a part of our century. I am happy to share with them the rights that they deserve, and word of your mission, as I move forward to bring the people this information in August.

(The students at Green Community Hub Schools help to build greenhouse shade covers for food gardens.)

I say again that within the Declaration of Human Rights it is stated that all human beings have the right to food and water security, and it is our mission to bring that right to the people. We are happy and grateful to have your support and hope to assist you with spreading information about your organization and its mission.

With sincere thanks,
Rachael Paulson
Executive Director
Hands On The World Global


Photos courtesy of Rachael Paulson. More information can be found at www.howglobal.org



......

Remarks by FPCD Executive Director at the United Nations

The Foundation for Post Conflict Development was invited to speak at the United Nations by the Department of Public Information/ NGO Section, on a Panel entitled "Sustainable Peace through Reconciliation" in honour of the UN 2009 International Year of Reconciliation.


From left to right, participants included, Judge Felicitas Hoffman, Judge at the District Court of Duesseldorf, Germany, and NGO Representative of the S.E.R Foundation to the UN, Her Excellecy, María Roubales de Chamorro, Ambassador of Nicaragua to the United Nations, Moderator Mrs. Maria Luisa Chavez, Chief of NGO Relations, Ms. Jacqueline Murekatete, Rwandan human rights activist and survivor of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and FPCD Executive Director Ms.Claudia Abate.


Remarks by Ms. Claudia Abate, Founder and Executive Director

Panel Discussion on “Sustainable Peace through Reconciliation”

on the Occasion of the United Nations designated 2009 International Year of Reconciliation

Thursday, 5 February 2009, United Nations Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to join this distinguished panel to discuss how the Foundation for Post Conflict Development (FPCD) has contributed to sustainable peace through reconciliation in Timor-Leste. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the United Nations Department of Public Information NGO Section for organizing this Panel Discussion and extending this invitation to me and I wish to thank Ms. Monica Willard of the United Religions Initiative for facilitating this process.

Allow me this opportunity to extend warm greetings to each distinguished guest gathered here today from Timor-Leste’s President and Prime Minister: H.E. Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta and H.E. Mr. Xanana Gusmão, both members of the FPCD International Advisory Board.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to begin, at the beginning, and commend the Government of Nicaragua for leading the process that created the resolution establishing 2009 as the International Year of Reconciliation. Nicaragua’s efforts, together with the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras brought a unique and visionary resolution to the forefront of the General Assembly.

There are many examples of reconciliation around the world, especially in post conflict countries. The Foundation for Post Conflict Development makes no judgment on conflict or the manner in which a conflict is resolved. The FPCD remains neutral in order to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals in concrete ways.

Since the restoration of their independence on May 20, 2002 Timor-Leste’s reconciliation process has occurred at many levels, with many actors and in many ways; between countries, communities, individuals, internally displaced persons, youth gangs, veterans, political parties, military and police etc.

There are two well known reports that address this issue from the Commission on Truth and Friendship and the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation – widely available for anyone interested.

However, I am honoured to talk about some of the practical ways in which the Foundation for Post Conflict Development has contributed to sustainable peace through reconciliation focusing on two provocative themes: 1. No Experience Necessary and 2. Spontaneous Reconciliation.

Reconciliation: No Experience Necessary

When the Foundation for Post Conflict Development was entrusted by the Monaco Red Cross to create what would become the first Maternity Clinic in Timor-Leste, none of the parties involved had ever built one. The common thread was that we were committed to creating sustainable peace by addressing some of the root causes of poverty – improving access to health care facilities and reducing infant and maternal mortality. And we have done just that, however the bonus was that together we instilled confidence in the community and contributed to reconciliation in a way that reverberates throughout the country.

If people are given a fresh and healthy start to life, they are less inclined to want to look backwards and hold ill feelings toward one another because they are planning for the future. The Maternity Clinic was created over the span of 3 governments and sustained multiple crisis situations. Jobs were created for the local community who then became fully invested in the success of the clinic and therefore became united.

The landmark project has changed the birthing culture of the nation and is now the model to be applied to all 64 local health centers throughout the country. That’s 64 opportunities to save lives and unite communities.

It is with supreme thanks the Principality of Monaco and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II that the FPCD was able to contribute in such a monumental way and it is precisely these types of community based projects that are needed in order to achieve reconciliation, “no experience necessary.”

Spontaneous Reconciliation

Peace through reconciliation can occur spontaneously. And that is through community based programmes that provide alternatives to gang violence such as through youth centers. Thanks to the UN Staff 1% for Development Fund, we have completed one youth center and will soon create our second. We have seen tolerance and reconciliation occur through the self- organization of sports and simply having a place to convene meetings.

Another example of spontaneous reconciliation is through a project called the Reforestation and Family Income Project. We are planting trees and creating kitchen gardens to diversify the food crops available for families to eat and to sell so that they increase their nutritional intake on one and hand and earn a living on the other.

When people are occupied with meaningful jobs, when their stomachs are full and families healthy and nourished they are less inclined to look to the woes of the past. We recognize that spontaneous reconciliation will certainly not be applicable everywhere. However, engaging, empowering and leaving communities to decide what is best for them in order to lift them out of poverty can yield powerful and spontaneous results (More info about all of these initiatives can be found in the materials provided).

The International Year of Reconciliation 2009 and Beyond

The designation of 2009 as the International Year of Reconciliation coincides with an important year for Timor-Leste: February 11 marks the one year anniversary of the assassination attempts against President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Gusmão. August 30 marks the 10 year anniversary of the UN led referendum that allowed Timor-Leste to choose its independence. In recent months a new period of peace has emerged and I have never been more confident in the future of Timor-Leste. FPCD will be at her side contributing to reconciliation through sustainable peace and development projects well beyond 2009.

All United Nations stakeholders have a role to play in the promotion of the International Year of Reconciliation. The FPCD is ready to do its part and hopes that Member States follow the example of the UN Department of Public Information /NGO section and decide to host conferences and seminars surrounding this important theme so that post 2009 the dialogue on this subject continues.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention.





.....