Good news!

Spiderweb-game during the training


Day off from the training on the beach.

I had a great time during my international training in Lisbon and I met some nice people. Nevertheless Meriam and I missed eachother a lot and we called eachother every night during the training. Finally we were together again and enjoyed a wonderful and very romantic holiday on the Indonesian island Bali. Back from Bali we received good news...they want me too as an international volunteer.

Yeeha; Harold can join the international training!

Last Saturday morning Harold received an email from Diana from PBI IP that he is invited to join the international training in Portugal. We are both very happy and relieved and we hope that the training will work out positively. In a way that we both can join the Indonesia Project as international field volunteers.

Since this message came, Harold is very excited and also nerveus, there have been lots of new experiences in the last few months and we both have the feeling that there is a lot to explore and learn. Harold got already a lot of homework, pre-readings, articles and workbook assignments, hihi. At the end our roles turn in a way that Harold is doing the reading and internet preperation stuff. Have fun with the translations honey. (Harold is taking care of the dutch pages of our weblog, we are trying to keep them similar and up to date).

Out of our hands

Yesterday evening Harold had his job interview for PBI with Stuart Bowman over the phone. He feels a bit dissapointed about the interview because he had the feeling that he lost his English languages skills at some times and also he was very nervous. Hopefully he will get selected for the next international training for the Indonesia Project in Lisbon, Portugal in september. It is out of our hands at the moment.

Preparation weekend in the stayokay in Bunnik

In the weekend of 29th of June Harold joined a preparation/trainingweekend with the Dutch PBI countrygroup. We are very happy to hear that the trainers see in Harold also a good PBI volunteer.

Yearday

The yearday of PBI Netherlands on the 9th of June in the Amnesty building was great. There was a lot of information about PBI and especially of the Dutch PBI countrygroup. Harold and I helped out that day and we especially liked the interview with the advocate;Rogelio Teliz Garcia from the Human Rights Organisation Tlachinollan in Mexico http://www.tlachinollan.org/. He explained very clearly the role of PBI in his daily work especially the way he gained more space to do his work. We also liked the interviews with the two former field volunteers in Mexico and Colombia, Marjolein van de Water and Moritz Tenthoff. They give us a good impression about the live in a PBI field team. During the day there was an ongoing exposition about the 25th anniversery of PBI, a short film about the Humans Rights situation in Guatamala, a lot of information in the information stand and music and dance from Nepal.

Invitation Yearday PBI 2007

Saturday June 9th 25 years making space for peace

On saturday June 9th 2007 we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Peace Brigades International (PBI). We welkome human rights defenders from Mexico and Nepal.
From Mexico we have lawyer Regilio Teliz Garcia from the human right organisation Tlachinollan and from Nepal Lalit Shah from the womans organisation WOREC. He works outside Katmandu in the province Siraha. Ofcourse our PBI volunteers from Mexico, Nepal, Indonesië and Colombia join us.
The protection of human rights in areas of conflict in Mexico and Nepal are central during ths day by interviews and a debate. Besides that you can visite de tentoonstelling ‘25 jaar PBI’, and movies and lots of information material. We close the afternoon around 5 with swinging Nepalese music and a drink.
The location is the Amnesty Internationaal building at the keizersgracht 177, 1016 DR in Amsterdam. You are WELCOME at half past 2.

In the weekend of June 29th 2007 Harold will take part in a preparation weekend of the Dutch PBI countrygroup in the Stayokay in Bunnik.

Future PBI volunteers?
Working hard at the training in Puskat Yogjakarta.
From left to right: Masha, Arthur, Metha, Meriam.

Designing a network.
From left to right: Jane, Mira, Renson, Rini, Butch.

For more pictures of the training visit:

http://www.iptrainingmarch2007.punt.nl

PBI Indonesia Project Mandate

Peace Brigades International (PBI), an independent, non-governmental organization founded in 1981 actively works to promote human rights and nonviolent conflict resolution. Upon the written request of Indonesian human rights groups, PBI has established a long-term presence of nonpartisan, international volunteers in the region.
PBI trains volunteers to establish relationships of respect and trust. Team members engage in dialogue and listen to all parties in conflict situations. The Indonesia Project (IP) has offered its services to local groups committed to nonviolent strategies since 1999.
The general objectives of the IP are:

• To open and help maintain a peaceful space for civil society to operate and grow;
• To model nonviolence and promote nonviolent resolution to conflicts;
• To foster social and political dialogue and reconciliation;
• To promote international understanding of the situation of Indonesians and East Timorese;
• To empower civil society in all of the above, so as to reduce and eventually end the need for a PBI presence.

PBI works entirely by consensus decision-making. Our teams do not take sides in conflicts, nor do they propose solutions, acting instead as third-party observers. PBI recognizes that for just and lasting resolution, the parties involved in the conflict must themselves determine the solutions. The work of PBI may include protective accompaniment, observation, interviews, documentation and reporting, peace and nonviolence education and conflict resolution workshops. PBI wholeheartedly respects host countries' cultures and laws.
A global Emergency Response Network (ERN) is maintained on an ongoing basis. The ERN communicates with appropriate authorities and individuals to express international concern in cases of crisis.

Assesment in Yogjakarta

In march 2007 I, Meriam, got selected to join the PBI Indonesia Project training in Indonesia, Yogjakarta. In 11 days I learned more about the principles and the work of PBI. Afterwords I was selected to become a field volunteer for the Indonesia Project!

Cliënts of the Indonesia Project

In november 2006 we met 2 cliënts of the Indonesia Project who gave a reading in the Netherlands. In december 2006 Meriam had an asssesment with the Dutch countrygroup and was postively advised as a suitable volunteer to the Indonesia Project.

Who is PBI

In october 2006 we first met with PBI at an information day with the dutch country group in Amsterdam.