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Archive file
Volunteers Information Pakrac
Volunteers accomodation Office
Prilaz Baruna Trenka 19 Strossmajerova 63
(former Partisanski Put)
43550 Pakrac
Croatia
Fax: +385(O)4684007 (indicate: "Volunteers camp")
Email: PAKRAC.DA@ZAMIR-ZG.comlink.de
Winter-Break from December 12th until January 12th
Life in the Town in General
The situation in the town is much better. Shots are still heard on
Saturday evenings because of wedding parties. People from Pakrac
try to forget the war and they try to think about new life. While
the fights in other UNPA's are still going on the political
situation seems to be much more relaxed. The young people want a
new youth club and we want to help them.
Life of the Volunteers in Particular
Parties: every week we have a party but the last party was
special,we were celebrating Eike's last day, this was a
sensational party. Almost every weekend we play football or
basketball with Unprofor. Last time we lost 10:6 and this was a
vast improvement! The situation with food was bad but now it is
much better; we have a lot of food and nice dinners because we
have a cook. Sometimes we get food from Unprofor. Happy birthday
to Wam, Sophie, Marcin and David. The ant drawing in the last VIP
was from Vanja, the heart drawing from a postcard from Frank on
his way home.
Volunteers Activities
Reconstruction
Working Groups
Due to continuing heavy snow falls and low temperatures the
working brigades work only indoors, which can mean work in a
factory. Because we were not satisfied with this we organised
ourselves: we now help elderly people who need support, and are
working to convert a former pharmacy into a youth club.
Social Activities
English Lessons
Currently in the advanced English class their are three teachers.
Two American English speakers and one Australian English speaker.
The focus is on differences in accents and terminology. Classes
are structured around conversation activities, spontaneous story
telling, critical analysis of slang, all in an informal setting.
In the future this format will be maintained and expanded with
more informal exercises in grammar, with analysis of written text
and some aural work.
Games with Children
The volunteers are entertaining and being entertained by the local
children in the area in various ways: face painting, picture
painting, drawing, board games, necklace and bracelet making,
table tennis, as well as a variety of group and movement games.
These children are very challenging and interested in learning
more and more games and thankfully with every new volunteer comes
new ideas. In the near future there will be an events day for the
children arranged by volunteers and the local primary school. (
Keep an eye on More Activities.)
Jazz Dance
The Jazz dance now includes four young women and four young men
from the primary school in Pakrac. Currently this group is
learning a variety of dance steps to the music of Michael Jackson,
Via Con Dios, Queen, and Vivaldi. The class is preparing to
perform in a future Christmas Show.
Radio Daruvar
Last time on Radio Daruvar three volunteers were interviewed and
spoke of their recent experiences in Pakrac. For the next session
one person from the working brigades will be interviewed, and a
phone-in question and answer session is proposed.
More Activities
The principal of the secondary school has offered us one building
to repair for use as a youth club. Some cleaning work has already
been done to prepare it for use, though some tradesmen need to
carry out some repairs - we expect it to be operational in the
very near future. Thursday this week an international exchange
will take place at 'Papiga'. This will involve students from the
primary and secondary schools, international volunteers, and
Uncivpol. The intention of this exchange is to informally give
students the opportunity to meet and play games with people from
other parts of the world and eat food from different countries.
Last but not leastlthe volunteers will have another infamous
party at 'Papiga' to say good-bye to Alexander, Urs and Gerald, to
celebrate Vanja's birthday and the beggining of the winter-break
(see below).
Ideas and Plans
As already noted a Children's Games Day is planned for later in
the month, as well as a Christmas Show on Saturday 18th December
that will include a Jazz dance performance, a fashion show, a
local .band from Pakrac, guests from Osijek and the Danish Refugee
Camp in Kutina. From 12th December until 12th January we will have
a Christmas-New-Years-Winter break, which means.no new volunteers
in this period.
Some numbers
Concerning the number of volunteers from each country, the Germans
are leading with 14 followed by Great Britain and The Netherlands
both with 9, Italy 8, Belgium 7, Spain 6, USA 5, Switzerland 5,
Poland 3, Australia 2, Canada and Croatia 2 and Austria in the
last place with 1. The youngest volunteer was 19, the oldest 47
years old, 25 female, 54 male.
Guests
Last week we had a return visit by the Peace Circus who stayed a
few days and did a few shows for the community. This weekend we
had the enormous pleasure of receiving Marcus, and two budding
co-leaders, Tanja and Snjezana.
Thank you
A big thanks to the Peace Circus for the locked bike which has no
key. An even bigger thanks to British Humanitarian Aid for helping
the volunteers to clean up their act with the donation of a much
needed washing machine, toiletries and whole heap of baked beans
and canned fruit. Thanks again to Unprofor for another supply of
fresh vegetables, coffee, hot chocolate and spaghetti. Thanks to
Ludovica for the coffee maker, spices and winter drawings.
- Space heater.
- Portable stereo cassette player.
- Variety of board games and materials for children's play.
- Office supplies: filing cabinets., shelving materials, hole
punchers, staplers, files.
- Tables and chairs. Tv set and video recorder. Subscription to
an English or German weekly newspaper.
- Steel capped boots: sizes 35 to 42.
- Ink cartridge for Hewlett
Packard Desk Jet 510. copy machine
Money donations are always welcome!
everything don't go to plan
but nothing ever does
the chaos is organic
and sows a seed of love
something was once planted
seems its flourished now and grown
hearts are opening up into
a beauty never known before
billy boyd in "so high"