North Caucasus NGO Monitor
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Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 21:01:14 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: North Caucasus NGO Monitor
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North Caucasus NGO Monitor
NORTH CAUCASUS NGO MONITOR
1. Chechen non-governmental social-charitable fund "Berkat" working on
religious tolerance and cultural education has prepared a number of
publications.
The Chechen social-charitable fund "Berkat" was developed out of the
Council on Inter-Religious Affairs of the Chechen Republic, that was
organized on June 15, 1995.
The main focus of this organization is the promotion of
inter-religious tolerance and dialogue between people of various
faiths. Today this is especially important, since there are groups in
the Chechen society that use speculations on religious themes to
benefit their own political and financial causes.
The social charitable fund "Berkat" works with representatives of
various faiths, such as Moslems, Seventh Day Adventists, Baptists,
Orthodox Christians, and Catholics. Because of the extremely difficult
situation in Chechnya today, the fund "Berkat" has been involved in
distributing humanitarian aid (food, clothing, books for orphanages,
wheel-chars for invalids, etc.) to the least socially protected. The
Fund maintained contact with many humanitarian organizations through
Christian Charity Mission in Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia. Unfortunately
this aid ceased in February 1998 as a result of a deteriorating
security situation in the North Caucasus.
One of the projects that the "Berkat" fund is currently focusing on is
the publication of a number of books for educating students and the
general public in Chechnya about religious and cultural issues. The
fund prepared a number of materials on these issues but is currently
lacking the funds to cover the printing costs. Following is a list of
these publications, their size and expected costs of publishing 1000
copies:
1) Islamic culture. Lectures for students. Approx. 300 pages. Expected
printing cost for 1000 copies - $1,500.
2) Crime and punishment according to Moslem and Roman law. Approx. 150
pages. Expected printing cost for 1000 copies - $850.
3) Philosophical aspects of the spiritual poetry of Chechen people.
Approx. 120 pages. Expected printing cost for 1000 copies - $900.
4) Style and basics of the culture of speech. Textbook for students.
Approx. 140 pages. Expected printing cost for 1000 copies - $850.
5) Sufi tarikats (teachings) in Chechnya: Kadariya, Nashkbandia.
Approx. 150 pages. Expected printing cost for 1000 copies - $850.
The social- charitable fund "Berkat" will welcome any assistance it
may receive in printing these publications, which will play a role in
educating the people of Chechnya, the educational system of which was
devastated by the tragic events of the past years.
Address:
Grozny, Nagornaya Street, 8
Chechen Republic
Chairman: Sumbulatov Abuzar
2. Ingush human rights organization "Human rights defender".
This is a new Ingush NGO, registered on June 23, 1998. However,
members of this NGO are not new people in the human rights field, they
have been involved in such activities since 1992 - after the tragic
Ossetian-Ingush conflict. So far the main focus of their work was:
- search for the "missing" people;
- assistance in the restoring the rights of the deported people;
- human rights protection;
- Humanitarian activities and education.
Currently this organization is focused on attracting the attention of
international organizations, the press in support of its goals.
Address:
Kavkazskaya Street, 32
Nazran, Republic of Ingushetia
Russian Federation
Chairman: Hadziev B.A.
3. Children's Fund in North Ossetia plans to expand assistance to
cover emergency cases.
The Children's Fund is one of the well established NGO's in North
Ossetia. It has been operating since 1988. Over the years this
organization has been involved in many different humanitarian
activities. Its assistance is focused on four most vulnerable
categories of children:
- refugees;
- orphans;
- physically disabled;
- children from low income families (below the poverty level).
Over the years, the Fund developed a network of local monitors in the
different districts of North Ossetia. This allows the fund to locate
the children and families who are in most need and the type of
assistance that is most relevant, ensure the delivery of humanitarian
aid and gather information about the need and to develop and adjust
the Fund's programs to be most effective.
Thus the Fund is currently trying to develop its capacity to offer
emergency assistance in cases when there is now time act in the
traditional fashion. Previously, the Children's Fund did act in such
situations by appealing to the public and various domestic and
international humanitarian organizations. For example, in the middle
of February the Fund was able to provide emergency assistance to a 10
year old boy, Alan Kusraev, who got 75% of his body burned in an
accident with a stove. The Fund was able to find the finances to fly
this boy to Moscow to the only special center in the Russian
Federation capable of dealing with burns of this level. However, to
insure the Fund's capability to assist in such emergency cases a
special "reserve fund" needs to be created.
Address:
Pavlovski pereulok, 3
Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia
Russian Federation 362007
Phone: (8672) 74-94-10
Executive Director: Vorobyeva Vera Timofeevna
4. Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development continues
humanitarian programs in Chechnya.
The Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development (CPCD) was
established in 1995 and has official NGO status in Chechnya and
Britain and additional offices in Moscow and Novgorod (near
St.Petersburg). The main focus of the CPCD's work in Russia and
particularly the North Caucasus region is to support and encourage
local capacities for peace. This involves jointly implementing
projects with local groups and individuals in the fields of human
rights, peacemaking, nonviolence, community development and
humanitarian assistance. The CPCD also offers training in these fields
and works to link local NGOs with partners elsewhere to strengthen
their work and reduce their isolation.
Among the programs of the Centre in Chechnya are the following:
- The Little Star program of psychological rehabilitation for children
suffering post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), which has recently
entered its third year of operation. 600 to 700 children receive
treatment per year by local psychologists for whom CPCD has provided
training over the last two years. The psychologists work in schools
in Grozny, diagnosing children with the most advanced forms of PTSD.
UNICEF has commissioned the writing of a book by Little Star staff on
child psychological rehabilitation in war zones, based on the
experience of Little Star. It will be completed in April 1999.
- CPCD found funds and coordinated work to conduct major repairs to
corpus no. 5 of the Sernovodsk health spa complex in South West
Chechnya. The building will be used as a physical rehabilitation
centre. The Sernovodsk complex used to attract patients from all over
the Soviet Union, with its excellent sulfur and mineral waters usable
to heal a range of illnesses. The rehabilitation centre has 12 baths
for sulfur water treatment. Most of the buildings of the complex were
destroyed during the 1994-1996 war. CPCD and the complex manager
Ruslan Magomadov are hiring local medical staff to run the centre,
which will open shortly.
- CPCD is continuing a program of seminars in conflict resolution and
human rights for NGOs in the North Caucasus region, particularly women
and youth groups. This program is supported by TACIS at the European
Commission. An e-mail network to provide communications and
information points in republics of the North Caucasus is being set up,
to help co-ordinate NGO activity and foster links with groups outside
the region also.
Chris Hunter, CPCD director
email: [email protected]
Tel/fax: +7-095-2454632, mobile +7-096-9018346
Chechnya contact: Adlan Adaev, mobile +7-901-49901
---------------------
"North Caucasus NGO Monitor" is a publication produced by members of
the Nonviolence International - Newly Independent States" (NI-NIS) on
a fellowship from the Open Society Institute in Budapest. Its goals
are:
- to help in exploring new approaches for humanitarian activities
which allow supporting elements of civil society in the North
Caucasus, while significantly lowering the security risks associated
with such activities;
- to provide continuous information about constructive activities of
NGO's on a community level in areas of tension and conflict in the
North Caucasus;
- to highlight the work of dedicated local activists, who despite
extreme difficulties work toward peace, reconciliation, social and
economical revival of their communities.
Phone and fax numbers in the bulletin are given with the Russian
internal area codes. When dialing from outside Russia or the CIS
states, the numbers provided must be preceded with 7 - Russia's
country code.
Names are given according to the Russian standard - surname before the
first name.
For questions and comments as well as to get additional information
about NGO activities in the North Caucasus please contact:
Nonviolence International - Newly Independent States,
Contact person - Kamenshikov Andre
Luchnikov Lane, house 4, entrance 3, room 2
Moscow, Russia, 103982
Tel. (095) 206-8618 or 351-4855, fax 206-8853,
E-mail: [email protected]
http: www.glasnet.ru/~ninis
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