Friends of a motorcycle- loving computer consultant who was kidnapped with his bodyguards as he worked in Iraq’s finance ministry 18 months ago are launching a campaign to increase pressure for the men’s release.
They say Peter Moore, 32, who took a lucrative job in Baghdad to pay off his student loan after years of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) on an allowance of £140 a month, is strong-willed and will not be defeated by his ordeal.
However, they fear he and the other hostages — two Jasons, Alan, a father of two from Scotland, and Alec — have been forgotten because of a virtual news blackout imposed by the government. Their full names have been withheld at the request of the Foreign Office’s advice to the families.
Moore’s friends have set up a website — www.4pete.org - which explains why they are defying the official line that publicity could jeopardise efforts to help the hostages.
“It is to be hoped that if more can be known about Pete and the ideals he represented, then pressure can be brought to bear upon those in a position to negotiate for his and his fellow captives’ release,” the site says.
It claims that the cases of Terry Waite, the Church of England envoy freed in Beirut in 1991 after four years in captivity, and Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist who was held in Gaza for four months last year, suggest that sustained campaigns can produce results.
Archive for the ‘International Development’ Category
Friends fight for “forgotten” hostage and former Guyana volunteer
HIV/AIDS internship in Ghana or Nigeria
There is also a similar internship in Nigeria. If you know of anyone who would be interested, feel free to pass along the attached Terms of Reference to them. The contact person is Esmee de Jong: dejong@unhcr.org
Give a drop
Join Friends & RPCVs of Guyana!
During the 17 years Peace Corps has had a post in Guyana, over 470 Volunteers have assisted in the areas of health, education, community development and information technology. Those 17 years span over four decades and, although many things have changed during that time, the basic mission of Peace Corps and its Volunteers remains the same. Friends and RPCVs of Guyana (FROG) would like to take a moment to thank you for committing your time and energy to the service of Guyana and its people. Your efforts have had an impact on more individuals then you realize. Thank you!
We here at FROG left Guyana with the idea that once you completed your service, the experience stays with you. We hope that you will join us on our mission to maintain our connection with fellow RPCVs, Guyana and its people. Below you will find more information about FROG and how you can join us!
Friends and RPCVs of Guyana (FROG)
In 2007, several Guyana RPCVs joined together to form a non-profit organization that connected former RPCVs with each other, with the greater development community and with new opportunities. Most importantly, we wanted to build on the work we did while Volunteers and continue helping Guyana – a country we love.
Currently, we at FROG are busy developing our infrastructure, gathering new members, fund-raising and developing a strategic plan. If you are interested in staying connected with fellow Guyana RPCVs, participating in Third Goal activities and supporting development projects, please join us! However, as a new non-profit, we are finding our way and learning as we grow. Bear with us, and please, feel free to contact us (support@guyfrog.org) with ideas, help requests, etc. That is why we’re here! Also, check out our new website at http://guyfrog.org!
How to Join
There are three easy ways to join Friends and RPCVs of Guyana!
1. Go to http://www.change.org/frog and click JOIN
2. Join through the National Peace Corps Association. Their membership includes a subscription to WorldView, NPCANews, and discounts on auto insurance, rental cars and more!
- Go to www.rpcv.org
- Click on Join/Renew.
- Follow their 3 step instructions for signing up with the NPCA.
- Select Guyana as your Country of Service group!
3. Join us on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/people
If you have any questions about FROG, want to keep up-to-date with FROG happenings or would like to get involved…please feel free to contact us at support@guyfrog.org and on our website at http://guyfrog.org!
Plans are underway for our second annual weekend of FROG events in New York City this July. Join FROG through one of the methods listed above to get the latest details for those events! We hope to see you in July!
Sincerely,
FROG Board of Directors
Timothy Delaney, GUY 12 – President
Michael Geurink, GUY 13 – Vice President
Peter Theis, GUY 10 – Treasurer
Eric Terpstra, GUY 14 – Secretary
Scott Stadum, GUY 12 – Web Committee Chair
Cabul Mehta, GUY 13 – Board Member
Kati Ringer, GUY 14 – Board Member
Louise Stenberg, GUY 13 – Board Member
Darien Book Aid Plan
(via papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com)
In 1949, a group of concerned women in Darien, Connecticut knew that Americans were throwing away large quantities of books and magazines and that there was a need for all types of reading materials worldwide. These women began collecting used books and magazines to ship overseas in huge cartons, funded largely by the U.S. Army and the State Department. Thus, Darien Book Aid Plan began. …Darien Book Aid Plan’s mission remains the same as it was in the beginning — to build a foundation of peace, understanding and friendship by the free distribution of books to schools and institutions in the USA and around the world.
“I was a recipient of books from Darien BookAid Plan as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Wakapoa, Guyana. When I returned from Guyana to Connecticut I volunteered there and continue to do so when I am in the area. It is a wonderful organization and the books make a world of difference to so many communities where Peace Corps Volunteers serve.”— Posted by a Guyana RPCV
Cuban doctors in Guyana
Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, of the Guyana Health Ministry, praised the work of the Cuban doctors many of whom are working in areas of difficult access, reported Granma.
In the community of Enterprise, Dr. Ramsaran bid farewell to two of the 15 Cuban doctors who started the Integral Health Program in Guyana two years ago. He also welcomed the six Guyanese medical students, in their final year of studies at the Havana based Latin American School of Medicine. The students will spend their last year working under Cuban physicians in Guyanese communities.
Rody Cervantes Silva, head of the Cuban medical mission, explained via Internet that the 122 Cubans serving throughout Guyana have to date attended more than 385,000 doctor’s visits and saved an estimated 200 lives.
The work of the Cuban medical staff has also had an impact on the infant mortality rate, which has dropped from 60 per thousand live births to 28, according to the Guyana authorities.
UN Data: Guyana
The UN has opened up it’s databases of global information for all countries, the site is very comprehensive. Check out Guyana’s info - http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crname=Guyana
Project Trust volunteer dies after fall in Rupununi
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 18-year-old Project Trust volunteer Pamela McCarroll around 2 pm on Sunday at the Tutuwau Falls, South Central Rupununi.
According to a police press release, investigations so far revealed that McCarroll, a Scottish national, who was attached to the St Ignatius Secondary School in Lethem, had gone sightseeing at the Falls in the company of a friend.
“It is reported that she was rock climbing in the area when she fell and sustained injuries.
She was subsequently pronounced dead by medical personnel from the Lethem Regional Hospital,” the police press release said yesterday.
Clean cooking
Rene Nunez’s Turbo-cooker “has won an environmental prize from the UN, funding from the Fondo Iniciativa para las Americas El Salvador (FIAES) and has received a US patent for his invention.” This recognition will allow Nunez to proceed with manufacturing the cooker and aid much of the world’s poorest in cooking in less toxic conditions.
According to Nunez, the Turbo-cooker burns efficiently “reducing the amount of fuel which is needed by over 95%. That is 95% less deforestation, less greenhouse gases and less toxins in the living space of women and children around the world.”
Free Rice
Free Rice donates so many grains of rice per each vocabulary word you match to the correct meaning. It builds your vocabulary while donating rice to the United Nations food program, making the site a fun time waster while benefitting the hungriest of the world. Since launching on October 7, Free Rice has donated 2,098,280,280 grains of rice. (via downloadsquad.com)
