Peace and Justice Works
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Sarajevo Peace Centre(SPC)/People's Aid to Former Yugoslavia has been active since 1992. When the war broke out in the Balkans, Portland Peaceworks joined a dozen or so other organizations expressing the need for _non-violent_ reactions to end the crisis. Also involved was a woman whose passion has been to help the women and children refugees and victims of the ethnic conflict. Her efforts have included raising funds and collecting material aid, plus three "Peace Journeys" to the Former Yugoslavia. The first trip was to Serbia and Croatia, and the last two to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Most of the actual fund-raising for the relief aid and collection of material aid and supplies has been done through the Portland Chapter of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and other local non-profit groups. Portland Peaceworks has been involved mostly in educational aspects as well as co-coordinating several fund-raising events which included information sharing.
The Sarajevo Peace Centre's purpose, to promote peace in the Balkans by humanizing the conflict, extends to activities of other Project Groups, and forums. One forum, co-sponsored with Oregon Peace Institute, was called "Who Decides Peace?", and was designed to look at the Dayton Accords and see whether they were an effective way to conduct peace talks.
While SPC does not hold regular meetings, their ongoing activity can be documented by years of flyers for fundraising efforts, articles regarding the Peace Journeys, and a recent mailing targeting PJW membership whose interests specifically include the Former Yugoslavia.