War Child dedicates freedom prize to young generation victims of war

“Children should be the first to benefit from the right to Freedom from Fear,.. A new new world cannot come into being in a culture of war. Fear creates hate, as history teaches us, again and again. If we refuse to learn from history, the millions of children growing up in oppression now might become the oppressors of the future. I would like to dedicate this award to all those young  people, often burdened with their own memories of war,  who work relentlessly to address the horrors of war inflicted on innocent children”. These were the words War Child Holland director Willemijn Verloop spoke at her acceptance speech at the Four Freedoms Award ceremony in Middelburg.

The founder of War Child Netherlands, Willemijn Verloop, received the Award for Freedom from Fear on behalf of War Child, out of the hands of the great-granddaughter of President Roosevelt. This is one of the Four Freedoms which President Roosevelt first declared on January 6^th 1941 in an address to the American Congress. 

The Freedom from Fear Award is awarded to War Child Netherlands for “its indispensable assistance to children in war zones to help them create a peaceful future, and as a recognition of the important work carried out by the many volunteers who invest their time and resources for this noble cause”.

These ceremonies remind us that social engagement and personal efforts are powerful and especially peaceful instruments in the protection of these freedoms.

“Today, with this very prestigious Award, the Roosevelt Foundation honors all the people who work relentlessly to address the horrors of war inflicted on innocent children. You honor the many local War Child employees working in conflict areas worldwide. You honor all those individuals who, often burdened with their own memories of war, dedicate their lives to promoting peace. I am most grateful to you for this encouraging acknowledgement.

Jacky, Miro, Rosa and those like them are the young leaders in this peace race. This Freedom from Fear Award is really theirs. These young people show us that peace grows where fear is replaced with courage and hope. It is their dedication that inspires us at War Child to assist in building peace, wherever we can. We must not disappoint these inspiring young people. Together, we are building a culture of peace. We ask all of you to join us in this peace race.”

Acceptance speech by War Child founder Willemijn Verloop:

 Read full speech Willemijn Verloop>

 View YouTube video of speech Willemijn Verloop>

The international Four Freedoms Award 2008

• The International Four Freedoms Award is awarded to Richard von Weizsäcker for his dedication to democracy and freedom, for helping to fathom the sufferings caused by the Nazi regime and for his accomplishments in encouraging future generations to create opportunities for international peace and justice.
• The Freedom of Speech and Expression Award is awarded to Lakhdar Brahimi to honor his dedication to the independence of Algeria, and for his courageous support for international cooperation, democracy, peace and freedom throughout the world.
• The Freedom of Worship Award is awarded to Karen Armstrong for her personal dedication to the ideal that peace can be found in religious understanding, for her teachings on compassion, and her appreciation for the positive sources of spirituality.
• The Freedom from Want Award is awarded to Jan Egeland in honor of his extraordinary efforts to create a more humane world for the afflicted, suffering and displaced people, and for his contribution towards improving the living conditions of millions of people.
• The Freedom from Fear Award is awarded to War Child Netherlands for its indispensable assistance to children in war zones to help them create a peaceful future, and as a recognition of the important work carried out by the many volunteers who invest their time and resources for this noble cause.

 Read more about the laureates 2008>

About War Child

War Child Holland was founded in 1995 by Willemijn Verloop and is an independent humanitarian organization dedicated to war affected children - regardless of their religious, ethnical or social background. Since its founding War Child has operated in sixteen war-affected areas and now reaches over half a million children each year.

War Child invests in a peaceful future for children affected by war. War Child believes that psychosocial wellbeing of children and youth is a prerequisite to a future peaceful society. When children grow up in a safe, stable environment where their rights are not violated, the chances are that they will be able to prevent conflict situations. War Child's aid includes psychosocial interventions, peacebuilding and advocacy programmes tot bring together groups of children separated by war; and to draw attention tot problems, needs and rights of children in war-affected areas.

The Four Freedoms Tradition

On January 6, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, proclaimed in his State of the Union that if democracy is to survive and flourish, people everywhere in the world are entitled to four human rights: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

In order to keep the legacy of FDR alive, the Roosevelt Institute honors outstanding citizens who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to these ideals every year.

The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in New York presented their first Four Freedoms Awards in 1950. This event was created in order to keep alive the importance of the Four Freedoms issued by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941. Since 1982, the presentation of these Awards has been organized in corporation with the Roosevelt Stichting in Middelburg, The Netherlands. The Roosevelt family is rooted in this province; the Roosevelt ancestors lived in Oud-Vossemeer, Tholen, a small village in the Southwest of The Netherlands.

On December 10^th of this year it will be 60 years ago that FDR’s Four Freedoms were incorporated in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights thanks to efforts of individuals such as Eleanor Roosevelt. In the annual Four Freedoms ceremonies the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute sends a message that the struggle for freedom is far from over.

The Roosevelt Foundation

Since 1982, the centennial of F.D. Roosevelt’s birth and the bicentennial of Dutch-American diplomatic relations, the Four Freedoms medals have been presented in Middelburg, the Netherlands, where the Roosevelt Stichting is responsible for organizing the ceremony in even-numbered years. In odd-numbered years the ceremony takes place in Hyde Park, New York, the home of the Franklin and Eleanor Institute. Among the many exceptional laureates decorated in Middelburg are: H.R.H. Princess Juliana, Alessandro Pertini, Harold Macmillan, Olof Palme, Helmut Schmidt, Teddy Kollek, Václav Havel, Jacques Delors, Simon Wiesenthal, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Anan and Mohamed ElBaradei.

External link: Four Freedoms Award website>.