Iraqi Children Suffering
(WAR CHILD CA)
War Child Canada humanitarian workers just returned from Iraq, where they were assessing the situation of children and providing urgently-needed humanitarian aid. The team, led by Dr Eric Hoskins, a leading Canadian expert on Iraq, discovered that Iraq has seen modest improvements in infrastructure since the end of the war three months ago, but that there are still serious concerns for civilians, including children.

Read full story at War Child Canada’s website

Thousands of people participate in Virtual Artwork for War Child
(WAR CHILD NL)
On Liberation Day in the Holland on May 5th, War Child gave presentations of their work on more than 8 Liberation Festivals. Thousands of people participated in the making of a virtal artwork for War Child NL. At the War Child stands people could get their picture taken with their own message: "Freedom means to me.....".

The artwork starts with a picture of a small girl, but by zooming in on the picture, you can read the messages of peace that everybody wrote.

Canadian-led Report Predicts Massive Child Death Toll in Iraq
(WAR CHILD CA)
A team of experts in health, nutrition, child psychology and emergency preparedness arrived back in Canada on January 28th following an assessment mission to Iraq to investigate the impact of a new war on the more than 13 million Iraqi children.

Visit the War Child Canada website for more information

Gold record for Canadian 'Peace Songs' cd
(WAR CHILD CA)
Stars joined War Child Canada backstage at Toronto SARS SkyDome Concert to celebrate the gold record status of ‘Peace Songs’ CD. The CD has generated over CA$100,000 for War Child Canada's work in support of war-affected children.

For more information please visit www.warchild.ca

War Child NL starts new project in DR Congo
(WAR CHILD NL)
War Child Holland has started the preparation to roll out new projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The projects will start at the end of summer 2003. War Child Netherlands will in first instance primarily focus on psychosocial work for ex child soldiers and the communities where they live. Local aid workers will be trained in the War Child methodology to treat the traumatised children with the creative programmes that have been developed by War Child Holland in the last 10years.

Read more about this War Child NL project

ABDUCTED !
(WAR CHILD NL)
Arjan Erkel, Head of Mission in Dagestan for Médecins Sans Frontières, was abducted in Makhachkala on August 12th 2002. MSF demands that President Putin and the Chairman of the Dagestani State Council, Mr Magomedov, do not treat Arjan's investigation as just any criminal case. Six months later, Arjan remains missing. So far, all efforts by Russian and Dagestani authorities to solve the case have yielded no results.

MSF has launched an international petition to press for action to release their kidnapped volunteer, Arjan Erkel. War Child supports this MSF campaign for Arjan.

NEW: 'The Children of Eritrea' - online photo exposition
(WAR CHILD NL)
This is a photo exposition of the War Child Holland projects in Eritrea. With these pictures we would like to give you an impression of the beauty of the country, the horrors of war, the plight of the children and what War Child is doing about it..

Go to the photo exposition>>

'Friends for War Child' concert enormous success
(WAR CHILD NL)
War Child Holland organised a special concert featuring the absolute top in the Dutch music industry. Only members of War Child were allowed to attend the concert. More than 10.000 people gathered in Ahoy stadium to see the show of the year.

Read more and see the pictures at the special Friends for War Child website

Gold record for Dutch 'HOOP!' CD
(WAR CHILD NL)
After being on number 1 in the charts for more than one month the dutch peace cd 'HOOP!' got a gold record for selling more than 40.000 records in the Holland. The cd already raised more than € 200.000 euro for War Child Holland. On july 1st the artists came to the office in Amsterdam and gave the gold record to the War Child crew.

For more information see the website www.hoopcd.nl

'Friends for War Child' in concert
(WAR CHILD NL)
Because of the enormous success of the 'HOOP!' cd in the Holland (a gold record), a unique concert will be organised for War Child in Ahoy stadion in Rotterdam on 12 oktober 2003. The artists Marco Borsato, Ilse de Lange, Bløf, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Acda & de Munnik, Van Dik Hout, Krezip and others will perform for free for an audience of 10.000. Tickets for the concert are only for sale for the people who are members ('Friends') of War Child in the Netherlands.

see the special Friends for War Child website

National Lottery supports expansion of War Child NL project in Sierra Leone
(WAR CHILD NL)
This year 'De Nationale Postcode Loterij', the Dutch national lottery, will support the creative projects for children of war of War Child Holland with an an amount of €1.000.000 . Next to this enormous amount, another project proposal for expansion of the War Child NL project in Sierra Leonewas approved for a total of €1,6 million. A cheque was handed over to Executive Director Willemijn Verloop at a gala dinner.

War Child Holland has been active in Sierra Leone since 2001. More than 4500 children, both 'normal' kids and ex child-soldiers, have been reached with individual and group creative programmes. War Child NL now has 24 employees in Sierra Leone, all the recruited aid-workers are from Sierra Leone themselves, and have all been trained by War Child to become workshopleaders. The War Child staff are working with children in Lungi, Conforti, Lumley, Masiaka, Grafton en Freetown.

READ MORE NEWS ARTICLES IN -WAR CHILD NEWS FLASH 2002-