We have projects of different nature, we not only want to mitigate the unfortunate consequences of the war as much as we can, but we want more; we want the end of the war once and for all.
For this objective, we thought during months, how to get the way to
achieve the peace. Of course, it is a very complex labor, due to during this
last two years of conflict, it was spread the most brutal hatred between
Ukrainians and Russians. We reject it absolutely. We don’t admit no bad word
against Ukrainians and Russians.
But this is not enough, it is necessary to build a symbol and example about how can be the day after war. That is, we search those which it is risen upon factions confronted, firstly, joining all Donbass in a projects, that also are symbolical and, of great significance. People reject this war, and if people join in for a first step, we think that war can end.
Here we don’t speak about political issues, these are an issues to speak about when the only days of the week will be days with peace, and all destroyed by the war, it will be reconstructed, and moreover, the return of the thousands of people who now are refugees far from their land and home by the blame of this war.
We don’t want to speak about who shot first, or who shot more; we only see a war situation in Europe. We don’t want to speak about who is at service of what side; we only see military forces fighting in Europe, and millions of people suffering the consequences of this conflict. Therefore, we only understand that one can be in the side of peace and people, or in the side of war. And peace and people is our side.
1. Projects of highest urgency.
But this is not enough, it is necessary to build a symbol and example about how can be the day after war. That is, we search those which it is risen upon factions confronted, firstly, joining all Donbass in a projects, that also are symbolical and, of great significance. People reject this war, and if people join in for a first step, we think that war can end.
Here we don’t speak about political issues, these are an issues to speak about when the only days of the week will be days with peace, and all destroyed by the war, it will be reconstructed, and moreover, the return of the thousands of people who now are refugees far from their land and home by the blame of this war.
We don’t want to speak about who shot first, or who shot more; we only see a war situation in Europe. We don’t want to speak about who is at service of what side; we only see military forces fighting in Europe, and millions of people suffering the consequences of this conflict. Therefore, we only understand that one can be in the side of peace and people, or in the side of war. And peace and people is our side.
1. Projects of highest urgency.
Firstly, we want to achieve projects of highest urgency, such as medical supplies, foods, clothes, products of personal hygiene, etc. But here we need very exact information in order to calculate the costs to work in such necessities of highest urgency. For example, some people has spoken us about problems of lack of medicines in Gorlovka, a little city at 40 kilometres to north of Donetsk, and this city has been under constantly siege during last two years (in this case, by Ukrainian army). In this way, in all cases we can help, thus we will do it.
2. Saint Iver’s Church.
We don’t have only projects of highest urgency, as our objective is to build peace, and we hope that our help, it serves for ending the conflict, we have other projects to long time, destined to build an ambient of peace and life together. First of these projects, consists on reconstruction of a church, but not any church in any place, but a church which is situated in the area of major combats at all war, Donetsk’s airport, and this area has suffered the fire and steel of war with maxim intensity.
We want to transform this position on the beginning of the end of the
war. We want to this place will be a symbolical intermission between both side
on something which joins them above all. In both sides are Christians and this
is something that they share above all, even, there are families separated in
each side of frontline, they separated when ran away far from war, or worst,
they died because war arrived to their homes. Of course, there are more reasons
to the end of war than for its continuation.
Naturally, we have estimated profoundly the complexity of this project,
but, to help to people who suffer and to mitigate the consequences of war, it
is small for all. We want the highest objective, and we find it on the end of
the war.
If we manage to involve in this reconstruction, firstly to all Donbass
inhabitants of both sides of frontline, and, secondly, both sides confronted
don’t shoot themselves, or in best of cases, they even help to the realization
of this project, we can have, perhaps, a point of peace, where it changes the
dominant dynamic, where it is helped the people who need it, where it is built confidence
and respect reciprocal, between everybody who are in entrenched or hidden
because of the war.
Maybe you know “the miracle of 14”, that Christmas Eve of 1914, in which
German, British and French soldiers stopped the war by their own will to
celebrate in common the Christmas Eve. Next day, when officers ordered to
attack, they found the doubt of the soldiers. Nobody want to run and kill,
because they know the people in the opposite trench, they know that they share
their hopes of life, as opposed to an angry politicians because their war had
stopped without their consent.
In the same way we think that building a similar example, in the same
front of war, between both sides, we could built, perhaps, “the miracle of 16”,
of 2016, and the war stops and never will come back. So, we won’t have to wait
4 years more, like in that winter of 1914, for war stops after millions of
deaths, and more millions of wounded in both sides, as civilians as soldiers.
3. Songs for peace
and people.
Next project is a simple project if we compare it with previous. It is as
open and simple as the composition of songs, to sing them on a video and upload
it to internet, that is, a project for any person on the world. Objective is to
sing about peace, about people who suffer this war, and about the things to
make in a day of peace, but not about political issues. We must speak about the
things we share, and these are the end of the war, and this could be in any
language, not only in Ukrainian or Russian. With this project we think that it
can be useful to maintain the collective memory of those who suffer the
conflict and, also, to maintain a strong social opinion against this war.
For example, if an aged couple of some hidden village of Donbass, suddenly, they receive a video with a song that those aged couple remember with love, and the song is singed by a people, for example, of north Zamora (Spain), and moreover, they receive this video personally. Perhaps, it will happen that these people of Donbass received a message from other people and other place who they didn’t know its existence, but from there set off a positive message for someone concrete who suffers the war. In the same way, children of a school in Normandy (France) could do the same with children of a school in Mariupol. The essence of this idea is to connect through a song, beauty and appreciated in Donbass, which it comes from any part in the world.
4. Typical Spanish
buildings.
If war has a front, we have three. And in fact, this project is composed
of three parts. Almost a year back, we started to develop ideas about a
different perspective in assistance to the people who suffer the war. Not only
we must to think in the consequences or causes according to projects exposed
before. We must also think about the time after war, how return to life after
the things seen and suffered by the war. This is our project for the day of
tomorrow, above all, for generations that today are children and they don’t
understand what has happened since April of 2014.
We thought in three examples for this project. Bodega, Palloza and
Claustro (approximate translation: Wine cellar, ancient hut, cloister). Common
denominator is that, in this projects adults teach and children learn the value
of built and also, the effort that this means. Learn to create and value the
effort, are estimated for us like very necessary, in order to adults won’t
forget the cost to build, and also, the importance about valuation of work and
effort constant to build something, in this case, several constructions.
Without forgetting that a good moment with family or friend, evade people from
reality of war, and when there won’t exist signs of this war, these bodegas are
a good place to social reunion.
Firstly, we have bodega like subterranean construction where making
foods and drinks, but also, where people meet. In Spain the bodegas it are very
typical to eat with family or friend. And in this sense, this place like a
social spot where we could create foods and drinks, that this is good for
everyone, and better, people reunited around a table to share this peculiar
Spanish space.
Secondly, palloza is an ancient construction that in Spain date from
2.000 years back, and it is based on a house of circular floor with a wall of
one meter or one and a half meter of height, and it has an enormous and conical
roof. The idea of this ancient huts –which are similar than other from ancient
Russia- is their construction on numerous parks of the cities and villages in
Donbass. They also easy to build and the main idea again, is teaching and
learning to build, but also, we bring an old spanish tradition between Leon and
Asturias that is: Filandón. This is a meeting around a central fire, in this
case, on the palloza, in addition to give warm and preparing food, this is the
place where people narrate histories, legends or anecdote. In this way there
will be collective entertainment and also, teaching and learning of languages,
like Ukrainian and Russian.
And thirdly, the attractive and utility of cloisters. This would be a
building with square floor, with a patio on the middle and rooms around; the
rest could be modified according to resources. Typical are two floors with a
garret. The idea of this construction, more complex than previous, is the
creation of a building, where carrying out social activities, or even, that
they will be schools. Inner patio, with a fountain or well to get water like a centre
of inner garden where teach or don’t forget the significance of take care of important
things; if it is cultivated something don’t epic like potatoes, but after
months, are harvested, cleaned and cooked, those which seemed insignificant became
in food. By other side, to decoration of inner cloister, the columns could be
decorated with famous and typical style, both Ukrainian and Russian, to carve
wood, or also decorate it with precious embroidery, but always like a work of
adults and children.
CONCLUSIONS.
In conclusion, we want to help people who suffer the war, but we also
want to help for finishing of this war. We don’t want to help the victims of
this war during decades because the conflict went on. The war teach how easy is
to destroy, and this is a bad lesson to next generations; Was has its own type
of strength, and peace also has its own strength, the strength to create, and
the same as a war need soldiers, peace needs the strength of builders.
We want to contribute with our effort to pass over polity and to be with
the people who suffer this war, because people are our side. And we don’t
forget about the future, because the war will end someday, we hope that near
day, and life must be take again, but if we also contribute with a positive
value, in order to nobody forget the significance of living in community,
teaching and contributing with each one knows, definitely, sharing the best of
everybody. Then, it sure that there will be a prosper and peaceful future, as
sure as the future will be a time of hard efforts, but, like this insignificant
potatoes of the previous example, from the seed we plant, from the cares we do,
tomorrow will be food or death land.
