“WE BUILD BRIDGES NO WALLS”

Founded in 1980, the Committee for Fundamental Rights and Democracy (CFRD) works on a variety of human rights activities within German society, including social rights. In 1994, CFRD launched the international initiative VACATION FROM WAR which offers every year a great number of young adults from Israel and Palestine a forum for a face-to-face dialogue in a neutral environment in Germany. And we provide youth from Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo the possibility to meet in another country.

Vacation from War projects aims at strengthening hopes and activities towards peace, going against the collective pessimistic backdrop and mood. As the official negotiations continue to fail, CFRD believes that a new common grassroots-movement on both sides could lead out of this impasse. The idea behind the project is to provide a neutral environment for children and youth to overcome their prejudice and hatred if they can come to know their so-called enemies in a carefree, safe and nice surrounding.

Since 1994, “Vacation from War” has given 22.400 youth from Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Kosovo and 1.600 young adults from Israel and Palestine the chance to participate in this initiative in different summer camps. Altogether, in 18 years, about 22.000 children and youth from the former Yugoslavia have been able to recover from their war traumas and lack of basic needs. All activities are financed by donations from nearly one thousand members. The campaign ‘Vacation from War’ has another 2.000 supporters.