Support WRI's Nonviolence Programme

The Nonviolence Programme of War Resisters' International needs your support to continue working promoting nonviolence within the social movement, especially the movement for global justice and the wider peace movement.

As WRI's friend, Brian Martin states: “Nonviolence is an incredibly powerful tool to bring about a better world. Yet governments spend billions in funding violence -- military forces -- and give hardly any support to nonviolence. In the face of this imbalance, groups promoting nonviolence play an absolutely vital role. WRI has a wonderful record of principled action and support for nonviolent struggle. As someone who has studied and advocated nonviolence for decades, WRI is one of my inspirations. It deserves support”.

WRI in 2005 made a commitment to fund a programme worker for 2 years. During these past two years the programme has had many achievements: The material that you will find in The Broken Rifle No 75 is a selection of articles that are part of the Handbook for Nonviolent Action that will be published before the end of this year. During the past two years WRI has been more present than ever at the World Social Forums with WRI's delegation at the WSF in Nairobi being one of the most important ones. The programme is also producing an e-mail newsletter on war profiteers bringing news and development about war profiteers and campaigns to stop them. During this period of time we have also strengthened WRI's collaboration with groups in Latin America cooperating on issues of nonviolence and war profiteering. These are some examples of the work that the Nonviolence Programme is carrying on. To continue doing this work and much more we need to secure the funding for the salary of the staff person, if not the programme will not be able to continue making possible projects like the following:

• Cover the cost of the printing of the Handbook for Nonviolent Action
• Organise a training for trainers, testing the Handbook for Nonviolent Action
• Provide nonviolence training to radical groups in Russia
• Cover costs for members of WRI to take part at seminar and nonviolence training organised by our Belgian affiliate Vredesactie “Military globalisation and nonviolent resistance in Europe”
• Help fund our interns who are working to develop resources in war profiteering

WRI is in a difficult position for accessing official funding. That is why we want to have the programme funded by individual donations. The following are ways that you can help us to make the Nonviolence Programme sustainable.

• Commit yourself to a regular donation to the Nonviolence Programme
• Contact friends who could donate to WRI, or give us their names for us to contact them.
• Distribute the NV Programme leaflet that describes the programme and its funding needs
• Do a special appeal in your own circles for the Nonviolence Programme
• Distribute The Broken Rifle No 75 “Choosing Nonviolent Action”

Please get in contact with the WRI office to help us fund the programme and at the same time give generously for the Nonviolence Programme to be sustained

(Javier Gárate)

Nonviolence Programme Coordinator