Index

Get Involved Memory Quilt Project
Progress on our DUI Quilt project – Mid-July
8th Global Meeting in El Salvador
United Nations Global Road Safety Week 15-19th May 2023

Get Involved/Memory Quilt Project – Latest

Get Involved/Memory Quilt Project

See further down for progress on our DUI Quilt project-End-July:

Instructions for making a DUI Memory patch.

Design/s can be on cotton piece/s of material & can be in various formats

1. The size/s should be about 15cm x 15cm (more or less) Leave about 2cm blank around the edges so that the patch can be sewn onto the quilt.
2. A picture of your departed loved one printed onto cotton material with their name, date of birth/death, and a message printed on it. One could do an embroidery message, or add hearts around the face, etc. Any language is acceptable.
3. And/or embroidery on cotton piece of material with an anti-drink driving message on it
4. And/or embroidery/painting of hearts/angels/candles and messages, etc. on cotton piece of material.
5. If family and friends want to also want to join in to make a cotton multi-message panel they should all be sewn together and sent to the co-ordinator. Maximum size of the multi panel is 25cm x 25cm (leave 2 cm free/blank around the whole panel)

These are 3 poignant examples of patches made by Stu and Vaughan’s parents, who submitted pictures and wording to a printing company, who then attached the print to material.

If you have a photo and message you want made, and cannot do it yourself, please send it to Caro Smit asap.This is especially for people and NGOs from overseas.

Instructions for International Patchwork Quilt Makers, including the size of the quilt.

Aim: To call the media’s attention to this preventable crime. In honour of those whose lives were lost in drink driving crashes

As you know, people very often talk about the statistics of those killed on the roads, but they forget the victims, their names and faces, and the traumatized families left behind.

As civil society activists what we want to do is to make quilts, like was done to highlight the victims of HIV in the USA, as a reminder to the public about how many people are affected by drink driving in all our countries, and to also honour our dead loved ones. (See examples below)

The time of being silent is over! We are the only voice our loved one/s have, so let’s make it very loud and clear! These were totally unacceptable and preventable deaths. They are not “God’s Will” or “Allah’s Will”- these crashes and deaths were caused by an irresponsible drink driver.

We are approaching you, our colleague from  the “Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and Road Victims”  and others to ask you to join us in this campaign.

We are hoping to have at least 50 quilts from 100 countries.

Each country, or in the case of India, each region, needs to appoint a co-ordinator, who:

• Contacts the victims of drink driving, and  gives them the brief/instructions, (see “Instructions for making a DUI Memory patch”.)
• Gets the finished pieces of material/contributions together,
• Sews them onto the backdrop of the quilt.

• SIZE OF PATCHWORK QUILT: The cotton front should be about/maximum size 140cm x 90cm – with interesting material perhaps typical of your country behind the squares or around the sides of the quilt.
• Your countries details at the top in English – e.g. “Drink Driving Victims – Argentina.”
• On the back of the Quilt put a note saying who co-ordinated the making of the quilt e.g. Co-ordinator: “Viviam Perrone. Asociacion Madres Del Dolor. Argentina.  July 2023.”
• Add 4 eyelets at the corners so we can hang the quilt up ( if you cannot do this we can do it for you)
• Deadline is 31st August 2023
• Send the completed quilt to Caro Smit, 21 Wireless Rd, Kommetjie, 7975. South Africa,  by fast post if possible
• For more clarification feel free to contact Caro on +27 82 821 3673 or carosmit162@gmail.com.
• The co-ordinator will need to give these instructions to your members, as soon as possible. Any writing & names of victims can be in your own language- except for the heading which must be in English

For progress on our DUI Quilt project-Mid-July:

 All countries: If you are unable to do the project, due to time restraints, or cost of sending the quilt (+/- $110) SADD are very happy to make a quilt for you.We really need to represent as many countries as possible. Remember- WE ARE OUR LOVED ONES/COUNTRYMENS VOICES- no one else is talking up for them! Please send me as many details on the victims of DUI in your country as possible. Photos. Names, Date of death etc, and we will make up the quilts.

If any patches have been made, and you cannot make a full quilt, please post the patches to me, by ordinary post, but post them NOW please:

21 Wireless Road
Kommetjie
7975
South Africa

Thank you to these 3 countries for the work done/being done.

Argentina- Madre del Dolores – Viviam Perrone.(add photo)

Project C.A.R.E.S -Philippines-Co-ordinator May Queva

May Cueva says: “Hi Caro. Just to share a teaser we did to mobilize the patchwork quilt project here — it’s multisectoral and we’ll integrate this in the national celebration of the Police Community Relations program being held this month  of July.

We have linked with an artist group to assist in the visual layout design, the city police for the traffic data of the victims, a school to sew the quilt, the motorcycle rescue / our kids safety / a city community based NGO network groups  as collaborators.

As of this writing we have the concept but we plan to have the official launch next week at a regular ceremony at the City Police HQ.

Just did the video teaser to have our program partners reflect on their meaningful involvement in our joint international undertaking.

Thanks a lot for the opportunity to work in this wonderful project with you.  Stay safe! “

Caro Smit Co-ordinator

Eighth Global Meeting In El Salvador

05 -10^th March 2023, San Salvador, El Salvador

Caro Smit attended the Eighth Global Meeting of Nongovernmental Organizations Advocating for Road Safety and Road Victims (Global Meeting) in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The Global Meeting, whose theme is Rethinking road safety: Mobility for people and planet, brought together 214 participants from 61 countries.

1.3 million people die on the world’s roads every year. A global target has been set to reduce road deaths and injuries by 2030. To achieve this, urgent action is needed to implement road safety actions that have been proven in practice to save lives and reduce injuries. Safe roads are essential to enable people to go about their daily lives and to access work and education.

To play our part in achieving the 2030 target, we NGOs explored what accountability in road safety means and how we can keep our governments accountable for global commitments.

The Global Meeting was organized by the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety (the Alliance), and co-hosted by the Vice Ministry of Transportation of El Salvador and the World Health Organization (WHO).

During the symposium, Alliance members presented the San Salvador Declaration, calling for evidence-based road safety actions, including specific policies and implementations to protect pedestrians, bikers, and motorists; transparent and accountable investment to make roads safe; and involvement of road safety NGOs in decision making. http://www.roadsafetyngos.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/San-Salvador-Declaration.pdf

The opening remarks were by Edgar Romeo Rodriguez Herrera, Minister of Public Works and Transport of El Salvador, Nelson Eduardo Reyes Rivas, Vice Minister of Transportation of El Salvador and Lotte Brondum, the Alliance’s Executive Director.

The keynote speakers at the event were Etienne Krug, Director, Social Determinants of Health, WHO and Jean Todt, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety.

United Nations Global Road Safety Week 15-19th May 2023

UNGRSW 23 OV summary

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“Councillor for Ward 60 — Mark Kleinschmidt — says traffic signalling outside Oaklands High School has been improved — but not to the extent that lives will be saved.

While last week’s demonstration was underway — Kleinschmidt crossed the busy intersection — to experience first hand — what learners are faced with on a daily basis…

Clip: “I experimented….I pressed the button, it took about 2 or 3 minutes before the green man came on…and then, my crossing the road took about 10 seconds…but to change, it took about three seconds, so I had to virtually run across and I actually signalled to a taxi to slow down.”

Kleinschmidt says taxi lawlessness is also a major problem in the area.

The councillor adds he’s had 60 kilometer speed restriction boards erected — but this is still far too fast….

Clip: “I have already, for Chukker Road Sports Complex, I’ve applied for traffic calming and I was told that it’s a Class Schedule 5 road, an arterial road, which forms a busy thoroughfare but the loss of life cannot stress enough the need for some form of traffic calming.”

Kleinschmidt has vowed to continue to work hard to get the speed reduced in that area.

Words of signs and changes needed Oaklands school. Sept 2023

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