General

	The sea container fronted by some of the people who made the project possible.

Sweet relief sent to Western Sahara refugees

Community minded businesses, unions, including the ASU, artists and schools have come together to generously contribute toward a sea container filled with goods for Western Sahara refugees in camps in Algeria. Coordinated by the Australian Western Sahara Association (AWSA), the project is intended to deliver more than foodstuffs but act as an ongoing resource for the camps.

For the last 30 years, in a forgotten corner of Algeria, 170,000 Western Sahara refugees have been waiting to return to their homeland. In 1973 Morocco occupied by force the Western Sahara territory, causing many of its people to flee across the border to live in exile in desert refugee camps; a situation described as 'Europe's East Timor'.

The ASU has been a long standing supporter of the movement for a free Western Sahara with both our Sydney and Melbourne National Offices providing material support to AWSA and Polisario.

The AWSA is sending the sea container, painted by local artists, and full of books, sugar and lentils from local organisations, to the refugee camps in Algeria. Cate Lewis, secretary of AWSA (Victoria), explained this choice of relief, "The container can be used as an outside art gallery in the bleak desert landscape of the camps. This launch is a significant event as this is the first container to go to the camps from Australia. We hope to draw attention to the plight of these long forgotten people. We know our solidarity will be appreciated."

To celebrate this event, AWSA held an official launch of the container at The Footscray Art Centre on Wednesday 28 September.

This project has grown into a real community effort with support from:

• Australia Sugar - 20 tonne sugar
• Geseaco - shipping container
• Mount Zero Olives - lentils and oil
• Ivanhoe primary school - children's books
• The Bookery - English learning books
• Macmillan publishers - books
• Art Stretchers - art materials
• 3CR - tapes and tape recorders, for an oral history program
  
• Australia Western Sahara Association
• Australian Workers Union
• Australian Service Union
• APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad

If you would like to contribute toward the Western Sahara campaign, tax deductible donations can now be made via APHEDA using the form you can download here.

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