Czech humanitarian speaks Thursday in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — On the morning of Dec. 7, 1988, two devastating earthquakes struck Spitak, a city of nearly 30,000 in northern Armenia.

The 6.9 and 5.8 magnitude quakes destroyed half a million buildings and killed 60,000 people, overwhelming the country's ability and resources to respond.

With a group of friends, Šimon Pánek — then a student activist — spontaneously organized informal humanitarian assistance for those affected. The group collected items such as food, water, clothing and sleeping bags to help those in need.

A year later, Pánek helped organize demonstrations against the Communist Party in Prague, Czechoslovakia, as part of the Velvet Revolution, which eventually led to the end of Communist rule in the country and the first democratic elections since 1946 in 1990.

In 1992 Pánek co-founded People in Need, which is now the largest nongovernmental organization in Central Europe and provides humanitarian aid to countries around the world in times of crisis — war, famine, natural disaster or otherwise. The group also organizes the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, as well as

One World in Schools, which works with thousands of educators to discuss complicated topics with children around the world.

'I did not plan to build a NGO, nor spend almost 25 years with it,' Pánek said. 'But there is always something, someone in need. And my natural instinct was if we can help, we should.'

People in Need has grown from five volunteers working out of the kitchen of Lidové noviny, a daily newspaper in Prague, to a professional organization with nearly 1,800 employees working in 30 countries around the globe, including Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Russia, which are some of the most challenging right now, Pánek said.

Pánek, who currently lives in the Czech Republic, has traveled all over the world for his work and comes to Cedar Rapids for the first time on Thursday as part of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library's 'Global Voices, Local Actions' series.

The series, which kicked off in November, aims to promote and encourage humanitarian efforts in the United States by bringing in various speakers from around the world to share their perspectives on global issues with locals who may learn and apply that knowledge to local efforts here.

Nicholas Hartmann, director of learning and civic engagement at the museum, 1400 Inspiration Place SW, said 'stepping outside of ourselves' and learning the perspectives of others allows us to create a 'more cooperative, empathetic, equitable society.'

Pánek's talk at 6:30 p.m. is free to the public and will focus on the relationship culture plays in humanitarian work. Hartmann hopes it will show young people the influence they can have in their own communities.

'We're trying to get students to come because we want young people to feel that if they have the drive to do something like Pánek, they should go for it,' Hartmann said.

He recommends people come with an open mind to think about how Pánek's message can be applied to their own life and the community.

'We want to foster a sense of civic engagement and community awareness,' he said. 'People should think about how work done there could inspire or be a catalyst for work here. ... This is just a start. We want people to keep thinking about ways to help people here ... with health, poverty, food or anything else.'

Hartmann said the series falls in line with the museum's overall mission to 'challenge ideas and bring people with a variety of perspectives together to build a more inclusive community.'

'We want to stimulate people's thinking and create better citizens, build empathy and celebrate diversity,' he said.

IF YOU GO

What

: Global Voices, Local Actions: A Conversation with Šimon Pánek

When

: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday

Where

: National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids

Cost

: Free

RSVP: Call (319) 362-8500 or go to www.ncsml.org.

Details

: Czech humanitarian Šimon Pánek discusses his work with People in Need, the largest nongovernmental organization in Central Europe which provides aid to countries during times of war, famine and natural disaster. The talk is part of the Global Voices, Local Actions series, which aims to promote and encourage humanitarian efforts within the local community.

l Comments: (319) 398-8364; elizabeth.zabel@thegazette.com