Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004280210
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BECKY HELPER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Even after a cross-country trip, conferences, luncheons, press conferences and endless meetings, he can still summons great reserves of enthusiasm to talk of the work of the Soviet Peace Foundation, in which he heads the International Relations Department.
Shaporenko is in Southwest Virginia because of a joint project that sends U.S. and Soviet students to Nicaragua to build houses for the poor and homeless. The project was organized by Steve Darr, a minister at Cooper House and is in its second year.
"Particularly in Nicaragua, I wanted to bridge the U.S.-Soviet confrontation that was going on around that country and to offer some kind of alternative that was constructive," he said.
The Soviet Peace Foundation's entry into the project was a serendipitous event. Darr has actually offered the project to another group in the Soviet Union which declined but passed the offer to another group which also declined but passed it on to the Foundation which responded gladly.
"We were so happy to get the letter from Steve," said Shaporenko, "working with developing countries is very important to us."
Another important component of the Soviet Peace Foundation is student involvement.
"It's important for students to know life in developing countries, not just for the wonderful memories," he said, "but one day, these will be the people responsible for making policy."
Shaporenko was instrumental in organizing the program in the Soviet Union, collecting money and airline tickets for those going and helping in the selection process for the eight volunteers who did go.
He spoke last week at the International Intercultural Convention in Seattle about the Soviet view of these kinds of cooperative projects. Appearing with him was Christine Jepson, one of the American project leaders.
Organized in 1961, the Soviet Peace Foundation is one of the oldest citizen organizations in the Soviet Union. Much of the original support for it came from people who had lived through the horrors of World War II.
"We get money from people who say, `Please don't let this happen again.' We have a broad base of support," he said.
The joint Soviet-American project in Nicaragua and Mexico are just one of the many projects supported by the Soviet Peace Foundation.
It works with the United Nations on several projects, including ones in Namibia and Ethiopia. It supports projects on its own in Japan, and Mexico.
The foundation also is involved with the Peace Child Foundation as well as its own exchange program that sends 1,000 Soviet children to live in other countries for a short time and accepts children from other countries.
Another of Shaporenko's duties while in the United States is to attend the International Peace Child Conference in Washington this week.
by CNB