Friendships Without Borders, Inc. is a program for resolution in areas of conflict and social deprivation, through the agencies of health care and education, achieving its goals through the creation of a community health care team concept, inter-community education, improved economic and career options and through inward investment, to sustain and re-empower the individual and the community.

Friendships Without Borders Inc (FWB) - presently sited in Ireland, is a universal strategy for the victims of regional conflict and socio-economic deprivation. A free standing, not for profit agency, FWB was initially founded in Baltimore - is now based in the United States and Ireland North and South. Program supporters range from Nobel Prize winner, Amartya Sen, Professor Harvard University in the U.S. and Master, Trinity College Cambridge, U.K., Professor of Economics, Cambridge, Bob Rowthorn, Irish playwright, Ulic O'Connor - to President Clinton, Irish Taoiseach John Bruton, Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, and Bernadine Healy, President of the American Red Cross.

In a world with more than fifty areas of unresolved sectarian or ethnic strife - at a time of increased global unemployment - where millions live, exploited, in poverty - ever more dying of AIDS - one every three minutes in the U.S. alone. Where the incidence of young deaths from suicides and violence has doubled in Ireland and elsewhere. Where a 'philosophy of nothing' - a moral apathy, a pandemic of drugs and violence - more living in jail, with incurable diseases of mind and body prevails - where there is urgent need for a multi-ethnic, non sectarian response our focus is on community development, health care and job opportunities to reverse this catastrophic course - to promote effective alternative priorities. One family - «from each according to his abilities - to each according to his needs.» Morelly.

Through the Friendships Without Borders network, the program seeks to provide a model of commitment for young and old alike. For the older members of the community a voluntary participation through the SC (Senior Corps) - for the younger members CDYC (Community Development Youth Corps) - with the ultimate guidance, direction, monitoring and supervision of an experienced faculty from participating colleges - rotation from medical teaching facilities seeking sponsorship from pharmacy and medical supply companies - each individual taking part from each community, will be encouraged to realize their own unique role within the ultimate priorities of the whole human family and to share their role with others.

The program is designed to initiate an awareness in self development and mutual fulfillment, in the development of career aspirations, job opportunities and the reaffirmation of the families' role in society. With the recruitment of a community health care team concept, the Social Capital will provide an affordable, accessible health care system. The communities embraced by this program will be in areas of social deprivation and residual social conflict - initially, in Ireland, North and South. The program will be implemented with the assistance and involvement of colleges with similar education facilities and shared objectives. Our long range goals anticipate the inclusion of other organizations with sensitivity to the cultural and historic diversity of the region. Later with goals achieved, the program can be extended into relevant areas in the European and other communities.

Participants in the ongoing social program will be drawn from the teenage to the elder population - the CDYC to the SC in each community where people can join particular aspects of the program such as community journalism, film making, cinema, theatre, arts, crafts, business awareness and a shared awareness of a joint civic responsibility. Further Education college students and other young people can take part with the assistance and supervision of their school. Friendships Without Borders will assist in program development and the raising of initial funding for building, equipment project 'set up' costs. The goal in media expression, arts etc., to attain self supporting status. Ultimately, when up and fully running the program anticipates sharing its objectives with 150-200 young people per year from the international community.

Friendships Without Borders has worked with the medical teaching institutions in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland and NIH in Belfast, Queen's University and in Dublin, University College Dublin and Trinity College, promoting a student exchange partnership with all communities. Funding for American students will be provided through the Fogarty Grant system. Equivalent support for overseas students to Baltimore would be provided through Pharmaceutical and other medical supply company sponsorships. This has been developed with the constructive criticism, continued interest, assistance and support of the institutions involved; individually, from Professors, Bob Lawrence, of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Tom O'Toole, of Johns Hopkins Open Society Institute--Baltimore, now Dean of Students at Georgetown University, Professor Jordan Warnick, Regional Director of the Fogarty Grant MIRT system opportunity, with Professors Rod Hay, Kieran McGlade, and Jack Mc Cluggage of Queen's University Belfast, Maurice Fitzgerald, University College Dublin, Diarmuid Shanley, Trinity College Dublin. This offer has been enthusiastically received by the above institutions.

In our efforts to solicit interest, support, sponsorships and the increased investment opportunity we have been in contact with the N I Dept. of Trade and Commerce, with the NIIDB, and with specific drug companies. These aspects of FWB's program were presented at the World Trade Center Embassy Day Fair in April of 2002, 2003. This has the opportunity of accomplishing both goals - increased community investment and reempowerment - with the ultimate view to improved quality health care. This with the assistance and of the triple partnership of the community, the teaching institutions and the medical supply companies. Ultimate tax concessions for Pharmaceutical company role in this regard will be sought.

This FWB program has also received interest from its many supporters - from former President Clinton, from Professors Bob Rowthorn and Amartya Sen of Cambridge and Harvard Universities - from Bernadine Healy, President of American Red Cross, a former colleague at Hopkins, and from Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lt. Gov. of Maryland. We have also received initial start up fund support from Allied Irish Banks, and several private supporters.

In the past year FWB has been in contact with the Public Health Departments in Baltimore, both Federal and State, has worked with the Hispanic Community Health Care project in Baltimore, has communicated with the Departments of Health in the UK in NI, with Queen's University Medicine, with the Depts. of Health in the EU in Paris, with the Dept. of Health in Taiwan and Hong Kong, also with mainland China and with Columbia in South America. The question posed - The Broader Concepts of Community Health In Enabling Optimal Equal Community Development - income vs. outcome - the cost of health care versus personal income expenditures.

The response data has supported the concept of an ongoing study through rotating students in the US, in NI or other communities investigating the disparities and inequities in health care, affordable medications and other high cost areas of care and their affordability. The interests of each student, medical, sociology, or economics, etc., will be individually addressed - the results analyzed and data processed and studied to guide the manner and need of change. We feel this study will recruit the early dedication of the student; the timely restructuring of community health and its development will result in personal involvement and concern for both the community, the student, the medical teaching institutions and the pharmaceutical companies participating.

Further, FWB intends to complete a pilot project where a smaller number of young people will use film making, cinema and journalism to express their concerns - their goals and aspirations - to tell 'the story' of their generation, its challenges and frustrations - also to express how they feel the program should be developed. This will be done in conjunction with tutorial guidance, so exact project goals are established in a non-proscriptive manner. Where possible, from the United States and elsewhere Inward Investment will also be sought to provide other skills and job opportunities for the younger generation and to help reempower the rural communities. Castlewellan, Co Down, Northern Ireland has been chosen as the base for the pilot study interacting with other schools and colleges from the Down area and the contiguous border counties - North and South. The facilities to accomplish these goals - total media expression 2000 - will be established in Castlewellan and the surrounding districts. As well as recruiting these unique facilities to this region - these activities will demonstrate the practical feasibility of joint community interaction and purpose - a means for the mutual enhancement of an all island 'Tiger economy' - a socio-economic resolution - mutually beneficial, north to south.