Cole Miller Interviewed in Grand Rapids

Jeff Smith interviews Cole Miller for the Grand Rapids Institute for Media Democracy. Miller had been invited to give a presentation about the work of NMV by Bert Devries, a professor of archaeology at Calvin College. Representatives from a number of Grand Rapids organizations attended the presentation, and afterward decided to form a new organization that would independently apply the NMV model of securing medical treatment in the United States for children injured by US forces abroad.

This represented an important milestone for No More Victims. We envisioned that the project would unfold in three states. First we would complete a number of projects to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the model. In stage two, we would help communities form fully independent local projects, with NMV acting in a consulting role. So when participants in Grand Rapids formed Healing Children of Conflict, the second stage of the project gelled.

In the spring and summer of 2011, Healing Children on Conflict successfully brought its first child, Hamza, to Grand Rapids for treatment. Hamza’s leg was blown off by an American missile. He received surgical and prosthetics treatment. And, in April of 2013, Hamza returned to Grand Rapids for his second round of prosthetic and rehabilitative treatment.

In this interview, Miller discusses the projects and how the model can be used to effectively oppose war by engaging in acts of direct solidarity – helping the victims and telling the story.

Categorised in: Children, Hamza

This post was written by Cole Miller