Freedom is a universal right. One which millions of people in history have given their lives for. That is why Project Aware makes an appeal to everybody to end torture and oppression once and for all. These, after all, are the worst forms of deprivation of freedom.

Project Aware is an initiative of the Spanish Atreya from Barcelona and her Dutch partner Jeroen from Amsterdam. During a journey through Nepal and Northern India they met a group of Tibetan refugees who were living in banishment across the Nepalese border. Since the Chinese took over Tibet in 1949 the Tibetans have been living in oppression, many of them having to flee to survive. Atreya and Jeroen came in contact with the Tibetan culture and found a hospitality unknown in Europe. The refugees told them their shocking stories of oppression, human rights violations of the worst kind and the total destruction of the unique Tibetan culture. It was this extraordinary meeting which made Atreya and Jeroen Aware and inspired them to undertake action.

Once returned to the Netherlands, the two had great difficulty adapting to the busy everyday life and the luxury of a materialistic society. The impressions of their journey made it impossible for them to forget the situation in Tibet. Unfortunately, the majority of the Europeans were not aware of the hardships of the Tibetan people, just as Atreya and Jeroen were not before they made the journey. They also discovered that media coverage on this subject was deficient. It surprised the two initiators that there was this little knowledge about a country as large as Western Europe. That is why they thought it was of great importance to inspire others, so they would also turn on the mental Awareness switch. The idea of Project Aware was born.

Initiator and singer-songwriter Atreya wrote a special song for the Tibetans. After the recordings a video clip was shot and radio and television commercials were made. In 2004 a successful promotional campaign started in which almost all Dutch national radio and television stations participated. Project Aware's reputation grew and the number of digital signatures increased.

Page up