IPPNW Bike Tour Japan 2012

Participants Gallery

	Karin Harada Having been born and raised in Hiroshima, where the A-bomb was dropped in 1945, I have been given a lot of opportunities to learn and think about nuclear weapons, nuclear wars and peace. The more I learnt, the stronger I felt about it. The past is past, so what we can do now is to know about the past, share the information with each other and continue to appeal for nuclear abolition and peace. Getting people interested in nuclear topics is a first step. I believe that the bike tour will definitely attract people's attention and will provide them with an ideal opportunity to talk about nuclear topics and peace. That's why I decided to join the tour and am committed to its success.	Hiroshima, Japan
	Cesar Aleman Having participated in the BAN Tour in 2010, I will join an IPPNW bike tour for the second time now and I'm already full of adrenaline to cycle with friends and colleagues who are also fighting for a better world. As a medical student from Latin America, I feel that it is important to continue fighting for nuclear disarmament worldwide. In Latin American we are concerned about the legacy of violence and the weapons of mass destruction introduced by the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. As the young man that I am, I will always continue to fight for world peace! The IPPNW student movement and the tradition of the IPPNW bike tours are just the right venue for this.	Managua, Nicaragua
	Stephi Rosen Having already participated in the BAN Tour in 2010, I really look forward to this bike tour in Japan, especially because after Fukushima, such a tour in Japan is very important. Governments all over the world are reassessing nuclear power and looking for more sustainable and less dangerous options. In Germany, mass demonstrations have led our pro-nuclear government to return to the path of nuclear phase-out. Having learned much about uranium mining at last year's congress in Basel, I now feel very strongly about this issue and wish to share it with the people in Japan. People need to hear these facts to understand why nuclear energy is not a sane option.	Cologne, Germany
	Gyaneshwor Rai I am a young and enthusiastic medical intern practicing at the foot of Mt. Everest. My country Nepal is also the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism whose doctrines about peace and non-violence have been famous throughout ages. I am going on this bike tour, sharing his message of peace and benevolence. I am also here to voice my opinion about the evils of the nuclear race. In my opinion, the stockpiling of nuclear weapons will only lead to another nuclear war. If only a fraction of the money spent on nuclear weapons were spent on providing healthcare in developing nations, we could save thousands of life.	Dharan, Nepal
	Maren Totzauer I participated to the great Baltic Bike Tour, the Overriding Trident Tour and met up with the BAN Tour in 2010. These tours have always been a great experience, an exercise in team-work and have given me a lot of new information and motivation for further activities. Now I look forward to meeting "old" and "new" friends from all over the world on this tour and make a great experience in Japan with all of you. I guess there is no country in the world where such a tour, which informs the public about the dangers of the nuclear industry is more appropriate right now.	Düsseldorf, Germany
	Mehdi Oloumi I'm a volunteer for the Teheran Peace Museum and hope to continue to be one of the active member of IPPNW in Iran and work to make this a more peaceful society.	Teheran, Iran
	Nidia Rodriguez I'm a physician from Ecuador, now finishing my studies in Public Health. This will be my secone IPPNW bike tour. After the happenings in Fukushima, Japan is the right place for advocacy and awareness on nuclear issues and I eagerly want to be part of that. Taking the time and making the effort to inform poeple and encourage them to go one step further to talk about nuclear weapons, and make up their mind about them, is a huge responsibility we carry as physicians and as citizens of the world. A nuclear war will kill us all but we are still on time to stop it!	Quito, Ecuador
	Martin Mikkelsen I want to get to know people who share my belives in a world free of nuclear weapons, and to spread this belief to others. I like to meet new people and to go new places, and this seems like a good opportunity to do just that - I can even combine it with my interest for nuclear disarmament. 2012 will be my last world congress as a student, and probably the last time I will have long enough holiday to go on such a trip. Having wanted to join the last bike tour through Germany, France and Switzerland in 2010, I have wanted to get another chance to go on such a tour ever since - and here it is!	Oslo, Norway
	Olena Bezsmertna Until recently, I was only supporting the idea of nuclear abolition, but today, seeing all the natural catastrophies like earthquakes and tsunamis and knowing about the vulnerability of the many nuclear power plants in areas of seismic activity, I see a real danger for the whole world. Some governments are working towards planning to remove the existing power plants, but some governments have not yet realized this necessity. That is why we as doctors need to attract as much attention as we can to this topic. After the Fukushima disaster, Japan is the best country to focus our activties on and to start from.	Donetsk, Ukraine
	Arashdeep Singh Hi! I am Arash from India.I want to see our world free of any kind of terror and violence. I believe nuclear weapons are at the core of all the conflicts in the world. The excuses for the proliferation of fissile material, whether for power production or deterrence are all pretense. The only truth is “Nuclear weapons kill and this is all they do”. We should learn from Hiroshima... there is no second chance. We, young doctors have to take the lead....Let’s begin it again!!	Jammu & Kashmir, India
	Alix Schou I'm Alix from Denmark and I participated at the last BAN tour in 2010 through Germany, France and Switzerland. I believe in human rights, human dignity and becoming stronger through cultural differences. As far as I see it, nuclear strength has only done harm to the people for the benefit of a few and as a future doctor have not heard about a remedy against illnesses caused by radiation... So I want to spread the word about peace and love to the world from Japan biking from Nagasaki to Hiroshima! ;)	Copenhagen, Denmark
	Gerli Kuusk I`m an oncology resident from Estonia. My first contact with IPPNW was at the European Student Congress in Estonia almost 10 years ago. This congress made a lasting impression on me. Since then I have been advocating against nuclear weapons. I´ve already participated in the Baltic Bike Tour, cycled from Dover to London and from Düsseldorf to Basel for the cause of nuclear disarmament. That's why I cannot miss the possibility to continue working and cycling for the cause in Japan in 2012. During the tour we can inform many people and spread the message - real grass roots activist work that makes sense and that I want to be part of.	Tallinn, Estonia
	Michael Gnilo I am a humanitarian and development aid worker and a medical doctor. Having joined these bike tours before, I am motivated by the advocacy we can do and the impact it has on the participants and the people we meet along the way. I believe this bike tour is a great opportunity to foster great friendships accross cultures and nationalities and it gives the participants a sense of connectedness through a common vision of a nuclear free world. I hope that people take notice of what we do but more so of what we do it for. Please support our cause by joining us on our campaign, reading our blogs and joining our social networks. Together we can achive our goals!	Manila, The Philippines
	Sofie Paus I'm a 4th year medical student at the University of Bergen, Norway and have been a National Student Representative for the last 2 years. Why this tour? Well, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the immense damage and new hope that emerged from one of the biggest tragedies in human history. Nuclear weapons have to be dismantled once and for all. The world at large seems to have forgotten the importance of the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons. Preventive medicine is the most important, but also the hardest way of teaching people how to take responsibility for their own life and own health.	Bergen, Norway
	André Michel I've been a member of IPPNW since 2004 in Ireland, having worked with MedAction Ireland, then PSR Switzerland, most notably organizing or participating in the bike tours since 2006. Currently in Geneva, doing a residency in psychiatry, my goal in participating in this tour is to help build IPPNW and inform people about nuclear issues, so they can make informed decisions about their and our lives.	Geneva, Switzerland
	Bene Jochem With this tour I will be a part of the struggle to show people all over our planet that we should care more for peace, health and nature. Without these, mankind will not survive, and as a physician I feel responsible to advocate for these values. During my studies, I was upset by the fact that so many resources are wasted tu maintain the incredibly huge military budgets of many countries. As doctors, we should be concerned about health problems all over the world. I believe that we must show solidarity with people whose voices are not loud enough, such as the victims of the nuclear industry. If there is a chance to raise awareness for these issues through a bike tour, I'm in!	Regensburg, Germany
	Maie Uusväli I am an Estonia radiologist. As a medical student I was involced in IPPNW work and would like to be more active again, meet old friends and new inspiring people and help make this world a better place without nuclear weapons. I participated in IPPNW's Baltic Bike Tour in 2006 and have wonderful memories of great people and the enormously inspiring energy that we had together. This time, I would like to make a bigger contribution to the tour and raise people's awareness to the ongoing nuclear threat. I want to make this world better place and understand that changing the world starts by changing myself.	Tallinn, Estonia
	Okolo Chukwuemeka I am a very proactive person, who will not just sit down and let things happen. I want to make things happen. That is why I joined up with IPPNW Nigeria, where through the power of radio, we have been able to reach young people and inform them about our topics. The various outreach programs of the Aiming for Prevention campaign have led to concrete results and have gone a long way in changing the way and manner most people here perceive violence. Being part of this tour, I will also add my voice to the global uproar against violence and especially against nuclear weapons. We have to keep advocating until we have no more nuclear weapons in the world.	Sokoto, Nigeria
	Leila Moein Together with my IPPNW friends from all over the world, I long for a world full of peace and security. I would like to send my messege to all the people that we will meet during this tour and give them information about war and the terrible effect of nuclear and chemical weapons. Prevention is better than treatment - so as doctors we should try to promote methods to prevent war and violence.	Teheran, Iran
	Niloufar Rahim I will join the IPPNW bike tour this year because I oppose nuclear weapons and because I want to be part of the movement that works for a world free of these weapons of mass destruction. This IPPNW bike tour is a powerful way to make our voices heard and to send a strong signal to global stakeholders in nuclear arms. As future physicians, we’re in a unique position to make people aware of the fact that the possession of nuclear weapons is a threat to humanity itself. This bike tour will be an excellent opportunity to expand my knowledge about nuclear weapons, meet more inspirational IPPNW members and promote the Nuclear Weapons Inheritance Project.	Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands
	Michelle Gin I try to share with others the perspective that we are all global citizens, not merely citizens of the U.S., China, South Africa, etc. and that we are all share the same environment. I would like to be a part of the IPPNW Bike Tour Japan to help me grow professionally, academically, and personally. The bike tour would allow me to learn from my peers from around the world so I could bring back home various perspectives. I have never traveled to Japan and would love to learn more about the culture as well as the attitudes from my peers from around the world toward U.S.'s nuclear proliferation. I hope to be a part of a global network of the next generation of movers and shakers.	Iowa City, USA
	Alex Rosen As a pediatrician, I often think about the world we will pass on to the next generation, the children of today. Will they inherit a world of nuclear wastelands caused by uranium mining, nuclear weapons tests or nuclear accidents like Chernobyl or Fukushima? A world armed to the teeth with nuclear warheads and run on the inhumane principal of mutually assured destruction? Or will we be able to pass on a world whose citiens realized their collective responsibility for this planet and for future generations and put an end to the nuclear menace that has haunted us for more than 60 years? With this tour, we add our voices to the global chorus calling for an end of the nuclear era.	Cologne, Germany
	Liina Männiksaar I'm a curious girl from Estonia, who likesto be around people and nature and tries to smile as much as possible. My biggest motivation to participate in this tour is that I feel it is time for me to finally begin to make this world a better place, to stop waiting and expect other people to do it. Also, I look forward to getting to know Japan, to get a hint of how this culture works, to understand their opinion on how the world should work, how we should solve our energy problems, and so on. Having already taken part in the Baltic Bike Tour and the BAN Tour, I know what to expect and am looking forward to every bit of it ;)	Tartu, Estonia
	Mohan Bhusal I am a highly motivated medical student from Nepal. I have been involved in PSR Nepal from the very first year of my studies and have been advocating for peace ever since. I would like to use the opportunity of this tour to inform, request and pressure all nuclear stakeholders around the globe to think judiciously and work towards making this world a nuclear free zone. I believe this tour can have a strong impact worldwide as it represents people from all over the world. It will also act as a platform to share ideas amongst the activists during and after the event. Finally, I am very excited to meet you all at Hiroshima this August. Let's unite for this noble cause.	Kathmandu, Nepal
	Apram Jyot Kaur I feel very strongly for the cause of nuclear abolition. Coming from a developing country like India, where many people don’t even have enough food or shelter, I cannot stand money being spent on nuclear weapons. What use is so-called security when people are dying of hunger? Also, as a doctor, I feel responsible to protect people from the deadly effects of nuclear weapons. I am really looking forward to meet and interact with all the other tour members, to learn from their experiences and share the Indian scenario. Together, we can do away with the misconception that nuclear energy is ‘clean’ or 'safe’.	Amritsar, India
	Misha Byrne The problem with trying to get to nuclear abolition is that the decisions are made bureaucrats by politicians and . They're far away in the halls of power, and nothing I do will make a difference to how they think... Right? WRONG! "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead said this and the more I look, the more I see this is true. Person to person change is catalytic. I'm honoured and delighted to have the chance to advocate for the cause with this bike tour and to use my leg-power to spread the important message of peace and nuclear disarmament!	Brisbane, Australia
	Ulli Ackert I am a pediatrician from Berlin, Germany. Having participated in several IPPNW bike tours before, I know what a wonderful and motivating experience they are. It was great to meet students and young doctors from all around the globe who are enthusiastic about working for peace. It was interesting to "be out there", to visit nuclear power plants and meet local activists, who have been protesting against the nuclear industry for many years. It´s a good feeling to actually DO something, to get connected, to raise awareness and discuss these issues with the local population – and many people are actually interested in these topics.	Berlin, Germany
	Ryoma Kayano I'm a young doctor from Japan and will be the main organizer of this year's IPPNW Student Congress as well as the bike tour from Nagasaki to Hiroshima. I very much look forward to meeting all of you here in Japan this summer!	Nagasaki, Japan
	Katja Goebbels I am a medical doctor from Germany, currently studying International Health. I was depressed after Fukushima and sad to learn that governments and international organizations seem to have learned very little from Chernobyl. I want to show the Japanese my solidarity, explain to them that they are not the only victims and go public with my personal conviction that nuclear power and nuclear weapons both have to be abolished. I want to understand a little bit of the Japanese culture and try to grasp how they see the world. I would like to talk to people, educate them and help them see "their" problem with nuclear power from a more global point of view.	Berlin, Germany
	Richard Denton I've been a country family doctor for 35 years and have been working for the prevention of nuclear war since the 1980's. As President of PGS Canada, I've been working on a moratorium on uranium mining and export and on curbing the expansion of nuclear power. I have travelled extensively around the world, including Japan in 1977. Japan has suffered two nuclear bombs and now the disaster of Fukushima. Both have and will kill thousands of people, through external and internal radiation respectively. We need to eliminate nuclear weapons to prevent accidents, miscalculation, terrorist attacks or countries waging war against each other using their nuclear bombs.	Ontario, Canada