Cardio-vascular diseases represent the first cause of death in Romania and the country is among the first in Europe as far as smoking-related deaths are concerned. Western cigarette brands are widely advertized and very > little is done for prevention and education. For the third year in a row, Adventist youth are practically the only ones to bring to the general public the World Day Without Smoking (May 31). This year, their project is derived from the General Conference initiative "Walk Around the World in 2000" and consisted in youth marching in 20 large cities of Romania for 200 minutes at least 2,000 km (cumulated). These 2,000 km multiplied by 20
cities makes 40,000 km which is actually the circumference of the earth! This is really Walking Around the World! 

The marches were organized on Sunday, May 28 with a total participation of 4,500 youth from 5 to 25 years of age. The event was organized with three goals in mind: to warn youth and children on the harmful effects of smoking; to expose the deceptive nature of tobacco advertisment and to
raise the awareness of both government and non-government organizations on the urgency of anti-tobacco regulations and education for prevention. In many places the Adventist organizers worked together with offices of the major, with the district offices for public health and with schools of medicine.

In Bucharest, on a smoldering heat, 600 youth marched for nine km, thus making a total of 5,400 km. The line of marchers was 500 metres-long and was opened by a coffin with a couple of huge cigarettes (6 m long) followed by many banners exposing the dangers of smoking. The marchers had blue-and-white caps with the words "Be Smart - Don't Smoke!" and "For Clever Heads Only" and shouted humorous slogans against smoking, derived from the current tobacco advertisment. For example, the learder of the march would say using a loud-speaker: Every Day Is Yours!, and the marchers would respond: It shouldn't be your last day! Or the leader would say: Be Different! with the marchers responding: Don't Smoke! 

Dr Mircea Ioan Popa, general director for Public Health in the Romanian Ministry of Health,  addressed the participants as well as Pastor Cristian Modan, the Romanian Union Youth Director, the main organizer of the whole program. The same evening the largest TV network (PRO-TV) gave a very positive coverage prime time hour (about 4 minutes), unfortunately without mentioning the Adventist church who was sponsoring the event. The news was also included in their  international program and repeated the next morning.

The news editor was commenting that in a time when people go to the streets for all kind of personal interests, it's incredible to see these radiant young men and women marching for the sake of others life and health. Many local stations featured the marches from other cities.

 In the city of Constanta the prefect of the district was among the participants along with the dean of the School of Medicine in the local university. In the city of Ploiesti, the major of the city  attended the march, as well as an Episcopalian missionary from America who was very impressed.

In most places the marchers distributed thousands and thousands of anti-tobacco and anti-drug pamphlets produced by the Public Health offices. They were keeping them for long, as nobody was willing to distribute them. Thosands of invitations for stop-smoking programs were also distributed.

By this time articles begin to appear in newspapers and phone calls come from public health authorities and offices of the major congratulating the organizers for their excellent performance and expressing their strong interest in helping for similar activities in the future. 

The police who protected the marchers in most cities were very impressed by their impeccable behaviour - something they have never seen before. In two cities the authorities didn't authorize the march, under the reason that at this time - two weeks before the local elections - there is a danger for provocations and confruntations - but in other cities the marchers went beyond their share, thus reaching up the total of 40,000 km representing the march around the world in 200 minutes.

Cristian Modan/Adrian Bocaneanu

Contact: Cristian Modan, Youth Director at Romanian SDA Union