International Day of Peace: Youths share powerful messages of integration
International Day of Peace is observed right across the globe every 21 September, and this year’s theme of sustainable, equitable recovery seems more fitting than ever.
With the fallout of the pandemic and the devastating situation in Afghanistan still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Lotus Flower and its partners, the German Consulate in Erbil, marked the occasion by holding special activities aimed at fostering greater inclusivity, tolerance and peace.
First of all, our team of Peace Sisters held a community integration session for a small group of children from Essyan camp which focused on the importance of coexistence and the vital role of young people in furthering peace processes.
The children were from both Muslim and Yazidi communities, and after two hours of discussion they wrote messages of peace to distribute with flowers at the camp, amongst youngsters with different religious beliefs to themselves.
Vian Ahmed, the Lotus Flower’s Regional Manager, said: “Previously, these children and youths have not the opportunity to express their feelings or their views and to share their good intentions towards each other. It represented a very positive step to mark International Day of Peace.
“While there is a lot of reconstruction being done in Sinjar and around, the relationships between these communities also need to be strengthened, so that people can once again coexist and live peacefully – as they did before the ISIS attacks of 2014. It’s so important that women and youths play a role as peacekeepers in their own community.”
During a second activity to be held later in the week, our Peace Sisters – currently taking part in a groundbreaking peacebuilding and mediation project in partnership with the German Consulate in Erbil – will visit important religious sites in Duhok and Lalish. They will attend sessions with religious leaders at mosques, churches and temples, in order to learn more about different religions and to help promote ideas around harmony and integration. Do check out our social media for further updates…