6th Annual Children Peace Festival

Every year Caritas Pakistan organizes this festival in order to create an understanding among school children that all the people should be equally respected, fully protected and universally realized. The festivals brings all the participants from different religions, class, gender together and work for the similar cause which is peace building.

The “6th Annual Children Peace Festival” held at Renewal Centre, Youhanabad from May 04-06, 2018. There were 150 participants (students, teachers and peace activists) from 15 schools of different districts included Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Khanewal and Multan gathered to celebrate this Peace Festival. The teachers accompanied peace club members made speeches, peace posters, play cards, and also participate in re-creational activities for the promotion of peace and harmony in Pakistan. In the inauguration ceremony a peace candle was lightened and pigeons were flown by the honorable guests.

It also provided a platform for students and teachers from different districts of Pakistan to come together and exchange their views, share experiences on the issues like environment, peace education, peace building, peace keeping, peacemaking and enhance their communication and coordination for upcoming endeavours for the peace promotion in Pakistan.

Fr. Francis Gulzar – Vicar General Archdiocese of Lahore facilitated a session on peace and highlighted how children can play their role to spread peace and harmony in families and communities. He stressed to respect each other and spread message of love for better community formation.

A Peace Sports Gala also organized during the festival in which students and teachers participated and expressed their sportsman spirit and joy with the message of spreading peace and harmony in the country.

The festival enabled the participants to share best practices at their community level. It was highly successful in engaging participants in a participatory process of peace building & social harmony. Children also expressed that they have enjoyed a lot during these three days and learned so many things about peace building through fun activities. They also promised to implement that learning in their schools, communities and among their families.

The Honorable quests were His Grace, Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw (Archdiocese of Archdiocese of Lahore) led the Holy Mass on May 6, 2018 and ask the children to follow the teaching of our Christ to love others. His Lordship, Bishop Benny Mario Travas (Chairman Caritas Pakistan) congratulate Caritas Pakistan for organizing this event and providing the opportunity to children for gaining confidence and expressing their talents, which will ultimately contribute towards community development. He encouraged the children replicate all the messages of peace by going back to their families and schools

Mr. Amjad Gulzar (National Executive Director – Caritas Pakistan) thanked all the participants and organizing team for putting their efforts to make this event successful. He motivated all the children to keep up their good gesture of spreading the good news of peace and harmony at all the levels.