Stories from around the globe show how a united world is already in motion. This platform highlights experiences, initiatives, and projects from people and communities working for unity and peace. Explore what’s happening and get inspired.
<p><em>Udisha is a Sanskrit word which indicates the “first rays of the sun” and symbolizes the hope we want to give to the children of our project (<a href="http://www.umanitanuova.org/en/pdf/italiano/223-udisha-2015.html">see the PPT</a>).<br /></em></p> <p><strong><strong></strong></strong>Mumbai, called Bombay till a few years ago, is a megalopolis with a population of over 14 million. It’s India’s commercial capital generating 5% of the country’s GDP, 25% of the industrial production, and 70% of capital transactions of the Indian economy.</p> <p>Its population has significantly increased and the worrying fact is that the numbers of people who live in the poorer quarters have increased by an alarming 50% within a decade.<strong> The numbers of people who live in the slums and shantytowns have incredibly increased by 3 million.</strong></p>
<p><em>Providing school meals, improving health and nutritional awareness<br /></em></p> <p>The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Royal Health Awareness Society and the Ministry of Education, has started a pilot project to provide school meals to around 2,300 students in 10 public schools in Madaba governorate in central Jordan.</p>
<p><em>1300 students and professors of Egyptian schools and universities witness their commitment to peace</em></p> <p>“The Peace Forum was a unique experience. I enjoyed every moment of the programme. Such a meeting (. . .) makes one hope that better days are coming and that one day poverty, hunger discrimination and violence will see their end.”</p> <p>This is how Rasha, an English teacher at Rowad American College, describes <a href="http://living-peace.blogspot.it/p/italiano.html">Living Peace 2015</a> which was held in Cairo on May 4-6, 2015, following a three-day congress in Alexandria, Egypt that provided the young people with the necessary background knowledge.</p>
<p><em>A ten-day worldwide initiative aims at creating awareness about the daily effort to build peace. Some flash from the Holy Land, Syria, Congo, Argentina, Hong Kong, Macau, Germany, Slovakia and Portugal.</em></p> <p><strong>Focolare <strong>Youth and children and their many friends.</strong></strong> Signs of persistent commitment towards peace in the whole world. A focus on some initiatives, not amongst the most crowded or those held in well-known cities, but very significant because they show that everyone, anywhere can contribute towards peace.<strong><strong><br /> </strong></strong></p>
<p><em>Eradicate hunger and malnutrition. Halt the rise in obesity by promoting a culture of prevention.</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.expo2015.org/en">Expo Milano 2015</a> is the Universal Exhibition that Milan, Italy, will host from May 1 to October 31, 2015. Over this six-month period, Milan will become a global showcase where more than 140 participating countries will show the best of their technology that offers a concrete answer to a vital need: being able to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for everyone, while respecting the Planet and its equilibrium. In addition to the exhibitor nations, the Expo also involves international organizations, and expects to welcome over 20 million visitors to its 1.1 million square meters of exhibition area.</p>
<p><em>May 10th marks the anniversary of the encounter between the Bishop of Rome and the head of the Coptic Church, the largest Christian church in Egypt. Traveling the path towards visible unity. Some comments from Sherin, focolarina from the Coptic Church.</em></p> <p><strong>May 10, 2013. Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II meet </strong>at the Vatican to remember the historic appointment that took place 40 years ealier between their predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope Shenouda III, and their <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/speeches/1973/may/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19730510_dichiarazione-comune.html" target="_blank">Common Declaration</a> on the one faith that is professed by churches with different traditions. During his remarks, Pope Francis stated: “I am convinced that – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit – our persevering prayer, our dialogue and the will to build communion day by day in mutual love will allow us to take important further steps towards full unity.”</p>
<p><em>Protests explode after the death of the 25-year-old Afro-American Freddie Gray while he was under arrest. The commitment of the Focolare community, together with other groups to pacify the city.</em></p> <p>“The events that came about have stirred up the support of the citizens. Many leaders, religious groups and civil organisations decided to work together to clean the streets and buildings and to help in various ways, revealing the positive side of the city, though deeply offended,» Lucia, Co-Director of the Focolare Movement wrote from Washington.</p> <p><strong>We all know about the people’s protests triggered in Baltimore last month</strong>, which are still ongoing, after the death of the 25-year-old Afro-American Freddie Gray while he was under arrest. Baltimore, the biggest city of Maryland with more than 600,000 inhabitants is a melting pot of ethnic groups, especially Afro-Americans.</p>
<p><em>An appeal has been launched by the "Movement for Politics & Policies for Unity" in the face of the humanitarian disaster taking place in the Mediterranean. The document points out the contradictions and shortcomings found within the 10-point plan elaborated by the EU and it proposes political initiatives that are more in tune with the needs at hand.</em></p> <p>The Movement for Politics & Policies for Unity raises its voice concerning the drama of migration towards Europe, a voice added to that of many associations and concerned people from around the world.</p> <p>They write: <strong>“The plan launched by the European emergency summit </strong>after yet another tragedy in the Sicilian Channel with its high death toll, expands the operational area of Triton and of Poseidon so that the increased number of ships, due to the tripling of funding, may push beyond the 30 miles from the coasts of the European shores. These actions remain within the context of Frontex whose logic is to defend Europe’s borders,<strong> and not a comprehensive migration policy.”</strong></p>
<p><em>Facing the absurds of war around the planet, we say stop! An appointment at noon of each day with a prayer or a moment of silence for peace.</em></p> <p>Sometimes we are overwhelmed by news of wars and terrorism, we feel helpless and dismayed by the pain of so many innocent victims.<br />Run4Unity, which united us in a great world relay, wants to promote a culture of peace and unity.</p> <p>We invite everyone to gather in prayer - or in silence - to obtain peace for every nation on the planet:</p>
Dialogue & Interculture
New Humanity NGO presented the M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW project — co-financed by the Erasmus Plus Program — to the Youth Section of UNESCO in Paris.
Peace & Human Rights
Amid the rubble of Syria, art becomes an act of resistance. Discover the story of Aeham Ahmad, the “The Pianist of Yarmouk”, who defied the horror of war with the invincible beauty of his musical notes.
Operation Mato Grosso is working on over 100 missions across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, all rooted in education, hard work, and solidarity. Jacopo Manara, who has been a volunteer for years, tells us their story.
An interview on communication with Michele Zanzucchi, journalist and writer, former director of Città Nuova, professor of communication at Sophia University Institute and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and author of around forty books.
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