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>"There are names no one cares to remember, that no one cheers for: the 805 million people suffering from hunger in the world today"</em></p> <p>He may be one of the biggest names in world football, but it was the names of the 50 people mysteriously tattooed to Zlatan Ibrahimović's body that gained all the attention after his goal celebration yesterday. The Sweden and Paris St Germain (PSG) striker was booked for removing his shirt after netting with just two minutes played in the match against Caen, but almost 800 million people were responsible for Ibrahimović's yellow card.</p>
<p><em>Freedom from violence remains critical to achieving a sustainable future in which every child can grow up healthy, resilient, well-educated, culturally sensitive and effectively protected.</em></p> <p>African girls and boys continue to be subjected to distressing levels of physical, sexual and emotional violence despite the significant legal and policy measures adopted throughout the region, according to a new United Nations-backed report.</p> <p>Launched today (11th February) at UN Headquarters in New York, <em>The African Report on Violence against Children</em> is the first comprehensive report of its kind in the region and builds upon the commitment put forward by African Union Member States to promote a so-called “Africa Fit for Children.”</p>
<p><em>As the world watches the tragic events that are unfolding in Ukraine, the Pope invokes peace. The small Focolare community joins with other Christians to “protest” with their prayers.</em></p> <p><strong></strong>During the <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150204_udienza-generale.html" target="_blank">General Audience of February 4</a>, 2015 Pope Francis stated: “Brothers and sisters, when I hear the words “victory” or “defeat” I feel great sorrow, great sadness in my heart. They are not just words; the only just word is “peace”. This is the only just word. I am thinking of you, Ukrainian brothers and sisters …. Think, this is a war among Christians! You all share one baptism! You are fighting with Christians. Think about this scandal. And let us all pray, for prayer is our protest before God in times of war.”</p> <p><strong></strong><strong>While world diplomacy is mobilised, </strong>the facts seem to belie any prospects of peace. Yet there are people and institutions who work with courage to safeguard it, even at the risk of their own lives.</p>
<p><em>The first International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking celebrated on February 8, 2015 was strongly supported by Pope Francis, and was promoted by the varied world of Religious congregations and institutes with the patronage of two major departments of the Roman Curia.</em></p> <p><strong>Sister Tina Ventimiglia, a Franciscan Sister of the Poor, and Resi and Alessandra, </strong>volunteers of the<a href="http://associazionerandi.org/" target="_blank"> Randi Association</a>, find unimagined ways to contact and accompany victims of human trafficking, and to rescue them. Prevention plays an important role, through the creation of opportunity for development in the southern hemisphere of the world.</p> <p>Yesterday, February 8, 2015, coincided with the liturgical feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese woman who, as a child, had a dramatic experience of slavery. This was the day chosen as the day for <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2015/02/03/0088/00187.html" target="_blank">the first International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking</a>.
<p><em>Many Sri Lankans seek work and easy money in the Gulf, the Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore. However, the poorly educated and the unskilled have become the victims of human trafficking, including prostitution and forced labour. A Sister of the Good Shepherd who works with migrants bears witness to the problem. For her, Sri Lankans have a right "to find work and earn a living in their country."</em></p> <p>"Human trafficking is one of the most cruel and heinous crimes that can be inflicted on another human being. Not only do victims go through hardships, but they also come out of it deeply changed. Their entire world crumbles around them, the family in the first place," said Sister Sunila Thomas Rgs, a member of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, one of the few groups in Sri Lanka that works with victims of human trafficking.</p>
<p><em>A harsh guerrilla group has been terrorizing some areas of Nigeria for some time now. The States of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are those most affected by the attacks and for more than a year have been living in a state of emergency. A trip to the borders of the world to share the sufferings of the refugees.</em></p> <p><strong>According to the United nations, there are 700 thousand people who are forced to leave their homes</strong> due to the violence in the northeastern states of Nigeria. Precisely during the days of the massacre in Paris, Nigeria was again in the news, with the criminal escalations in the State of Borno due to the actions of the extremist group of Boko Haram. They even spoke of kamikaze children who were made to explode in two markets of the Country. The population is defenseless, while contradicting politcal analyses are given and very few reveal the heavy economic interests linked to the exploitation of the petroleum resources of the country. There is great expectations for the presidential elections in February.</p>
<p><em>147 boys and five girls are back home<br /></em></p> <p>Families living in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Orientale are reunited with their children after months or even years apart. The 147 boys and five girls all belonged to armed forces or groups until recently.</p> <p>ICRC (International Committee of Red Cross) staff collected the information they needed to trace their families and have been working with the children in the centre to gradually prepare them to return to their communities.</p>
<p><em><em>2015 Theme: Inspiration, Education & Action</em></em></p> <p>The annual<span style="cursor: pointer;" aria-labelledby="wf_editor_jform_articletext_toggle" class="wf_editor_toggle" role="button"><span id="wf_editor_jform_articletext_toggle">Toggle </span></span> Season for Nonviolence is now in its 18th year. Spiritually guided citizen leaders in 900 cities in 67 countries have participated since the campaign began in 1998, co-founded by Dr. Arun Gandhi and The Association for Global New Thought (AGNT).</p> <p>It's an educational, media and grassroots awareness campaign spanning the January 30th and April 4th, memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</p>
Economy & Work
Thirty-five years ago a dream was born: the Economy of Communion. In late May Argentina will host an extraordinary celebration where people of all ages will come together to breathe new life into this project and write the future for a different kind of economy.
Lorna Gold, Executive Director of Laudato Si’ Movement, reflects on ten years of the encyclical, analysing how integral ecology is an essential path to global unity and tackling the climate crisis.
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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