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>An initiative created by kids living in the slums of Mumbai and by the friends of Shanti Ashram of Coimbatore also known as Kovai, with the support of the Udisha Project.</em></p> <p><strong>Together with </strong><a href="http://shanthiashram.org/" target="_blank"><strong>Shanti Ashram</strong></a><strong>, a Hindu movement inspired by teachings of Ghandi, the </strong><a href="http://www.udisha.org/" target="_blank">Udisha</a> movement conducts and supports various activities such as the <strong>Piggy Bank</strong>, <strong>with the motto: “The more you give, the more you get.”</strong> «Launched in March 2014, the project draws its inspiration from <a href="http://www.focolare.org/en/chiara-lubich/" target="_blank">Chiara Lubich’s </a>concept called the <strong>“culture of giving,” and which she held very dear </strong><strong>- one of the coordinators, </strong>Valentino Agri, wrote. The project thus expresses the great desire to share with the children and their families, the discovery of God’s immense love for each one of us.»</p>
<p><em>Mgr Ignatius Kaigama talks about the suffering of a country hit by Islamist violence. For the prelate, what is going on "is not a clash between Christians and Muslims", but the result of an increasingly powerful group that is willing to attack anyone who stands in its way. He wants greater international commitment and "determination to halt terrorism."</em></p> <p>Jos (AsiaNews) - "Do not forget that we are here, that we are suffering, that many people have been killed, that many have become displaced, that they do not have a place to live. We need help and practical support to put an end to attacks," said Mgr Ignatius Kaigama, archbishop of Jos, Nigeria, who spoke to <em>AsiaNews</em> about the violence perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram in the Central African nation.His warning comes after three young female suicide bombers, one reportedly aged 10, killed 20 more people in Maiduguri and Potiskum.</p>
<p><em>Five years ago a catastrophic earthquake struck the Caribbean Island. Commitments for various types of aid actions were set in motion to help the Haitian population.</em></p> <p><strong>I</strong><strong>t was a tragedy «that caused death, destruction and also desperation»</strong> and where «a lot has been done to rebuild the country » but where a lot of work still remains to be done.» This was what Pope Francis said to the participants at the meeting promoted for the 5<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the 12 January earthquake.
<p><span id="result_box" lang="it"><em>Nearly a decade after Hurricane Katrina, federal action means 19 lagging states will finally require plans at all child care centers</em><br /></span></p> <p>Fairfield, Connecticut, USA - Nearly a decade after Hurricane Katrina showed the nation how vulnerable children are to disaster, basic emergency planning standards for child-care providers will finally be required in every state. Unwilling to wait longer for lagging states to act, Congress included three child-care disaster planning standards tracked annually by Save the Children in the bipartisan Child Care Development Block Grant Re-authorization Act of 2014. Today, President Barack Obama signed the bill into law, instituting new educational, safety and health standards for child-care providers across the country.</p>
<p><em><span id="result_box" lang="it">Muslims in France and around the world banded together on Wednesday to strongly condemn the deadliest terror attack the country has seen in the past two decades.</span></em></p> <p><span lang="it"><span id="result_box" lang="it"><span id="result_box" lang="it">Three masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a notorious satirical magazine. One of the men reportedly shouted “Allahu akbar” as they unleashed a barrage of bullets that left at least twelve dead.</span></span></span></p> <p><span lang="it"><span lang="it"><span lang="it"><span id="result_box" lang="it">Muslim leaders and activists immediately denounced the terrorists actions, reiterating the verse in the Quran that tells Muslims when one kills just one innocent person, it is as if he has killed all of humanity.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p><em>"The Christian-Jewish dialogue, prospects of re-encounter between two faiths": a courageous title that drew Jews and Christians from various parts of the world for three days, in late November, to live together an experience of growth.</em></p> <p><strong>“It was not a conference, but an experience</strong> and, to be more precise and in-tune with the event, I would call it an experience of <em>tikkun</em>, reparation, as explained in the Jewish tradition,” writes Roberto Catalano, from the Focolare’s Centre for <a href="http://www.focolare.org/in-dialogo/grandi-religioni/ebraismo/">Interreligious Dialogue</a> on his return from Salerno.</p>
<p><em>"One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world." (Malala Yousafzai)</em></p> <p>Dear friends of the Living Peace Project, <br />Dear peacemakers,</p> <p>Time has come to prepare the Youth World Peace Forum (YWPF) to be held next year 2015, on May 4th – 6th in Cairo, Egypt. <br />This historical moment lived together, will give us new strength and conviction to build on and realize a more united and peaceful world.</p> <p>And for this we need the cooperation and support of all of you around in the world.</p>
<p><em><span id="result_box" lang="it">After the Sydney hostage crisis, acts of kindness to counteract the terrorism<br /></span></em></p> <p><span id="result_box" lang="it">From the horror that gripped the city of Sydney in the hostage crisis on December 16th that left two of the captives and the hostage-taker dead, seeds of compassion and solidarity have been sown with the Muslim community. To counter an escalation of anti-Muslim sentiments and fear of repercussions from the siege carried out by an Iranian immigrant brandishing a black flag with Arabic writing, Rachel Jacobs, a young Sydney resident, reached out to her Muslim neighbor.
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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