On June 1, 2010, in Manila, Philippines, while religious conflict continued in neighboring regions, Asia America Initiative's (AAI) Peace Caravan program brought together local children and college students known as "Catalysts for Peace".
The Caravan's participants come from opposite spectrums of a society torn apart by ethnic and religious divide. Their mission is to bridge barriers within a fragmented and violently divided culture. The Catalysts from the Catholic Assumption College in the upscale Makati neighborhood joined AAI and held a Kiddie Fun Day event in the impoverished and predominantly Muslim Maharlika community. Although AAI is not a faith-based organization, we respect that people's religious beliefs are essential conduits for healing regardless of the way in which they pray. In the Philippines, AAI's mission is to bring people together to recognize a common good for entire communities under one God and one nation.
The "Kiddie Fun Day" in Maharlika was conducted on the grounds of the Blue Mosque, a sanctuary well-maintained as an island of Hope in the midst of desolation. The event was attended by more than 100 elementary school children, parents and community leaders. Many belong to families who live in makeshift "squatter" shacks after fleeing religious violence and severe poverty in the Mindanao region. In a standard trauma counseling exercise "game" the volunteers asked the children to draw pictures of what Peace means to them. As Catalyst Jian Palacio reflects, "Most of the children drew houses. Others drew trees, flowers and the sun because for them a clean environment means peace. Two of the children drew flags of the Philippines and said they just wanted to have peace here in our country."
Photo Credit: Dabet Castañeda and Bulatlat
Source: http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-43/6-43-port.htm
Most of the participants had grown up with fixed ideas and seldom associated with people of different cultures and religions. However, music, dance and arts formed a common bond of joy throughout the Caravan. The Volunteers led an interactive unity of Faith through a book titled "I know who made me," where the characters in the story were enthusiastically acted out by Catalysts and the children. AAI's volunteers also found that by giving you also receive and that the human interaction is more powerful than simply giving toys and candy. Assumption Catalyst Maria Aljine Bautista reflects, "A child's smile is transparent. Their love can be seen through their smile. I generally saw more smiles when the kids were playing with the volunteers than with toys."
The Caravan and Fun Day programs are a form of peace mediation and non-traditional education where the human interaction breaks down the habits of lack of awareness and divisiveness. Without imposing beliefs or ideologies, community residents and volunteers learned that they have much more in common than they realized. Catalyst Florence Bayer recalls, "Muslim kids are just like Christian kids I met from the previous catechisms I have attended. They were like any other kids who want to have fun and explore new things. Like the Muslim proverb, "If you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart," the experience also made me realize that you really don't need to be rich to be able to help other people; all we need is just the willingness, perseverance and faith in God... Even after only a few hours, seeing them smile in spite of all their struggles in life inspired me."
The Caravan's participants come from opposite spectrums of a society torn apart by ethnic and religious divide. Their mission is to bridge barriers within a fragmented and violently divided culture. The Catalysts from the Catholic Assumption College in the upscale Makati neighborhood joined AAI and held a Kiddie Fun Day event in the impoverished and predominantly Muslim Maharlika community. Although AAI is not a faith-based organization, we respect that people's religious beliefs are essential conduits for healing regardless of the way in which they pray. In the Philippines, AAI's mission is to bring people together to recognize a common good for entire communities under one God and one nation.
The "Kiddie Fun Day" in Maharlika was conducted on the grounds of the Blue Mosque, a sanctuary well-maintained as an island of Hope in the midst of desolation. The event was attended by more than 100 elementary school children, parents and community leaders. Many belong to families who live in makeshift "squatter" shacks after fleeing religious violence and severe poverty in the Mindanao region. In a standard trauma counseling exercise "game" the volunteers asked the children to draw pictures of what Peace means to them. As Catalyst Jian Palacio reflects, "Most of the children drew houses. Others drew trees, flowers and the sun because for them a clean environment means peace. Two of the children drew flags of the Philippines and said they just wanted to have peace here in our country."
Photo Credit: Dabet Castañeda and Bulatlat Source: http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-43/6-43-port.htm
Most of the participants had grown up with fixed ideas and seldom associated with people of different cultures and religions. However, music, dance and arts formed a common bond of joy throughout the Caravan. The Volunteers led an interactive unity of Faith through a book titled "I know who made me," where the characters in the story were enthusiastically acted out by Catalysts and the children. AAI's volunteers also found that by giving you also receive and that the human interaction is more powerful than simply giving toys and candy. Assumption Catalyst Maria Aljine Bautista reflects, "A child's smile is transparent. Their love can be seen through their smile. I generally saw more smiles when the kids were playing with the volunteers than with toys."
During the three-hour event, large numbers of parents, community residents and religious clergy came out of the mosque to observe and appreciate the good feelings shared by all. The interfaith teamwork of the Catalysts served as a positive example for the community. This transformed the fear and apprehension evident when the Caravan arrived into a new-found sense of friendship and understanding. Kiddie Fun Day ended with enthusiastic requests for AAI programs to be continued on a consistent basis. Catalyst Mona Garcia, a Muslim student at Assumption, recalls what it meant for her to be a Catalyst for Peace, "I've learned a lot of things from this program. To know the importance of community...there are so many communities all over the world separated by religions, languages, cultures or geographical locations. However, I believe we are all related to each other in some way or other, thus making the entire world one single community."
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