Newsletter Fall 2008
Meet Some of Our International Friends
PeacePal from Turkey
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Name: Oyku Unaldi
Country: Turkey
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I am a 17 year-old, high school student, Oyku Unaldi from Turkey. I wanted to start a project for world peace regarding the question in my mind,
“how can world peace be?” I thought that the first step must be gathering some support and I started connecting the websites working for world peace on a peace chain at
www.yespeace.com. I think the next step must be something more effective and I wanted my country to join this project too which starts teaching peace from children and youth, the project PeacePal. Together we are “Gathering the Pieces of Peace.”
Our PeacePals in Orissa, India
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Name: Mary Ellen Gerber Foundation
Country: India
The Mary Ellen Gerber Foundation (MEG) is an orphanage in India (www.megfoundation.org). “The MEG Foundation opened its doors on June 3, 1997, and has been in India since 2000. The mission of the foundation is to help in the caring of orphans in need. In its two villages, Puri and Visakhapatnam, it lodges, nourishes and schools 200 children to prepare them to obtain a worthy occupation.” We currently have 14 PeacePals from the MEG Foundation writing to PeacePals in the U.S.
Schools in Nicaragua to Join PeacePal
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Country: Nicaragua
We are excited to annouce that 3 schools in Nicaragua will be joining Project PeacePal. At the school in Ocotal, in northern Nicaragua, PeacePal will be helping our friends pay for an Internet connection for their brand new computers to make sending letters possible. Although we try to write most of our PeacePal letters by hand, in some cases Internet is the only way to get there! We are working on providing them with a scanner so that we can scan hand written letters and attach them to e–mail.
¡Bienvenidos!
PeacePals in Afghanistan
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Name: Green Village Schools, Mohammed Khan Kharoti
Country: Afghanistan
PeacePal has been granted an amazing oppurtunity to work with Green Village Schools, a non–profit based in Porthland, Oregon. Their mission is “to establish and maintain schools in Afghanistan that offer boys and girls a basic education in reading and writing in both Pashto and English, math, history, and science.” Green Village Schools was started by Mohammed Khan Kharoti, who was born a nomad and was illerate unitl he was 12. He received a medical degree in Afghanistan. He left Afghanistan when the Russians invaded the country, and established the first school in his home village while the Taliban still controlled his country. The first school had 6 girls and 10 boys in first grade and quickly grew to 15 girls and 60 boys by that summer. Now, the school is an educational center of a large village with over 800 students including over 400 girls, who were never allowed to get an education in Afghanistan before.
We are so excited to have been able to establish a relationship with Green Village Schools. After we made contact with them about Project PeacePal, we were able to send our first package of PeacePal letters to students in Afghanistan. They were hand–delivered by Mr. Kharoti and the U.S. PeacePals are eagerly awaiting responses from their new friends. It is exciting to see these new friendships develop.
Salaam Aleiukum!
Message from Our PeacePal Mentor in Senegal
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Name: Hilaire Nakigane
Country: Senegal
I AM HILAIRE NAKIGANE 28 YEARS OLD. I TEACH ENGLISH AND FRENCH IN SOME P[R]IVATE SCHOOLS TO THE STUDENTS WHO JUST ENTERED IN SECONDARY SCHOOL. I AM A CHOIR MASTER IN MY CHURCH. I COMPOSE CHURCH SONGS AND I ALSO COMPOSE AFRICAN'S MUSIC AND SLOW AND REGGAE MUSIC. I LOVE CHILDREN THAS'S WHY I SING WITH THEM AND FOR THEM.
PeacePal: Young Pakistanis Inspiration to Build Peace
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Name: Mr. Ashfaq Fateh, Principal of St. Peter's School
Country: Pakistan
“Peace Pal has inspired young Pakistanis to build peace. The interaction among the students of USA-Pak is very much encouraged by families, teachers, and different people. Pakistani youth is motivated to enhance love, trust, and harmony with their US counterparts. The program is becoming popular not only among school going students but young illiterates who have never gone to schools. Especially the illiterate girls are more interested.
Peace Pal has a great scope in Pakistan. It will be a source of change. I am thankful to Peace USA for creating such a wonderful project. I wish some day young people from US visit their Pakistani counterparts and get first hand knowledge about Pakistan. The learning of youth shall change the mindset."
"There is no way to peace, peace is the way." "Peace is possible; to reach peace, teach peace."
With peace,
Ashfaq Fateh
PeacePal Facilitator, Pakistan
