Print-Friendly Version |
PEACEMAKER HERO:
FRIENDS WITHOUT BORDERS
by Amanda Molinaro from Irvine
Friends Without Borders was started by John Silliphant and Mark Peters, who had come to India to do social service. When their visas expired, they decided to travel to Pakistan to continue their work. John Silliphant came up with the idea of collecting friendship letters from the children of India to deliver to the children of Pakistan as a gesture of goodwill. The response from the children of Pakistan was overwhelming. They loved writing letters, and in just a few weeks Silliphant and Peters had collected over 10,000 letters. As letters were being exchanged, it became apparent that they were going to leave lasting impressions. Silliphant believes that "one kid writing a letter makes a difference. When those two kids connect, a connection is made that is going to be lasting. And so if you connect a whole generation then when they grow up the world is replaced by kids with a whole different mindset." Silliphant and Peters began to wonder, if they could get children of both nations to write to each other, connecting an entire generation of children, if it could be a new approach to world peace.
The children of India believe that “[India and Pakistan] are fighting over the past, and the past is gone. We need to look out for the future.” “If we have wars, we will destroy our whole countries. No one will exist,” say the children of Pakistan. When asked if they would fight like their elders when they grow up, they replied, “No I won’t. My main aim of life is to bring peace to the world." The children of India want to know, “Why are we fighting over a piece of land when we have many other things to worry about?” The children of India wrote a giant love letter, measuring 319 feet by 233 feet, to the children of Pakistan. The children of Pakistan had the following response: "We love the children of India and we want peace."
|
|
Written by
Amanda Molinaro from Irvine
|
|
Friends Without Borders strives to help people to realize that despite our differences, we all share the same core commonalities and basic experiences. Friends Without Borders encourages everyone to broaden their definition of “us” to one that includes us all. Dil se Dil Watch Law of Love, the short film inspired by Friends Without Borders |
 |  |  |  |
| Amy Biehl gave her life to ending apartheid in South Africa. | Andrei Sakharov was a Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner devoted to justice and human rights. | Andrew Greene Jr. of Sierra Leone teaches the world about peace. | Archbishop Oscar Romero was a passionate voice of hope, peace and justice in war-torn El Salvador. |
 |  |  |  |
| Ashoka was a fierce warrior-king who changed his ways and became a beloved peacemaker. | Atsuko Shiwaku set up the International Intercultural Mural Exchange Project to promote peaceful coexistence. | BETTY BIGOMBE was named 'Uganda’s Woman of the Year' in 1994 for her efforts to negotiate peace in Uganda. | Chief Arvol Looking Horse appeals to indigenous voices across the world to bring peace. |
 |  |  |  |
| Coalition of Women for Peace aims to make women a key part of the peace process in the Middle East. | Corbin Harney has spread a message of peace throughout the world. | Craig Kielburger believes kids can change the world. | Dr. Caldicott has been a lifelong anti-nuclear activist. |
 |  |  |  |
| Dr. Ed Gragert works towards peace and global education. | Dr. Fareed Zakaria offers the world a rare perspective on East-West relations. | Elie Wiesel wrote the famous Holocaust memoir Night. | Elie Wiesel is a Holocaust survivor and author, whose work spreads a message of peace. |
 |  |  |  |
| Emily Greene Balch received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946. | Florence Kelley was a faithful fighter for child labor laws, women's rights, and civil rights in the U.S. | Friends Without Borders is building peace through children's heartfelt letters to one another in India and Pakistan. | Gerson Andres Florez Perez was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize at age 16. |
 |  |  |  |
| Greg Mortenson promotes peace by building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. | Guernica : Picasso's work of art evokes peace worldwide. | Hadraawi, Beloved Peacemaker / Poet of Somalia is a powerful voice for peace in his country. | Hassan 2 was a monarch who worked for peace in the Middle East |
 |  |  |  |
| Hugo Grotius was a scholar who advocated for peace between nations based on natural law and reason. | Ibrahim Alex Bangura makes music that sends a message of peace and tolerance. | Jason Crowe received the UN's Global Peace & Tolerance Award. | Jehan Sadat is a leader for peace and women's rights in Egypt. |
 |  |  |  |
| Jimmy Carter has dedicated his life to humanitarian and philanthropic causes. | Jimmy Carter For as long as she can remember, Sherry Lansing has considered President Carter her hero. | John Wallach helps young people learn to make friends of enemies. | Kim Dae-Jung brought democracy and economic stability to South Korea. |
 |  |  |  |
| Kimmie Weeks survived the war in Liberia and now works to rebuild communities in war-torn countries. | Kofi Annan is an honored freedom and peacemaker hero. | Le Ly Hayslip is a humanitarian, memoirist, and powerful peacemaker. | Loung Ung from Cambodia is a national spokesperson for a landmine-free world. |
 |  |  |  |
| Lyndon Harris: People Making a Difference founded The Gardens of Forgiveness Project. | Malika Sanders was born into the Civil Rights Movement and continues work today. | Marc Kielburger is a human rights activist who has dedicated his life to helping others. | Martin Luther King, Jr. brought change through non-violence. |
 |  |  |  |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. was a hero of faith, peace, and tolerance. | Mattie Stepanek is a hero to people of all ages around the world. | Mattie Stepanek: For Our World Mattie’s poems of peace and hope have touched millions of lives | Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat came to be a great advocate for peace. |
 |  |  |  |
| Mohamed Anwar El Sadat risked his life for peace. | Mohamed ElBaradei is dedicated to ridding the world of nuclear weapons. | Mohandas K. Gandhi used non-violence to free India from British rule. | Muhammad Yunus started a bank for poor people in Bangladesh. |
 |  |  |  |
| My Hero & Childnet ask "How can we use the Internet as a Tool for Peace and Hope?" | Nickole Evans is using technology for peace. | Oprah was honored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity . | Oscar Arias Sanchez won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to establish peace in Central America. |
 |  |  |  |
| Peace Children voted overwhelmingly for peace and change. | Peace Palace International Court Of Justice seeks global peace and justice by settling disputes between countries. | Peace Pilgrim walked over 25,000 miles for peace. | PeaceJam Foundation Students from around the world focus on a Global Call to Action for peace on the anniversary of 9/11. |
 |  |  |  |
| Postpessimists is working for change in the Balkans. | Rigoberta Menchu Tum was the first Guatemalan to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. | Romeo Alain Dallaire is a celebrated humanitarian for his work during the Rwandan genocide. | Ron Kovic has worked for peace for over three decades. |
 |  |  |  |
| Roshi Bernie Glassman finds peace in using Zen to help others. | Ruty Hotzen inspires students from around the world through Talking Kites, iEARN. | Ryuichi Hirokawa photographer who illuminates the needs of children in crisis. | Sarah Winnemucca was an advocate for Paiute rights and the first Native American woman to publish a book. |
 |  |  |  |
| The Art Miles Mural Project teaches respect and understanding through art. | The Everest Peace Project promotes peace, teamwork, and cultural understanding. | Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize for Peace for brokering a treaty between Japan and Russia. | UWC Initiative for Peace brings together teens from India and Pakistan to discuss nuclear disarmament. |
 |  | ||
| Winston Churchill was one of the first to recognize and warn others of Hitler's danger to freedom and human rights. | Yitzhak Rabin made peace a priority as the leader of Israel. |
Last changed on:11/21/2008 5:00:55 PM
|
