Youth and Service
Banting, Malaysia - Under the theme ‘1 Community for Peace Service,’ a small town 55 km from Kuala Lumpur was the venue for the Multicultural Youth Service project December 4-11, 2010. Forty youths from all over Malaysia plus two from Thailand and Singapore came together for a period of eight days for the Religious Youth Service experience.
New York, USA - Help change the life of a child by giving to the Supporting Success Scholarship Fund, which helps gifted students from poverty-stricken families in Bangladesh and Zambia continue their education.
Islamabad, Pakistan - After the July 2010 flooding, UPF-Japan volunteers traveled to Islamabad in November to pack donations and deliver food and mattresses to displaced people at a camp in the Nowshera district.
New York, USA - The Embassy of St. Lucia in the US is appealing for funds to help rebuild after the Caribbean nation was devastated by Hurricane Tomas on October 30, described as the worst natural disaster in the island's recent history.
Kingston & Portland, Jamaica - Members of the Jamaican Religious Youth Service club joined youth from the US Nov. 1-22, 2010, in Kingston and Portland to give schools a facelift, take part in a campaign to prevent dengue, visit places of worship and participate in interfaith dialogue.
Anse-la-Raye, St. Lucia -Three days after the passage of Hurricane Tomas on Oct. 29, 2010, 15 volunteers from the USA and Canada arrived in St. Lucia for three weeks of service projects, including cleaning up storm damage at the Anse-la-Raye primary school.
Jaffna, Sri Lanka - After the 26-year Sri Lanka civil war ended in May 2009, much work remains to settle displaced people and help resume normal peacetime life. Religious Youth Service organized a project to help repair a pre-school building December 11-17 on the northern tip of the island as part of a national rebuilding effort.
Pokhara, Nepal - About 30 dynamic youths representing different faiths attended a Religious Youth Service project in Pokhara September 24 to October 1. Representatives came from the Buddhist, Baha’i, and Jain religions.
Utrecht, Netherlands - Character development and community partnerships should be key factors in development aid, according to a Ghanaian NGO leader addressing a UPF-Netherlands conference on September 19 in Utrecht. A professor at the Maastricht School of Management cited statistics about aid and concerns of donor nations.
Auburn, Australia - The Sapphire Function Centre in Auburn NSW was the scene of UPF's Living for Others Awards on October 2. It honored people who have distinguished themselves in different areas through their extraordinary and selfless acts of giving.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan - The Universal Peace Federation and the Tajikistan Peace Foundation participated in a September 8 independence celebration at the Protection Center for Children, Refugees and Socially Vulnerable Citizens. The event was organized by refugee children, who created drawings on the theme of peace and prepared a performance.
Anse la Raye, St. Lucia - International volunteers joined with 14 St. Lucians Aug. 7-17, 2010, in a Friendship Americas project that included rebuilding homes of senior citizens.