Lima, Peru—On June 3, UPF-Peru together with Peruvian Congressman Dr. Yonhy Lescano organized a forum in the Sanchez Carrion auditorium of the Peruvian Congress to celebrate the Global Day of Parents.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Yonhy Lescano emphasized the role of parents, saying that they are the pillars of society upon which strong families can be built. He also said that the basic way to create a just and fair society is not by creating laws for every crime or misdemeanor but by educating children, the first educators of whom are their parents.
He expressed his gratitude to his mother for the way she educated him, raising him with strong principles and a lot of love. It was this foundation that helped him become a congressman, sincerely caring for his people, first on a local level, and now on a national level.
He concluded by saying that having a family is like running a business; you have to invest a lot of time and energy and love into it to make it strong and successful.
The second speaker, former police general Hector Jhon Caro, vice president of UPF-Peru, continued with the theme of the value of parents and the effect that they have on their children. He gave an interesting example of how children do not always appreciate the sacrifice that their parents make for them and felt that the recently formalized Day of Parents in Peru was long overdue. He called on all those who were in attendance to salute all parents on this day. The audience rose to their feet to applaud his words and honor parents worldwide.
The final speaker, Mrs. Durga Ramirez, a distinguished lawyer and university lecturer, spoke of the problems the world faces, which sometimes seem insurmountable. Like the previous speakers, she said that the way forward is through good education, education that feeds the spirits of the students, not just their minds.
After the presentations, Mr. Trevor Jones, executive director of UPF-Peru, spoke about UPF and recent developments with the organization on the national and international levels. He then appointed 10 new Ambassadors for Peace, among them Christian ministers, the president of a new political party, a union director, as well as activists who work for peace.
The event concluded with a musical performance of traditional Peruvian dance and songs.