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Day of Peace in Stuttgart, Germany
Written by UPF - Germany
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Stuttgart, Germany - A special event was held on September 20 to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace (September 21) and World Children´s Day (September 20) organized by the Family Federation for World Peace, the Universal Peace Federation of Stuttgart, and several Ambassadors for Peace.
The event introduced a charity project for children in need in Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa, planned by the UPF Ambassador for Peace Ida Kassiekpo-Schmidt. Mrs. Kassiekpo-Schmidt comes from a war-torn village in western Cote d'Ivoire. She has a German husband and works as an actress in Stuttgart, but she plans to start the project for orphans in her home town as soon as possible.
The event was held in the rooms of the Family Federation in Stuttgart. Hubert Arnoldi, the local coordinator of UPF, welcomed about 70 guests to the UN International Day of Peace Celebration. The program began with a delightful presentation of Chopin´s piano music played by Kristina Stary, a gifted music student. Mr. Arnoldi then explained the history of the UN International Day of Peace. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon´s speech with the urgent appeal “We Must Disarm” was read, followed by a minute of silence for world peace.
Christoph Wenzel, director of the Family Federation for World Peace in Stuttgart, then sang a moving song written in Polish by his brother, entitled “Father of the Cathedral,” sensitively accompanied on the piano by Kristina Stary. The main address was given by Karl-Christian Hausmann, director of the Family Federation in Germany, who presented his lecture in three parts:
- The UN's goals and means for establishing peace, include a declaration by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the International Day of Peace 2009
- How we can contribute towards peace through learning peace-keeping strategies within the family and by promoting interreligious cooperation
- UPF peace projects and the four points of the UPF Declaration on the International Day of Peace
After singing together “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” prayers for peace were offered from various religions together with prayers for children from throughout the world, in a play written and presented by Mrs. Kassiekpo–Schmidt. Members of the audience showed enthusiastic support for those on stage. Finally, everybody joined together to sing “Amazing Grace.” Donations were collected for the children´s project in Cote d'Ivoire.
Culinary specialities from Africa and Japan were offered for sale, the proceeds of which were donated to the children's project.
Mrs Kassiekpo–Schmidt showed slides of life in Cote d'Ivoire and the poverty and misery resulting from previous wars. She explained her plan to accommodate 140 orphans in her home town. During the presentation, children were invited to participate in a series of arts and crafts activities.
Rosa Maria Bucht-Schmidt presented a cheerful dance to conclude the event, after which coffee and cake were served.
Finally, Hubert and Yoshiko Arnoldi presented Mr. and Mrs. Kassiekpo–Schmidt with the proceeds of the day, more than 400 Euros, and wished them every success and blessing.
To read UPF's Declaration on the International Day of Peace 2009, click here.
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