Service Programs
To cultivate the spirit of one family under God, UPF offers disaster relief and organizes service projects such as caring for public spaces, supporting access to education, promoting good health, and providing medical supplies.
- Written by: GPF - Lebanon
Nabatieh, Lebanon - In the Lebanon Youth Service Weekend’s largest single project by number of participants, 130 scouts traveled from different parts of Beirut to the south Lebanon town of Nabatieh on November 16. There, they were welcomed by the Women’s Progress Association for Motherhood, Children and the Elderly.
- Written by: GPF - Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon - This project was the brainchild of two Palestinians — a doctor and a student — in response to the call to participate in a Youth Service Weekend. They chose Shatilla cemetery, the site of a horrific massacre more than 25 years ago, and asked Palestinian children to plant olive trees there on November 16, as a gesture of looking forwards towards a better, more peaceful future. The response was very enthusiastic.
- Written by: GPF - Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon - During the Youth Service Weekend, a group of volunteers from the Jamhour School in Greater Beirut visited the Home of Hope, which is a place of residence for any and all homeless children on the streets of Lebanon.
- Written by: U- Lebanon
Sarafand, Lebanon - South Lebanon’s coastal plains are a vibrant and fruitful area but, due to their exposure to conflicts and economic restraints, a number of social issues require attention. Inspired by a call to service, 35 students and four or five teachers at the Sarafand High School decided that they would give 27 orphan girls a special outing.
- Written by: GPF - Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon - A group of volunteers partnered with the Hope Foundation, a Lebanese charity, to perform for a group of orphans on November 14, 2008, as part of Youth Service Weekend. When they arrived they found Mr. Ghosn, president of the Hope Foundation, busy giving a bunch of little kids pink and blue crowns/hats in dim light coming from barred windows.
- Written by: GPF - Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon - Whereas integration of children with special needs into society has improved over the years, it is still a pioneering task to make sure that mentally disadvantaged children receive more respectful, positive attention. A group of 30 students, ages 11 to 13, from Aksar Kassardjian School chose this for their project on the weekend of service.
- Written by: Roberto Pascoalato de Azevedo and Romel Munhoz
Gama, Brazil - Global Peace Festival of Brazil participants had the opportunity to raise community awareness of the importance of the GPF efforts to introduce a new model of peace and implement a culture of peace in accordance with the motto, “One Family under God.”
- Written by: GPF-Japan
Tokyo, Japan - On November 9, 880 people gathered at 9:30 am in Adachi City, part of metropolitan Tokyo, Japan, to clean the banks of the Arakawa River that flows through the eastern part of the city.
- Written by: Roberto Pascoalato de Azevedo and Romel Munhoz
Itu, Brazil - On November 9, at 10:00 in the morning, we carried out a Social Impact Service project in the city of Itu, in São Paulo state. We began by gathering the participants together and explaining to them the social importance of doing the service project, at the same time connecting it to the vision of the Global Peace Festival. Thirty-four people cleaned the Jardim Santana stream by removing garbage and rebuilding the bridge.
- Written by: Paul Byrne, IRFF Supporting Success Scholarship Fund Director
New York, New York - The International Relief Friendship Foundation is raising money in 2008 for its Supporting Success scholarships through the Global Giving network of funders and partners.
- Written by: UPF-Lebanon
Northern Lebanon - A tree-planting project on Oct. 26, 2008, provided a rare opportunity for young Lebanese to see other parts of their own country.
- Written by: Roberto Pascoalato de Azevedo and Romel Munhoz
On October 18, the Global Peace Festival sponsored a service project in the watering-place of Butantã, in the city of São Paulo, with the help and support of approximately 40 people.