On 21 September 350 children from World Vision Kosovo's Kids for Peace clubs gathered to celebrate the International Day of Peace. This diverse group of middle school youth, coming from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds in ethnically divided Kosovo, gathered to celebrate peace in their lives eight years after the end of the Kosovo war.

In their opening speech to a diverse audience of international and local guests, from UN officials and local politicians to school staff and parents, the children stated: 'In 1981 the United Nations General Assembly stated that the International Day of Peace should be a day where fighting stops all around the world. It also calls on everyone to use this day to raise awareness for the cause of peace. This is why we are here today, to celebrate peace in our lives.'

Each year World Vision Kosovo organizes an activity to commemorate International Day of Peace, established by the UN in 2001 to celebrate peace and highlight nonviolent solutions to conflicts.

This year, children shared their desire to live free of violence and celebrated peace through artistic performances involving song, poetry, role-play and dance. This show of solidarity was a significant demonstration of multi-ethnic cooperation and friendship; a rare occurrence in Kosovo where ethnic tensions remain high in the run-up to a final decision on the province's political status, due in December this year.


The Kids for Peace project, established in 2002 with the goal of promoting peace and understanding among elementary and middle school aged youth, works to educate the children of Kosovo on the gravity of the country's social problems. Through weekly club activities in local schools across rural Kosovo, the project empowers kids to play a role in changing the environment in which they live.

'In Kids for Peace clubs we have learned about each other's traditions, religions, cultures and even languages. We have discovered that we have many things in common and that we are all the same; we are children with the same dreams and the same desire to live in peace,' said a child at the International Day of Peace celebration.