Since the wrenching partition of Indian in 1947, Pakistan and India have been at war several times. With nuclear arsenals at the ready, the region is engaged in a dangerous struggle. Intent on opening new channels of diplomacy and cooperation in the region, the U.S. State Department approached Seeds of Peace to explore the feasibility of a program aimed at South Asian young people. In 2001, Seeds of Peace launched a program for Indians and Pakistanis from Mumbai and Lahore. The next year, the program more than doubled in size. Later, the program expanded to include a delegation from neighboring Afghanistan. Seeds of Peace works hard to choose participants from diverse economic and religious backgrounds—Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians and Parsis have all been represented.
Click here [1] for information on the India and Pakistan program.
Click here [2] for information on the Afghan program.
Since the beginning of the program, Homestays have been the centerpiece of our regional programming in South Asia. One year Pakistani and Afghan Seeds will visit the homes of their Indian Seed friends from their camp experience in Maine. The next year Indian and Afghan Seeds will visit their Pakistani Seed friends. This week-long experience is profound for the participants and has an enormous ripple effect into the community. Families, extended families and friends learn about those from the other side of the border. Workshops and trainings are held for the participants of the Homestays and then those Seeds from both countries make presentations to all of their schools. The theme of respect and mutual understanding is spread to hundreds and sometimes thousands of individuals in each of the Homestay experiences.
There are Country Directors in each of the three countries. These staff members hold monthly and bi-monthly meetings with all the Seeds. The meetings reinforced the ideals of empathy, communication, compassion and leadership. The topics for the meetings were generated from the interests of the Seeds. Planning for community outreach also happens within these local meetings.
As part of our effort to spread the Seeds of Peace philosophy and enlarge the community of those who believe in the possibility of coexistence, this program offers an opportunity for Seeds to bring a friend to an exciting event. These two day sessions bring professionals to meet with the group to discuss community building, volunteerism, leadership skills, and other topics. Bring-A-Friend workshops are held in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.
The South Asia Newsletter has been produced twice a year since December 2004. Called Sulha Aman Shanti, they are the words for peace in Dari, Urdu and Sanskrit respectively. Contributions typically include essays, book reviews, op-eds, political discussions, poems and illustrations. Afghanistan, India and Pakistan each have their own editorial committees from among the Seeds with a staff member overseeing the process. As a magazine by youth and for youth, it is easily distributed and well received by many youth in South Asia.
In November of 2006, volunteers from Seeds of Peace joined hundreds of volunteers from around the world in Lonavala, India at Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy Carter Work Project. Seeds and Delegation Leaders from Pakistan and India were part of the work teams building three of one hundred houses built by the international team. Although there were volunteers from around the world, our Seeds were the only Pakistanis at the project.
“This truly was the practical application of the Seeds of Peace philosophy," said Parinaz, an Indian Seed. "Here were Pakistanis building homes for the Indian poor … I mean where would you ever find that?”
Ongoing discussions are being held between Habitat for Humanity and Seeds of Peace about continuing this partnership in the future.
Educators from the participating schools in Lahore and Mumbai gather for workshops, trainings and cross-border exchanges. Each teacher touches many students in his or her life. Understanding the Seeds of Peace philosophy and mission allows for this information to be spread to an even wider audience. These educators go on support the activities of the Seeds within their schools. Often times, Seeds will offer presentations about the Seeds of Peace program in their schools, speaking about their experiences and challenging their peers to look at the conflict from different perspectives.
Seeds of Peace organize programs such as the South Asian Speaker Series, Photo Workshops, Film Screenings, Art Competitions, Peace Partner activities and other community service initiatives. These events help spread the message of tolerance, coexistence and mutual understanding. In 2008, eleven Pakistani Seeds and two educators spent time with 33 earthquake-affected children living at the SOS Children’s Village in Lahore, Pakistan. They played games with the children and helped with art activities. The children of the village and the Director were very pleased with the event and have invited Seeds of Peace back for more visits.
The South Asia program puts out a yearly calendar featuring artwork by our Seeds in the region. This year, drawings from the calendar will be featured at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Links:
[1] http://www.seedsofpeace.org/programs/indiapakistan
[2] http://www.seedsofpeace.org/programs/afghan