GNRC El Salvador celebrated the Day of Prayer and Action for Children with over 500 guests at an indigenous sector of the country.
The Global Network of Religions for Children in El Salvador celebrated the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children in Nahuizalco, Salvadoran indigenous sector, with representatives from 5 faith-based communities: The Bahá’í Faith, Muslim Community, Maya Spirituality, Catholic Church and Lutheran Church. There were 500 participants in all, some 300 indigenous children. The 13 facilitators were mostly from the ages of 11 to 24 and they hosted workshops on Children’s Rights.
The Municipal City Hall of Nahuizalco supported the event with a stage and sound system, and the Mayor Dr. Jorge Patriz sat with the religious representatives of the GNRC member communities during the activities.
The speeches by religious and municipal representatives stressed the importance of peace, religious unity and compliance with Children’s Rights. Youth from different denominations represented these ideals in the “Dance of the Religions” and then they held workshops with the children about their rights and responsibilities as children, and the compulsory nature of the Convention on the Rights of the Child that UN member-states had signed.
“This is a message of hope,” said one of the participants. El Salvador is a country known as one of the most violent in the world. “This is the kind of news that we need,” another concluded, “let it be known that youth in El Salvador can build a culture of peace.”
Original report by Gabriela Velis, GNRC Coordinator for El Salvador
