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By Francisco Vila, Head of Programs at Arigatou International – Geneva Several years ago, during an interreligious conflict transformation training workshop, I had a powerful experience that transformed my understanding of what it truly means to live together in peace. After one of the sessions, a group of us, Christians, Jews and Muslims, sat together […]

It is undeniable that our reality has been changed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected every aspect of our lives, including the way children are educated. At a time when we are asked to remain physically distant, there is more need than ever to acknowledge our interconnectedness and human interdependency. While “othering” narratives are

Almost three months have passed since the world has been faced with the COVID-19 pandemic.  A lot has happened in such a short time, which has been difficult to assess or even qualify the impact in people’s lives and in our future as a society.  I would like to highlight three critical points on the

Life is ever so meaningful when we realize the interconnectedness it upholds and how our relations with one another are intertwined by events, circumstances, other people and our actions or inactions.  

The world today is at the crossroads of technological progress and social, economic and political instability. On one side, we have more access to information and tools that allow us to communicate across borders; on the other, inequities, extreme ideologies, exclusion and discrimination are running rampant around the world.

The theme of this year’s High-Level Political Forum – a UN platform where countries submit and discuss their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), is “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”, a theme closely linked with child poverty and Early Childhood Development (ECD). This Forum which will be held next month – July 2019, provides an

Violence against children is widespread and pervasive, and it often starts in early childhood. As UNICEF’s ‘A Familiar Face’ report notes: shouting, yelling or screaming are common forms of discipline for 1-year-olds; close to 300 million children between 2-4 experience psychological aggression and/or physical punishment by caregivers at home; 176 million children under 5 years

Playing in itself is valuable for all participating. But utilizing the situations and settings of playing for learning and social processes adds a valuable dimension– in fact, it adds both value and values.

According to the series on ‘Advancing Early Childhood Development: From Science to Scale,’ that was recently published in The Lancet (2017), the world’s oldest and best known medical journal, we know that unfortunately, an estimated 250 million children under five years of age in low and middle income countries and emerging economies will face inequalities

“Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn’t have to be the future. With technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.”Stephen Hawking Investing time in building relationships with children: My mind runs back to

I would like to share nine (9) brief points. The first three are conceptual and addresses what we mean by social cohesion. The second three points relate to my broad diagnosis of the root causes of deadly conflict and violence, which is the anti-thesis of social harmony. Lastly, I conclude by sharing three modest suggestions

By: Mrs. Maria Lucia Uribe, Director Arigatou International Geneva and Secretary General, Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children Many years ago I visited Medellin, Colombia to research peace initiatives in the country. I went to Comuna 13, in Medellin, which used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world, and a