Ali Abd-alkareem Isma’el
Global Citizen Corps Member
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Elementary schoolchildren helped celebrate the International Day of Peace in Khanaqin, Iraq. Photo: Ali Yassin for Mercy Corps
In Khanaqin, Iraq, Mercy Corps and the local branch of the National Olympic Committee organised a wonderful festival for the International Day of Peace. The day involved children reading a poem and releasing white doves before a football match in Azadi Stadium.
The English club — a group of college students and members of the Global Citizen Corps programme — participated in the festival, some as organisers and others as football players.
The English club collected a group from children (boys and girls) from elementary schools, aged 7 to 13. Members of the English Club trained the children for more than one week on reading a famous poem called "A Child Calls for Peace" in Kurdish language by Koran – the great modern Kurdish poet — and how to release white doves and set off fireworks before the match.
Before the football game got started, the children of Khanaqin released white doves as a symbol of peace. Photo: Ali Yassin for Mercy Corps
The game pitted the old players of Khanaqin club (green and black t-shirts) against the youth players, with few members of the English Club (white t-shirts). When the first half of the match finished, the kids came once again to the yard and they read the poem, then the second half started and the players took their positions in the yard and enjoyed the match until the referee finished the match.
The Department of Education in Khanaqin had a great role in supervising the match, along with two sport supervisors. At the end of the match, the kids with support from the English Club released the fireworks into the sky. The two teams shook hands and took collective pictures to be good memory.
Two satellites TV channels carried the festival (Gali Kurdistan and Kurdistan TV). In addition, the English club invited all the official departments in Khanaqin to the festival.
These footballers participated in the Peace Day match in Azadi Stadium in Khanaqin, Iraq. Photo: Ali Yassin for Mercy Corps
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Filed under
- Countries: Iraq
- Journal: Peace Day 2009
- Tags: Peaceful Change
- Topics: Conflict management, Sports for change, Youth development
Comments
shako
October 25, 2009 10:24AM
I really liked your blog Ali, it is really full of hope massege for every one. Inside and outside Iraq, there are people who don't know about this, your blog conveys this sort of massege like: hey, this what we are, this what we do.
I'm really proud.
wish you the best, all of you.
Davide Frigo
October 27, 2009 4:54AM
Hi,
I am really happy to read about Khanaquin; since I was there in 2003 it always remained in my heart.
Good job Ali
Ali Abd-alkareem
October 27, 2009 10:03PM
Thank you all for pushing me toward writing more about Khanaqin. Thank you all millions times. What we did in Khanaqin was for sake of reconstruct the situation in Iraq and tells folks that we are living in the same way those others live. As soon as possible you are going to read more and more about Iraq and Khanaqin.
Peace.
Ali Abd-alkareem.
JWAN
October 28, 2009 9:33AM
Hi Thank you all.you did agreate job it is really intresting.Ali your writing is great and also the photo is meaningful.
I hope that Iraq and all the world will be peaseful.
Greg Tuke
October 23, 2009 11:46AM
Ali,
As you noted above it was a great day, I was so glad to be a part of it when I visited from the states last month. For an American, it is a bit of a shock to walk into a park in Iraq, and see thousands of families pouring in, fun rides set up like a carnival, and then in the middle of it all, see high school youth playing riddle games with the crowd, bringing them over to their area where they are promoting intl. peace day and solidarity with others around the world seeking peaceful change. Very inspiring, its great work you all are doing there!
-Greg Tuke
Mercy Corps Program Director
Global Citizen Corps
Seattle, USA