Celebrating peace in Khanaqin

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 organized 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 program — participated in the festival, some as organizers 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

On Friday, October 23, 2009 (11:00 am), Greg Tuke wrote:

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

On Sunday, October 25, 2009 (10:00 am), shako wrote:

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.

On Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (4:00 am), Davide Frigo wrote:

Hi,
I am really happy to read about Khanaquin; since I was there in 2003 it always remained in my heart.
Good job Ali

On Tuesday, October 27, 2009 (10:00 pm), Ali Abd-alkareem wrote:

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.

On Wednesday, October 28, 2009 (9:00 am), JWAN wrote:

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.

Sign in

The Mercy Corps Blog

Blog Post Posted October 20, 2009, 9:07 am by Ali Abd-alkaree...