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Stitching together messages of peace from around the world

To mark World Peace Day 2018, Empathy Action partnered with humanitarian relief supplier NRS International to run a #PeaceDoves campaign to give wings to a message of hope, peace and reconciliation that went across the world.

The project connected local schools and businesses in Kent with NRS International’s factory workers in Pakistan and Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh. Some even made it to the United Nations for Global Goals week in New York.

Small doves, big messages

Six women stitchers in Pakistan crafted 650 handcrafted dove toys made from upcycled offcuts of refugee blankets and tarpaulins. Speaking about the #PeaceDoves concept, Sandy Glanfield, Innovations Manager at Empathy Action, says:

The doves carry a reminder that for the 65 million refugees around the world, a blanket or tarpaulin is basic necessity to survive. The passionate and skillful women who made the doves, add the love into this story.”

It’s more than just a dove

Empathy Action worked with children at local schools as part of the initiative, including Tonbridge Grammar School, Hilden Grange School in Tonbridge and Lady Boswell’s Primary School in Sevenoaks. The children reflected on the meaning of peace and what peace means to them. They also had the opportunity to buy their very own #PeaceDove.

Local businesses and community groups also backed our campaign, including Juliet’s Café, independent retailer Anna Poulsen, local yoga teacher Helen Bishop and Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club. Peaceful messages about ethical business practices, community, self-care and peace were shared on social media under the #PeaceDoves banner.

Messages of hope

Meanwhile in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, an art exhibition organised by the Danish Refugee Council to highlight peace and hope in conflict settings, involved over 300 displaced Rohingya children. 150 of our #PeaceDoves were presented to the children as prizes, bringing joy and hope.

I am very happy with this dove. I like it so much” Anjuman (age 8)

Through the #PeaceDoves project, Empathy Action and NRS International hope to raise social awareness, ignite empathy and encourage private businesses and individuals to contribute to a more peaceful society by spreading messages of peace.

Please get in touch if you would like to learn more about how to bring a messages of peace activity to your group.

Students at share their messages of peace

Students trying to sell the Peace Doves at Hilden Grange School

Taking a Dove made by Fozia to the UN during Global Goals week

Messages from Peace from local businesses including Lili from Pinq Creative

The #PeaceDove at the Global People’s Summit in New York

Tonbridge Grammar School craft their messages of Peace

The Peace Doves in Bangladesh

Empathy Action Gifts partner (Annie Makoni) in Zimbabwe helps prepare the dove for its journey

#PeaceDoves made from the scraps of aid items

Lahore #PeaceDove maker Haleema

Lahore #PeaceDove maker Sana

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Lahore #PeaceDove maker Nazia

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Lahore #PeaceDove maker Fozia

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Lahore #PeaceDove maker Shagufta

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Empathy Action wearing white at a Peace Assembly on Peace Day

Peace Doves in Sevenoaks

Peace Doves in Sevenoaks

Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: #EmpathyActionStories, #PeaceDoves, #ShareHumanity, Aid Blankets, AidEx, Building Bridges For Peace, Businesses for Peace, Danish Refugee Council, Empathy, Global Goals Week, Hilden Grange School, Lady Boswell's School, NRS International, Peace, Peace Day, Peace Dove, Peace One Day, Peace Project, PeaceDove, Rohingya, SDGS, TGS, Tonbridge Grammar School, United Nations, Upcycling, WHS, World Humanitarian Summit

The making of a Peace Dove

Empathy Action’s Innovation Manager Sandy Glanfield describes the up and coming Peace Dove product and it’s journey from Istanbul to Lahore to being the latest of the Gifts that Give Twice product.

Empathy Action’s Innovation Manager Sandy Glanfield describes the up and coming Peace Dove product and it’s journey from Istanbul to Lahore to being the latest of the Gifts that Give Twice product.

“More than a dove” seemed the only way to squeeze the numerous strands of this project into a single ‘strap-line’. I designed the doves to nestle in their recipient’s hand, but I hadn’t planned on the broad shoulders they would need to carry so many messages; peace, upcycling, partnership, the role of business in creating peace, empowering women, the power of a gift, refugees and love.

C19E569B-51A1-4D01-BAD1-E5BB47990F32We met the NRS International team two years ago at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey. We felt an immediate affinity with them, and a fantastic energy from their team to explore how they could use their resources to help others. They instantly offered a tent and other items for the then yet to be made refugee simulation. A second meetingat Aidex in Brussels, Belgium cemented the relationship with a plan to create a product together upcycling fabric offcuts from their factories in Lahore, Pakistan.

Our ‘Peace Dove’ is made 0246ADF1-E8A7-4380-90DA-E7B3170E22BAfrom the offcuts left when the factory machinists sew together blankets, and tents. It was a creative challenge to find a way to turn the 15cm x 100cm strips of blanket fleece into a dove, but I loved the shared drive to upcycle factory waste and turn it into something that could bring joy. We all wanted to embed a story and a message in them; for them to carry a reminder of those in need of the blankets and tents, in refugee camps, and in disaster situations, left without homes or shelter.

Bringing together the teams and the factory women who would make the doves, is where love comes into this story.

I’ve always felt pride and energised by the joy that is generated by groups of women ‘making’ together.

It was no different in a factory in the baking heat of Lahore, Pakistan. The factory women embraced talking about creating peace, and sharing their embroidery skills, as we all chatted and laughed. They valued the recognition of their voices in working towards bringing peace to the world, and seized the opportunity to learn new sewing skills.

Each of the 650 Peace Doves made will be a gift to someone. 150 larger doves will be given to Rohingya refugee children in camps in Bangladesh. We send this gift with love, messages of hope for peace in their lives, and the wish that, as soft toys, the doves bring comfort and potential for imagination and play. 500 smaller doves will wing their way to NRS International customers and partners, children in UK schools (who will also share their messages of peace), and as Empathy Action ‘Gifts that Give Twice’ for those who wish to share these messages of peace and hope with those close to them.

I have spent many hours designing and sewing these little doves to get them ready for production. The repetition of stitching can be a kind of meditation, giving head space to reflect all the while on the purpose of this project, the makers, the project team, and the final recipients of the Peace Doves. It’s always been my hope that each dove, once nestled in it’s receiver’s hand, will give them a moment to pause – to think about their vital wishes for peace, to feel connected to the people that created this dove, and others around them to generate their own messages and actions.

It’s got me thinking… perhaps “Little Dove, Big Message” would have been a better strapline.

The Peace Doves will be launching on World Peace Day 21st September, 2018 as part of partnership with NRS International. If you are interested in buying these or using them for your ‘peace party’ please get in touch.

Sandy leading a Peace Dove making workshop in Lahore

Sandy leading a Peace Dove making workshop in Lahore

 

Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: AidEx, Businesses for Peace, Craft Collective, Craftivisim, Desperate Journeys, Empowering Women, Gifts In Kind, Gifts that Give Twice, Global Goals, Lahore, NRS International, Peace, Peace Day, Peace Dove, Peace Project, SDG16, SDGS, Upcycling, World Humanitarian Summit

Climate Change: “the dividing line between poverty and wellbeing”

An Empathy Action team went to Bonn, Germany last weekend to join a Christian lobby at the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23). Empathy Action is looking to build future empathy programmes in this area.

The COP23 this year serves to build on the COP21 and Paris Agreement to

…limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above that of the pre-industrial age”

It has a focus on building more ambitious targets and being bolder on action for a common future. Everyone has a part to play: Governments (national, regional and local), Investors, Businesses, Civil Society, Everyone. The call is to go

Further, Faster – Together”

Paul and Heather Williams, already activists (they walked to Paris from London to COP 21 in 2015 and are involved in Creation Care at St Nicholas Church Sevenoaks), Alison & Kevin Dennis engaged in Renew our Food at Orpington Baptist Church and regulars for the Poverty Trap joined Director, Ben Solanky in the Empathy Action team.

The team took part in a convening of global groups from End Poverty 2030, Tearfund, Tear Australia, Micah Global Network, EU CORD, EFICOR India and more involving over 60 people. Their activities including handing a petition to delegates from Fiji, the Chair of this year’s summit, to honour the commitments made to date; an adoption of a tree in the botanical gardens of Bonn that can now survive the winter due to climatic changes; a celebration of the nations coming together and church services that reflected a call for action towards a climate of justice.

Martin Kapenda, Director of Micah Global in Zambia, one of the accredited civil society representatives at the talks, shared the very real impacts of climate change in his country and in Africa. He said:

Climate change in my country in Zambia and in Africa is ‘the dividing line’ between poverty and wellbeing.”

Kuki Rokhum, Director of Development and Learning EFICOR in India, who preached at the official Church service on Sunday morning, cited the late activist Wangari Maathai’s ‘story of the hummingbird’ in a call to action by the team encouraging us not to be overwhelmed or numbed by the scale of the problem before us.

Empathy Action is already involved in producing Global Citizenship programmes for schools and groups and will be looking to develop further its range of empathy activities to include climate action.

If you are interested in these programmes to either book for your group or volunteer please contact us.

Filed Under: Blog, News Tagged With: Bonn, Climate Change, Climate Justice, COP21, COP23, Empathy, empathy action, Global Citizenship, Global Goals, SDGS, volunteer

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