I joined the Peacework team in 2014 and although it is a job for me, it is also a way of life with distinct purpose, connecting students from colleges and universities in the U.S. with communities around the world to make a collective impact. Right now our Peacework family needs your help.  <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586460588947226_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586460588947226_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> Due to the COVID-19 crisis, almost all remaining 2020 Peacework programs have been cancelled, leaving already vulnerable communities with less support and uncertain opportunities for development.  As shutdowns are implemented, people are left without education, jobs, and limited health care.  Peacework brings together people and resources to empower and support community-led development around the world, but the result is so much more. We expand hearts, build the global multi-cultural family, reinforce a life-long commitment to others, and inspire students who are still deciding how they will spend the rest of their lives. <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586460681422856_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586460681422856_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> This impact can be seen through the curiosity and excitement peaked by young adults who for the first time experience what it means to live in communion with nature when they visit Quechua communities in the high mountains of Peru. <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586461471309432_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586461471309432_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> This can be felt by the smiles and laughter of schoolchildren in rural Costa Rica, as they run and play on a newly installed playground, the first and only playground in their community. This can be witnessed after installing clean burning stoves in the houses of rural Guatemalans, and we leave knowing that their family will no longer be inhaling smoke from cooking over a fire.  <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586461520813377_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586461520813377_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> Over the years we have inspired educational opportunities with children in Vietnam, conducted workshops to avoid human trafficking among children in the orphanages of Thailand, worked with families in the townships of South Africa, and accompanied young people around the world who are building a better future. We at Peacework would like to continue building peace through volunteer cooperation in the world and we need your help to do so.  50% of all donations will directly support the communities we work with around the world, and the other 50% will support Peacework as we reinforce our future partnerships. If you are a Peacework alumni, in your donation comment, please state the country and community project where you worked where you would like us to allocate the funds.  If you are not an alumni, and would like to donate to a specific project, choose one of the options below: -Thailand:  Collaboration with ”Keep Girls Safe” to raise awareness and reduce the vulnerability of girls and young women who are at risk of human trafficking -Peru:  Support ”Niños del Sol,” a ground-breaking children’s home in the Sacred Valley -South Africa:  Contribute to technology, entrepreneurship, and educational programs among youth in Kayamandi and other townships and informal settlements -Vietnam:  Sponsor educational enrichment programs with children in the schools of Hau Giang and Ben Tre Provinces -Belize:  Provide food for children and families in the schools of Belize who have lost their income because of economic disruption due to COVID-19 -Mexico:  Provide support for health care and food among the growing number of migrant families and deportees affected by the threat of COVID-19 We hope that after this difficult time passes, we can carry on with our work bringing people together across borders and cultures to empower and support each other and foster global cooperation and understanding. Peace,   Jessica Falla, Regional Program Director, Latin America, Peacework #SmallBusinessRelief  <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586461593428660_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586461593428660_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" /> <img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/47216602_1586223317988073_r.jpeg" alt="47216602_1586223317988073_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" />

John Dill

Brooks Aker

Anonymous

Joel Hill

Asha Sardar

Sarah Bernstein 

Mai Nguyen

Greg Falla

Tim Yeager

Jeff Rich

Barbara Clark

Karen Kawaguchi

Matthew Ganio

Building Our Collective Future with Peacework

Building Our Collective Future with Peacework

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