WFWP Philippines Celebrates International Day of Peace

Written by: WFWP Philippines

The Women's Federation for World Peace - Philippines celebrated the International Day of Peace with the theme, "End Racism. Build Peace" on October 1, 2022 in Quezon City, Philippines. The simple gathering was graced by 15 women leaders, coming from different races and backgrounds. It was a meaningful afternoon filled with relatable sharing among the women as they impart their experiences on how they build peace within their respective families given their differences between husband and wife. The event was moderated by Mrs. Mariflor Gavaran, Auditor of WFWP Philippines.

The gathering kicked off with an orientation presented by Mrs. Almera Grace Mayo, President of WFWP Philippines. She presented the vision, mission, and objectives of WFWP. The president, herself, enlightened the women present in the room about the activities that WFWP is doing which are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

After this, the women, whose spouses were from different races, cultures and religions, shared how they overcome the barriers brought about by their differences, and how they build peace within their family, as peace starts first within the family. The room was filled with laughter as each of them uncovered their strategies, revealing how all the women related to one another’s experiences.

Following this, a young professional, whose parents have different religious background, also shared how it was to be raised up by Muslim and Christian parents. A school principal in an international school, where students of different races and backgrounds are there, then imparted her experiences in managing such a diverse group of students and how she reconciled all of these differences.

Through this gathering, the women leaders were able to learn that barriers brought about by differences in race, religion, culture and background are not an issue in peace-building because when the heart is present during the communication process, there is understanding, which is an important ingredient to peace. Highlighted as well during the discussion was the importance of the role of women in breaking down all those barriers and the significance of women leadership in building peace.

It was indeed a meaningfully fun-filled celebration of peace for the women leaders. Much was learned and there was a rich exchange of ideas and information. With the inspiration that the women leaders have gained from the gathering, they filled in the membership form and were welcomed to the WFWP Philippines family.