[HWPL]

[HWPL] Certificate of Appreciation Awarded by an 118-year-old South African Primary School: “HWPL Peace Education Gives Us Hope and Courage”

A Certificate of Appreciation awarded to HWPL Chairman Man-hee Lee and his peace delegation by The Arcadia Primary School in South Africa, which has a 118-year history, on August 13, 2018

“Your fight has encouraged us to have hope, even when it seems there is none. Above all you have given us the opportunity to be at the forefront of this journey, trying to nurture stronger and wiser individuals.”

The 'African Leaders of Peace Summit: Achieving Peace in Our Lifetime' conference and an MOU peace education ceremony were held in Cape Town, South Africa on August 13, 2018, during HWPL's (Chairman Man-hee Lee) 29th peace tour. On that day, 11 South African schools, including Arcadia Primary School, signed an MOU for peace education with HWPL. Representatives from Holy Cross School, Bontle Primary School, Arcadia Elementary School, Modderdam High School, Grosvenor Primary School, Rosewood Primary School, Mimosa Primary School, Boundary Primary School, Lasersdal and Lizback schools were also in attendance.

A commemorative photo is taken of signatories to a peace agreement at the 'African Leaders of Peace Summit: Achieving Peace in Our Lifetime' conference in Cape Town, South Africa, during HWPL's (Chairman Man-hee Lee) 29th peace tour on August 13, 2018. On that day, 11 schools in South Africa signed an MOU for peace education with HWPL.

On that day, Principal Gavin van der Speck of Arcadia Primary awarded HWPL a Certificate of Appreciation, delivered by Arcadia Primary's Mrs. Shamiela Burns, who is an HWPL peace educator.

The Certificate of appreciation opened with the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who emphasized the importance of educating children in order to attain peace, and the words of a 'Peace Pilgrim' who advocates for peace through goodness, truth and love.

The Arcadia Primary School community signed off with 'THANK YOU' addressed to HWPL ‘Peace Messenger’ Man-hee Lee and his peace delegation under the title ‘To the Founders and Promoters of the Global Peace Initiative’.

Chairman Man-hee Lee delivers a message to academic representatives about the importance of peace education at the 'African Leaders of Peace Summit: Achieving Peace in Our Lifetime' conference in Cape Town, South Africa, during HWPL's (Chairman Man-hee Lee) 29th peace tour on August 13, 2018.

They expressed their appreciation on the Certificate of appreciation, writing:  

"We thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey. You have reminded us of the important role that the teaching community plays in promoting peace and moral values in our society. Your fight has encouraged us to have hope, even when it seems that there is none."

With a heart of gratitude, they wrote: 

“Above all you have given us the opportunity to be at the forefront of this journey, trying to nurture stronger and wiser individuals. In the hope that they will become the adults that will soon lead our nation." 

Arcadia Primary School has been collaborating with HWPL since 2018. Mrs. Burns, who had been working as a peace educator, felt convicted after hearing about the activities of HWPL and Chairman Lee through HWPL South Africa branch prior to the 2018 peace tour. 

She came to believe that HWPL's peace education was an essential curriculum for pupils of Arcadia Primary School. This is because the education students received through empirical data was insufficient in motivating them to realize peace.

A commemorative photo is taken of school officials following the 'African Leaders of Peace Summit: Achieving Peace in Our Lifetime' conference in Cape Town, South Africa, during HWPL's (Chairman Man-hee Lee) 29th peace tour on August 13, 2018.

According to HWPL, its peace education imparted on students at HWPL Peace Schools and Academies established worldwide lays a foundation for the just and equal treatment of humanity by internalizing the importance and value of life and cultivating respect for fellow humans. This education enables students to play an important role in overcoming various conflict owing to differences in nationality, ethnicity, creed, culture, and ideology.

Moreover, HWPL Peace Education teaches students the norms necessary to maintain peaceful coexistence within the community and helps them develop a mindset of peace. As a result, they can come to understand practical ways of coexisting harmoniously and to respond peacefully to various situations.

The reason why HWPL's peace education can make such a profound impact is that it is based on HWPL's peace movement initiated by Chairman Lee himself, rather than just shouting for peace with words.

A brief overview of Chairman Lee's movements for peace shows that Chairman Lee embarked on his first world peace tour in 2012 and later arbitrated a bloody 40-year religious armed conflict on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, on January 24, 2014. The civil war, which had claimed the lives of 120,000 people, was brought to an end when Chairman Lee visited the island of Mindanao in the Philippines and met with local leaders, including state and religious representatives, to cease the inter-religious conflict, and promoted peace between Catholics and Muslims at a civilian level. A peace agreement was then signed between the government forces and the MILF, the largest armed group in Mindanao.

Afterwards, Chairman Lee invited the HWPL members and the people he met during the peace tour in September 2014 to hold the WARP Summit. On March 14th, 2016, the 'Global Village Peace Declaration (DPCW 10 Articles 38 Clauses)' was proclaimed, starting with discussions on the draft international law that would achieve the cessation of war and world peace. It spurred on peaceful steps for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula and the end of war. A total of 31 peace tours have been made until 2020, and a ceremony to commemorate the World Peace Conference and the DPCW announcement is held every year. In response, voices and letters supporting the DPCW and the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula were poured out from the civil society and religious circles, including former and current presidents, politicians, and young women, and these contents were made known to the people of each country through media reports. And all these contents became educational materials for children who will become the protagonists of the future.

As of December 2020, HWPL Peace Education has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with 214 educational institutions in 34 countries and is being implemented.

On September 20th 2018, the Gangwon branch of HWPL is performing a performance under the theme of ‘Eternal Heritage Peace Education’ at the Parade commemorating the 4th anniversary of the WARP Summit.

Peace education with these contents came as a fresh shock to the officials of Arcadia Primary School. With the cooperation of the principal, they delivered a certificate of appreciation to HWPL.

In February 2019, the following year, Mrs. Burns, a peace teacher at HWPL, met with two teachers and the Peace Education Team of HWPL South Africa to discuss how to implement peace education in school classes.

She also invited teachers and 30 students to participate in the May 25th World Peace Declaration ceremony held in Cape Town, South Africa, in May. In September of the same year, peace teachers and classmates participated in the 5th anniversary ceremony of the 918 WARP Summit held in Cape Town, South Africa, and continued to cooperate for peace activities.

Arcadia Primary School is a school in Cape Town, South Africa with a long history of 118 years, established on January 26th, 1903.

Peace!