By Ceremony took place in at Casa la Salle in Rome on 6 December.
Pax Christi International honoured Concordia Social Projects, the laureate of our 2022 peace award, with a ceremony in Rome on 6 December. Concordia Social Projects is present in several central and eastern European countries, and works directly to help vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families. The award was given to recognize their work in organizing and mobilizing aid throughout central and eastern Europe, including in Moldova where thousands of Ukrainian families are seeking refuge. In honouring Concordia with the 2022 award, Pax Christi applauds and encourages the organisations work in helping children grow into healthy, well-informed, and responsible citizens.
“The witness that you all have given with your nonviolent living is what we are celebrating today. That you, as an organisation has chosen the path of peace as opposed to a path of blame, inhumanity, revenge, indifference, injustice and discrimination,” remarked Sr Wamuyu Wachira, IBVM, Pax Christi International co-president. “Your winning this peace award is a testimony that nonviolent actions, that communities engage in on a daily basis, speak louder and move hearts to compassion and desire to embrace the path of truth, justice and true peace. Thank you, for calling us back home, to embrace each other as sisters and brothers, sharing one Mother Earth, our Common home.”
In receiving the award Markus Inama, SJ, member of the executive board of Concordia noted that even in dire crisis, “there are also beacons of humanity. Places where people who have had to experience terrible things in life find the offer of kind support, a warm meal, a roof to shelter them. There they meet our trusted caregivers, psychologists and social workers who look after them and who work with their full open hearts to help move them from a place of despair to one of hope. In all humbleness…these people can count on CONCORDIA as one of those beacons of humanity, delivering hope and opportunities for a better life for children, young people and families. We have been by their side for over 30 years.”
Veronica Mocan, manager of the CONCORDIA social centre in Tudora, Moldova spoke to the challenges she sees working with families living with poverty and insecurity. “In February, when the war began, we found ourselves with thousands of frightened people at the border, left without a home, without their loved ones, carrying with them the burden of their unspoken pain.” She continued, “It only feels humane and natural to be with them, to listen to them, and to offer support whenever they need it. In addition to the food, sanitary packages, and financial support that we provide, we also try to integrate them into our community. We want to bring them closer to us, and to our souls.”
For more about Concordia Social Projects, please visit their website.
The Pax Christi International Peace Award has been given to an organizations and individuals whose work promotes justice and peace at the grassroots level. To see a list of all previous laureates, please visit our website.