Gunnar hopes you will get excited about A Soldier’s March for Peace, spread the word, and find fun and creative ways to help him raise money for War Kids Relief projects. These projects will help kids who have been traumatized by war to realize new possibilities for their lives. This is SO important. Here’s why:
It helps the kids themselves, of course. If you’ve only known war and danger and radical ideology, and it’s not safe to go to school and you’re never sure where your next meal is coming from, you are very vulnerable. Traumatized kids living unstable lives are easy to exploit, and are often lured into doing the work of insurgents through brainwashing and the promise of easy money. Projects like a job skills and rehabilitation center for teenagers in Mosul, Iraq, will give kids alternatives to joining militias, provide counseling to help them readjust to regular life, teach them job skills, and help them find employment within the community work force.
Here are the War Kids Relief projects that fundraising will support »
It is one of the best ways ever to support our troops. Think about it. Criminal gangs and insurgent groups think of vulnerable kids as one of their greatest resources. They recruit and use kids because they know it works – they know soldiers won’t shoot kids. Programs that truly give these kids other options in life will cut the insurgents’ supply lines. Instead of becoming the next generation of insurgents themselves, kids helped by War Kids Relief programs will have the chance to lead stable and productive lives. And that is the best possible news for our troops.
It leads to better chances of peace in the world. When vulnerable kids are given real options in life, they aren’t likely to adopt extremist ideologies. When kids who might otherwise become insurgents gain education and skills, they become their nation’s next generation of leaders. When kids are exposed to the idea of tolerance of other cultures and religions, and respect for human rights, they are likely to want to build peace, not war. When an Iraqi kid and an American kid make friends with each other through a program like WKR’s Young Ambassadors, they won’t want to fight each other in the future. Who wants to go to war with a friend?
