Yeny and the Children for Peace (10 page)

The television, the radio, and the newspapers were full of news about the success that the children of Colombia had achieved that day. Not only had they told their parents and the other grown-ups of their country what was most important to them; on top of that, for the first time anyone could remember, there had been a day—a whole day—of peace. No bombs, no shootings, no kidnappings.

“I bet my father's listening right now,” Juan said. “I bet he's really happy, and the grupos armados are probably thinking twice about how they've been doing things. I wouldn't be surprised
if they start letting go of the hostages. Dad could be home any day now!”

Yeny glanced at Aunt Nelly and her parents. They had big grins on their faces.

“Anything is possible,” Aunt Nelly said. “I think you kids proved that today.”

Many kids talked about peace to everyone they met, sharing peace stickers and anything else that would spread the word.

The Children's Movement for Peace really does exist in Colombia, and though the characters in this book are imaginary, their experiences of organizing the peace carnival and the details of the voting day are very real.

In 1996, many children in Colombia began gathering together to discuss their rights. UNICEF—the United Nations Children's Fund—helped young people across the country meet each other and discuss ideas to promote peace. Those children talked to other children, and soon, around the country, kids were gathering in fields, churches, parks, anywhere they could, to host peace carnivals and to organize a vote for the most important children's right.

Many adults were eager to help them. Close to thirty organizations assisted with everything from ballot-making to publicity. The children wrote letters to the
grupos armados
, asking for peace on election day, and most groups wrote back, promising to respect the children's right to vote.

Sure enough, on October 25, 1996, the guns, bombs, and kidnappings stopped for a full day. In three hundred towns and cities, 2.7 million children voted for their rights. In some places, the turnout was so high that they ran out of voting cards, and the children had to copy the ballot onto paper napkins to cast their votes. For the first time any of the children could remember, there was peace—and it happened because they were so passionate about peace and their basic human rights.

And this was only the beginning. Until the children's vote, the peace movement in Colombia had been weak because it was not united. The children's vote changed that. In fact, it inspired ten million adults to vote, the following year, on ways to bring peace to their country.

Today, the Children's Movement for Peace continues to grow. Children in Colombia are leading workshops about peace, helping other young people who have survived violence, and teaching adults how to treat their own children with respect. Colombia is still a violent country, but both children and adults are working steadily toward solutions.

The Children's Movement for Peace has been nominated for every Nobel Peace Prize since 1998.

Note: Many of the photographs in this book were taken in the years following that first day of peace in 1996, as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) offered increasing resources and encouragement to the Children's Movement for Peace.

Children's Movement for Peace representatives travel to the countryside too. They talk about peace with children who work in the fields and might not hear about it in school.

Around Colombia, the Children's Movement for Peace teaches workshops about non-violence. Children learn to become workshop leaders.

Colombian teenagers speak to classes of younger kids about building a peaceful country.

In towns and villages across the country, children gather with workers to share their experiences.

adios
– goodbye

arepas
– corn pancakes

arroz confrijoles
– rice and beans

arroz con polio
– rice with chicken

buñuelos

buñuelos
– hot, fried dough snacks

chiva
– a jeep used for public transportation

cumbia
– a kind of Colombian dance music

desaparecidos
– the “disappeared,” people who have been kidnapped and never heard from again

disculpe
– excuse me

empanadas
– hot, fried pastry pockets, usually filled with meat or potatoes

gracias a Dios
– thank God

gracias por venir
– thank you for coming

grupos armados
– the armed groups

guagua
– a giant rodent

hola
– hello

huevos pericos
– scrambled eggs with tomato and onion

licuado de mango
– mango milkshake

lo sienio, chicos
– I'm sorry, kids

mercado
– market

muy bien
– very well

panela
– a sweet brown cube made from sugar cane juice that dissolves to make a hot drink

platanos
– plantains or starchy bananas, eaten fried
por favor
– please

sapo
– a toad; also used for a person who talks too much and gets other people into trouble

señora
– ma'am

señorita
– Miss

tamales
– corn dumplings cooked in plantain leaves

tatabra
– a wild pig

yuca
– cassava; a root vegetable, eaten fried or boiled

tamales

Thanks to Clara Nelly Becerra for telling me about the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia, for helping with research, and for reading the manuscript and offering suggestions. I am indebted to Holly Caird and Pilar Riano-Alcala for their research help, and to Mireille Evans for her many stories, manuscript reading, helpful comments and answers to my questions, and photos. Thank you to Juan Mesa and Leonor Morales for checking the manuscript for inaccuracies, and to Jacqueline McAdam-Crisp, Rachel Crisp, and Sheldon Crisp for their feed-back and encouragement. Susan Braley, Margo McLoughlin, and Gastón Castaño have offered enormous emotional support. I'm grateful to Gena K. Gorrell for her brilliant editing, and to
Margie Wolfe, Carolyn Jackson, Melissa Kaita, Phuong Truong, and Emma Rodgers at Second Story Press for turning this tale of courage and resolve into a beautiful book. To my friends and family, I extend a special thank-you for being such a loyal and enthusiastic cheering section.

Photos are reprinted with permission from the following sources:

Cover photos: All photos © UNICEF/Jeremy Horner

Cover illustrations: © istockphoto

Page 3
: © Mireille Evans

Page 16
: © UNICEF/HQ99-0160/Jeremy Horner

Page 22
: © Mireille Evans

Page 33
: © UNICEF/HQ99-030336/Jeremy Horner

Page 48
: © UNICEF/HQ99-o347/Jeremy Horner

Page 53
: © UNICEF/HQ99-0231/Jeremy Horner