From Hate to Hope….A Miracle of Kosovo Children
By Ji-hye Yoo, Korea JoongAng Daily - (Seoul) September 13, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
l ‘Kids for Peace’ club positive and peaceful feedbacks
l Adults pointed guns to each other and placed ethnic cleansing tragedy, but 14 years later children became friends again
l The Kosovo War: In February 1998, the Kosovo War broke out between Albanian Kosovo residents who wanted to be independent from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian government forces. The Kosovo War lasted 15 months and 15,000 people lost their lives. Numerous people testified that Serbian government forces carried out multiple organized ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Albanians during the war. Kosovo ended its status as an autonomous province and declared independence in 2008.
(Korea JoongAng Daily) -- On April 20, 1999, 11 year-old-girl Fatmira Feka who lived in a small town in Kosovo with Albanian-Muslims was hanging out with her friends. But her playtime didn’t last long because town guards yelled to her, “Run away! Armed Serbians surrounded this town!”
Feka and her family started running to forest nearby. Gunshot sounds followed them fast from the back. Her parents shouted, “We will separate here and run for different directions. But let’s meet again alive. Certainly alive! ” Feka’s sister and brother ran after their uncle and they disappeared to the other directions. Along with the forest, there were lots of dead bodies passing by as they ran. But Feka didn’t stop running, she couldn’t stop running. Because she needed to run fast and be alive, then she would meet her parents again alive as they promised. She had to be alive because she wanted to see her brother and sister again. But, at that time she didn’t know that it was the last day to see them. Feka couldn’t see her brother and sister again. Later, Feka was only told that her sister and brother, who were 17 and 18, were taken and uncle lost his consciousness after he got shots in his shoulder and head.
Different ethnic groups get together; they learn together and tear down their invisible wall
Feka’s family escaped to one refugee camp. They met International Aid Organization World Vision program there that helps alleviate their trauma, pain and hate. One day, World Vision staff provided them a white paper and crayons, and asked them to draw ‘peace’. Most of participants drew burning houses, guns, and tanks. But Feka drew a beautiful home with red flowers, trees, birds and a bright sun. She said it was how her old house looked like and she would like to go back there sometime in the future. ‘Peace’ for Feka was “something we might get in our generation if we get along and try hard not to fight.” she said.
This one drawing that someone might think ‘just a piece of paper’ was a seed that later bloomed a beautiful flower of peace to many children right at where ethnic cleansing tragedy occurred in Kosovo. Feka’s drawing has substantiated by World Vision staff, because the staff knew that children of Serbians are not different from Feka’s thought. In 2002, ‘Kids for Peace’ project has created. It was a place where different ethnic group’s children can be together and hang out together. As celebrating UN International Day of Peace (September 21), ‘Kids for Peace’ taught ‘what the peace for them’ to adults. Let them tell us about their story of peace this time.
Feka still remembers the day that she first attended a summer camp of ‘Kids for Peace’. One Serbian kid who was about her age came over to her and asked what happened to her family. She told him what happened to her sister and brother calmly, and all Serbian kids in the room started crying. As Feka encountered tears of Serbian kids, who she once thought kids of who killed her brother and sister, she realized, “They are not like Serbians who killed my family. Not all Serbians are bad.” But not everybody agreed with her. Seniors in her town scolded her severely; in fact her mom slapped her for it. “Everybody thought that I am a kind of oddball.” Feka said.
As we can see, their ethnic conflict and its invisible wall were tall and deep. Kosovo War (1998~99) was the last war of Europe on the 20th century. Serbian government army cracked down Albanians who wanted to be independent. Serbians suppressed Albanians. 15,000 people died and 750,000 people were left to be refugees. About 21,000 people are still missing just like Feka’s brother and sister.
Adults were not for the club, but slowly changed to welcome over the years.
When ‘Kids for Peace’ project opened at first, kids were inherited in hate and horror. They called each other as conqueror, enemy and monster at first. But they met in the club and spent some time together, and they started changing. They started talking about how to improve their town together, how to improve the rights of children, and started taking language lessons for each other. They were focused on the better future and started tearing down their invisible wall between of them. Such a small miracle like an Albanian boy who lost his brother by Serbians exchanges phone number with a Serbian boy happens every day in ‘Kids for Peace’.
This small miracle is about to begin in different regions like Mitrovica, the north of Kosovo where 400 people killed and injured because of ethnic crashes between Albanians and Serbians in 2004. At that time the cause of crash was three Albanian children found drowned in the Ibar River. Albanian press reported that Serbians chased down the children with hunting dogs. Albanian’s anger raised and angry crowd attacked Serbians at many places in Kosovo.
Later, at a result of probe by international organization, press reports were based on an unverified rumor. People say that ‘more sources suggest that the children might fall to the Ibar River while playing with the dog at that time,” Adults with hate drove the story to the way of taking advantage of the death of children and instigate the conflict.
Two ethnic groups still have tensions along the Ibar River that separating north and south in Mitrovica. But two ethnic group’s children who participate ‘Kids for Peace’ club reject the hate that instigated by adults. Among those who reject the hate, there is Albesa Veseli (girl, 14). She lost her cousin in that incident. At first, Veseli’s parents didn’t like the fact that their daughter joined ‘Kids for Peace’. But now her entire family supports to stop ethnic –caused violence, and support to spread peace in Kosovo. Peace was highly ‘contagious’. ‘Kids for Peace’ club that started in five small places, now increased to 17 places with 3000 participants over the years.
World Vision Kosovo President Rein Dekker who visited Korea on 5 September commented, “… Because of 3000 children in ‘Kids for Peace’, 50,000 people met each other who they never thought to be around.” The children and their families are influencing positive impacts each other and alleviating tensions in their communities. This is why ‘Kids for Peace’ invites parents and government personnel to events that two ethnic groups carrying out together. Adults watch children who hang out in one group unidentifiably; the children looked alike. Then they come to realize ‘they are not different than my group’. The President Dekker stressed that “conflict between ethnic groups begins from a standardized bias of ‘unconditional hate without any visible image about the enemy’’, he continued, ‘... and the hate disappears when they realize, ‘they have human quality just like me’ by encountering face to face,”
Vague bias of ‘enemy without face’ disappears
Another power of ‘Kids for Peace’ is that children grow as a member of society, and they eventually lead social changes in Kosovo. Murat Murati (22) from ‘Kids for Peace’ became a president of human rights group ‘The Youth Action Central Council of Kosovo’. He remembers old days of being a kid who was seeking revenge against Serbian government that tortured his father and killed his uncle. He used to be getting involved in fights against Serbian children, but now he is different. He said, “They were just ‘the victims of war’ just like me, and it wasn’t their fault.” Now Feka is attending college in Canada and lives her life as an advocate for peace building. She visits conflict regions and attends peace conferences around the world. She says that because she is still working on forgiving people who took her brother and sister, it is true that value of peace touches her heart more. And she also said “my journey to reach forgiveness has not done yet.”
l Kids for Peace: International aid organization World Vision Kosovo started this project in July 2002. It is for children between age 10 and 16 from various ethnic backgrounds. It is to heal wounds of children who experienced in the Kosovo War, and to provide opportunities to be together so that they can learn differences of ethnic, religion and culture, and learn how to accept and respect each other. 3000 children had participated in this project since the beginning.
From Hate to Hope….A Miracle of Kosovo Children
By Ji-hye Yoo, Korea JoongAng Daily
(Seoul) September 13, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
l ‘Kids for Peace’ club positive and peaceful feedbacks
l Adults pointed guns to each other and placed ethnic cleansing tragedy, but 14 years later children became friends again
l The Kosovo War: In February 1998, the Kosovo War broke out between Albanian Kosovo residents who wanted to be independent from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbian government forces. The Kosovo War lasted 15 months and 15,000 people lost their lives. Numerous people testified that Serbian government forces carried out multiple organized ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Albanians during the war. Kosovo ended its status as an autonomous province and declared independence in 2008.
(Korea JoongAng Daily) -- On April 20, 1999, 11 year-old-girl Fatmira Feka who lived in a small town in Kosovo with Albanian-Muslims was hanging out with her friends. But her playtime didn’t last long because town guards yelled to her, “Run away! Armed Serbians surrounded this town!”
Feka and her family started running to forest nearby. Gunshot sounds followed them fast from the back. Her parents shouted, “We will separate here and run for different directions. But let’s meet again alive. Certainly alive! ” Feka’s sister and brother ran after their uncle and they disappeared to the other directions. Along with the forest, there were lots of dead bodies passing by as they ran. But Feka didn’t stop running, she couldn’t stop running. Because she needed to run fast and be alive, then she would meet her parents again alive as they promised. She had to be alive because she wanted to see her brother and sister again. But, at that time she didn’t know that it was the last day to see them. Feka couldn’t see her brother and sister again. Later, Feka was only told that her sister and brother, who were 17 and 18, were taken and uncle lost his consciousness after he got shots in his shoulder and head.
Different ethnic groups get together; they learn together and tear down their invisible wall
Feka’s family escaped to one refugee camp. They met International Aid Organization World Vision program there that helps alleviate their trauma, pain and hate. One day, World Vision staff provided them a white paper and crayons, and asked them to draw ‘peace’. Most of participants drew burning houses, guns, and tanks. But Feka drew a beautiful home with red flowers, trees, birds and a bright sun. She said it was how her old house looked like and she would like to go back there sometime in the future. ‘Peace’ for Feka was “something we might get in our generation if we get along and try hard not to fight.” she said.
This one drawing that someone might think ‘just a piece of paper’ was a seed that later bloomed a beautiful flower of peace to many children right at where ethnic cleansing tragedy occurred in Kosovo. Feka’s drawing has substantiated by World Vision staff, because the staff knew that children of Serbians are not different from Feka’s thought. In 2002, ‘Kids for Peace’ project has created. It was a place where different ethnic group’s children can be together and hang out together. As celebrating UN International Day of Peace (September 21), ‘Kids for Peace’ taught ‘what the peace for them’ to adults. Let them tell us about their story of peace this time.
Feka still remembers the day that she first attended a summer camp of ‘Kids for Peace’. One Serbian kid who was about her age came over to her and asked what happened to her family. She told him what happened to her sister and brother calmly, and all Serbian kids in the room started crying. As Feka encountered tears of Serbian kids, who she once thought kids of who killed her brother and sister, she realized, “They are not like Serbians who killed my family. Not all Serbians are bad.” But not everybody agreed with her. Seniors in her town scolded her severely; in fact her mom slapped her for it. “Everybody thought that I am a kind of oddball.” Feka said.
As we can see, their ethnic conflict and its invisible wall were tall and deep. Kosovo War (1998~99) was the last war of Europe on the 20th century. Serbian government army cracked down Albanians who wanted to be independent. Serbians suppressed Albanians. 15,000 people died and 750,000 people were left to be refugees. About 21,000 people are still missing just like Feka’s brother and sister.
Adults were not for the club, but slowly changed to welcome over the years.
When ‘Kids for Peace’ project opened at first, kids were inherited in hate and horror. They called each other as conqueror, enemy and monster at first. But they met in the club and spent some time together, and they started changing. They started talking about how to improve their town together, how to improve the rights of children, and started taking language lessons for each other. They were focused on the better future and started tearing down their invisible wall between of them. Such a small miracle like an Albanian boy who lost his brother by Serbians exchanges phone number with a Serbian boy happens every day in ‘Kids for Peace’.
This small miracle is about to begin in different regions like Mitrovica, the north of Kosovo where 400 people killed and injured because of ethnic crashes between Albanians and Serbians in 2004. At that time the cause of crash was three Albanian children found drowned in the Ibar River. Albanian press reported that Serbians chased down the children with hunting dogs. Albanian’s anger raised and angry crowd attacked Serbians at many places in Kosovo.
Later, at a result of probe by international organization, press reports were based on an unverified rumor. People say that ‘more sources suggest that the children might fall to the Ibar River while playing with the dog at that time,” Adults with hate drove the story to the way of taking advantage of the death of children and instigate the conflict.
Two ethnic groups still have tensions along the Ibar River that separating north and south in Mitrovica. But two ethnic group’s children who participate ‘Kids for Peace’ club reject the hate that instigated by adults. Among those who reject the hate, there is Albesa Veseli (girl, 14). She lost her cousin in that incident. At first, Veseli’s parents didn’t like the fact that their daughter joined ‘Kids for Peace’. But now her entire family supports to stop ethnic –caused violence, and support to spread peace in Kosovo. Peace was highly ‘contagious’. ‘Kids for Peace’ club that started in five small places, now increased to 17 places with 3000 participants over the years.
World Vision Kosovo President Rein Dekker who visited Korea on 5 September commented, “… Because of 3000 children in ‘Kids for Peace’, 50,000 people met each other who they never thought to be around.” The children and their families are influencing positive impacts each other and alleviating tensions in their communities. This is why ‘Kids for Peace’ invites parents and government personnel to events that two ethnic groups carrying out together. Adults watch children who hang out in one group unidentifiably; the children looked alike. Then they come to realize ‘they are not different than my group’. The President Dekker stressed that “conflict between ethnic groups begins from a standardized bias of ‘unconditional hate without any visible image about the enemy’’, he continued, ‘... and the hate disappears when they realize, ‘they have human quality just like me’ by encountering face to face,”
Vague bias of ‘enemy without face’ disappears
Another power of ‘Kids for Peace’ is that children grow as a member of society, and they eventually lead social changes in Kosovo. Murat Murati (22) from ‘Kids for Peace’ became a president of human rights group ‘The Youth Action Central Council of Kosovo’. He remembers old days of being a kid who was seeking revenge against Serbian government that tortured his father and killed his uncle. He used to be getting involved in fights against Serbian children, but now he is different. He said, “They were just ‘the victims of war’ just like me, and it wasn’t their fault.” Now Feka is attending college in Canada and lives her life as an advocate for peace building. She visits conflict regions and attends peace conferences around the world. She says that because she is still working on forgiving people who took her brother and sister, it is true that value of peace touches her heart more. And she also said “my journey to reach forgiveness has not done yet.”
l Kids for Peace: International aid organization World Vision Kosovo started this project in July 2002. It is for children between age 10 and 16 from various ethnic backgrounds. It is to heal wounds of children who experienced in the Kosovo War, and to provide opportunities to be together so that they can learn differences of ethnic, religion and culture, and learn how to accept and respect each other. 3000 children had participated in this project since the beginning.