Three Grade 6 pupils from Parkfields Primary School are in the final round of the Lions Club International Peace Poster Contest.
Peace poster contest kits went on sale from Saturday January 15, to Saturday October 1, and was entered by over 6 000 pupils from primary schools around the world. The finale will be in February next year in America, said Zainunesha Abrahams, past president,and Zone 11 chairwoman of the Lions Club.
Ms Abrahams, said that pupils had to create a poster and write an essay on what they thought peace was.
She said that creating peace posters gave children an opportunity to express what they thought peace was, to get creative, and unleash their artistic skills.
“Young people express their feelings in written work, children know how powerful compassion can be. They may not understand the word compassion but they cannot learn without it. They are often able to express this feeling better than adults. I am very grateful that we’ve been able to choose Parkfields this year and hopefully next year,” she said.
The artwork of 15 pupils at Parkfields Primary School were chosen, said principal Diana Williams. Out of the 15, it was narrowed down to three for the final round. Pupils also had to write an essay on what they thought peace was.
Prizes include R5 000 dollars for the winning pupil towards their education.
Ms Williams said she was proud of her pupils for making it thus far and encouraged pupils to enter such competitions as it gave them exposure to many opportunities.
“They have also given us four trees and seedlings for our food garden. The competition really gives our learners exposure to many things. It was a massive task for the judges. The competition has shown that pupils are yearning for peace in an area filled with gang violence not just for a short period of time but ever-lasting peace,” she said.
Ms Williams said that because of gang violence pupils became withdrawn while others acted out. “Children perceive violence differently,” she said.
Grade 6 teacher at Parkfields Primary School, Mariam Abdurahman, said that the Lions Club Kirstenbosch chose the school because they wanted to leave a footprint in Hanover Park.
“They intend doing this by working closely with our school over the next five years. You are still a winner even if your poster or essay doesn’t make it to the finals,” she said.