2019-Zamboanga City

With the mission of the Zamboanga City Medical Center to save precious lives, they gathered people who are willing to donate. Blood, from the students, teachers and other people who believes that donating their blood will extend somebody’s life and they still can continue to fulfill their hopes and dreams. Milk, from loving mothers who also want to share the healthy benefits of their milk to nurture babies who needs it. Through this, the Human Milk bank and the Hospital Blood bank can keep an adequate supply of these donations to continue to help people and save lives.

            As one with the celebration of the World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019, together we can do something good for others and offer something that no money can buy. This activity also aims to overcome cultural and religious barriers. Physical and cultural sensitivities are also considered and respected. It is indeed true that in sharing, we are blessed. The genuine effort and sincere love of the people who are willing to give without expecting something in return is the kind of people that the world needs.

            At the end of the day, the spirit of the World Interfaith Harmony Week 2019 was indeed celebrated meaningfully through an act of sharing and kindness. When we share, what matters the most is that we are being truthfully happy in what we are doing.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week Celebration was spread the message in Brgy. Baluno, a barangay in Zamboanga City located in a mountainous part of Zamboanga far away from the city proper. The Silsilah Dialogue Movement is known in this barangay because of the Silsilah Harmony Zone and the Escuela de Siembradores initiatives of Silsilah.

Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME decided to spread the message of World Interfaith Harmony Week in this area for them to be part of this long week event. Almost 40 people in the community attended the activity.

Mrs. Cristina Santos, a silsilah staff who is also residing in this barangay organized this activity with the help of the Brgy. Kagawad and a staff assigned in Baluno farmers, Christopher Bagay. The event started with the Harmony Prayer lead by Mrs. Cristina Santos.

Mrs. Santos first appreciated the effort of the participants for coming for the event. She shared the importance of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, discussing that this week was yearly celebrated by the Silsilah Dialogue Movement every first week of February.

She shared that she invited people in the community with the hope that they will participate with their own initiatives and activity on the next WIHW.

Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME shared the history of the World Interfaith Harmony Week and how Silsilah became the Convener of this event. He shared the recent bombings and Mindanao and how it affected the people especially the Muslim-Christian relation. He shared the good message of the World Interfaith Harmony Week with the hope that the theme: “Celebrating Truth, Sincerity and Forgiveness” will be reminded to people who experience conflicts.

The people in the community shared their experiences on Muslim-Christian dialogue especially in their Barangay. Confidently, they said that the people in their community is living in respect and harmony with each other and continue to hope that this relationship will last forever.

Mr. Christopher Bagay, a Silsilah staff is in charge of the farmers in Baluno. He shared his experience with Silsilah and how the initiatives of the program help the farmers in Baluno.

In the spirit of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, he shared that this activity is very meaningful to them because they feel that they are part of the celebration. He is hoping for more gatherings like this where they can reflect and share their good relationship among the people in the community.

The activity was successful and the participants gathered together for a group picture. Indeed, World Interfaith Harmony Week is not only for government sectors, schools, youth and religious congregations, but small communities like Baluno can be a venue and be part of this celebration. The people in the community were very glad to have this kind of celebration in a special way. This activity might not be considered as a big event but this activity is a very meaningful activity, where we realize that celebrating an event in small communities will occupy a big space in their hearts.