Around 100 are in contact with one another, and they are raising money towards building a Primary School, and for a memorial stone which will allow them to commemorate all their friends who died in the conflict.
Next, Rashioh Koroma shared about his experience during the civil war in Sierra Leone. He began by singing a song he had written against the use of child soldiers in various African countries, with some very powerful lyrics, followed by his account of the terrible experience he and his friends had had, running from village to village trying to escape the fighting and killing. Rashioh was clearly angry at the loss of innocence and childhood, a violation of their human rights as clearly described by the United Nations. He eventually escaped from Freetown to the UK, where he arrived as an ‘unaccompanied minor’. He has made a new life here, and stated his support for the Universal Peace Federation which teaches the ideals of peace through a love which can bring people together.
Patricia introduced Ivy Hove, from Zimbabwe, who spoke about the relative peace and calm of her childhood with many accompanying, fond memories. She talked about the recent years of struggle, particularly in 2008 when there was conflict and no government could be formed after the election. Many people suffered, and died, simply trying to survive whilst factions among the people continued to fight. She concluded with a song which her mother used to sing to her as a child, a song which continues to give her a lot of comfort.

Eugene Schellenberg, from Switzerland, next recounted a very inspiring story from Tanzania. He and his wife, Margaret, were visiting their son who was working in the town of Ifakara on a malaria-related health project in 1998. Whilst in Ifakara, they were approached for help in building a bakery. The  main reason was for the people to have an alternative staple food when their own crop of maize failed   due to poor weather conditions.

It took Eugene and Margaret three years to raise the necessary funds for the bakery and, in 2001, they installed all the equipment and trained the local people in the art of making bread. The bakery was set up as a business and it has been running successfully. It produces a minimum of 400 loaves a day, reaching 900 loaves a day, particularly when famine prevails. Since establishing the bakery, they have not intervened financially with the enterprise, but they started with "The Free Bread Funds". Last year, 70,000 loaves of bread were provided - mostly to children who might get just one simple meal a day - for breakfast. 50 to 60 loaves reach the St. Francis Hospital in Ifakara daily. Loaves are also provided to the Leprosy Centre and the Lepra village, orphanages, and to the Bethlehem Centre which is a home for over a hundred children with learning disabilities. The impact this daily bread has on the people in Ifakara - particularly the children - is stunning. All the childrens’ attention span has increased greatly, and a considerable drop in children's illnesses has been noticed.

Our keynote speaker from the DRC, Charlotte, began by singing a song with Aline, who had spoken earlier. Charlotte found it difficult to speak about the Congo, her native country. She explained that her heart is still there, and the dreadful state of her country, particularly the situation of many women and children, fills her with so much grief and emotion. In addition to the political and economic exploitation of the Congo’s rich resources, she described the terrible numbers of women and children being raped in the eastern part of the country, the area around Goma to which so many people fled from Rwanda during the genocide of the early 1990’s. She quoted the shocking statistic of 48 rapes being perpetrated every hour, and implored all present to put pressure on their Members of Parliament and elected representatives to bring their influence to bear on this gross violation of Human Rights. She has founded a charity which raises money to support the victims of rape, especially children, who are, incredibly, often disowned by their own families and communities. We made a collection after Charlotte had spoken and raised £300 for her charity.

Rev Paul Njagi came to the front again, and taught us a simple song in Kiswahili, which we all joined in with and sang together, roughly translated as “That way is narrow, and takes us to life. Peace is a way that leads to life”. Following this, a lady from Lesotho, Happy, came forward and sang the ‘ South African National Anthem’ – Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika  (God Bless Africa). We then concluded with Interfaith Prayers from women representing the Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian traditions, a Christian song from Rev Caroline George (Creator God, light is shining) and all of us joining together to sing ‘Kumbaya’.     
Needless to say, there was a great deal of chatting, networking and enjoyment of refreshments to round of what was a memorable, informative and very moving occasion.