Mumbai:
Egged on by the belief that mothers and movies have the power to change the world, a Mumbai-based organisation has tied up with an international women's advocacy group to create awareness about the need for religious tolerance and communal harmony in these troubled times.
"As mothers, we have the power to influence our children positively. We are hoping that our efforts will create awareness about critical subjects and encourage women to play a more constructive role in shaping the younger generation's values," says Manju Singh, founder of World Kids Foundation.
The foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to encourage children to form healthy opinions on important issues through the medium of films.
It has joined hands with Women without Borders, an Austrian organisation that works for world peace and communal harmony by involving local women in its projects globally. Titled 'Mothers for Change', the Mumbai event will be held at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) on Saturday, November 20, and will include film screenings and panel discussions by celebrities, teachers, students and prominent people from different walks of life.
'Harun Arun', an award winning Gujarati film on religious tolerance, directed by Vinod Ganatra, will be shown, along with a few films made by underprivileged children from Mumbai.
"The idea is to encourage women to fight against violent extremism by instilling in their families the idea of a peaceful and non-violent world. It is our belief that if mothers themselves adhere to values like tolerance and understanding of world cultures, we will be able to create a fair, just and unprejudiced world," adds Singh.
The initiative is part of Women without Borders' global campaign called Sisters Against Violent Extremism (SAVE), a global counter-terrorism platform for women. The campaign is being held in several countries, including Pakistan, Yemen, Ireland, Palestine, Israel, Bosnia, Indonesia, and Somalia.
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