Nonviolence in Lima

Carlos Apcho – San Francisco Chapter, Lima 
and Mary Ryan-Hotchkiss – Portland Chapter

Brought together in a Zoom breakout room during the Affiliate Celebration, the authors continued their conversation by email and WhatsApp. They both advocate for nonviolence and discussed Campaign Nonviolence, which begins this year with the International Day of Peace on September 21st and extends to October 2nd.

Carlos wrote that in the southern part of Lima, every October 2, the day of Mahatma Gandhi's birth, the Maryknoll Affiliates of Lima, both the San Francisco Chapter and the Santa Rosa Chapter, celebrate the International Day of Nonviolence. They have celebrated it almost every year since 2011. They organize and invite neighbors, school students, health centers, and neighborhood leaders.

Some years, the district mayor and the Indian Ambassador have also participated. One year, the Indian embassy donated plants for their sector to plant after the march. Plants can mean many things. In this march, plants are a way to sow peace. The people take care of themselves by taking care of the plants. They contribute to a much greener planet and better world.

Sister Anna Manauis, MM, holds one of the plants donated by the Indian Embassy to Pamplona Alta.

During the year, they conduct small activities to promote a culture of peace for young children and neighbors, emphasizing caring for creation and the value of living together in peace despite different ways of thinking. They hope that with these demonstrations among the residents of South Lima, peace will gradually gain more and more strength.

Maryknoll priests and sisters have always accompanied the Lima Affiliates.

This article first appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of Not So Far Afield.