Global Peace Festival to take place for the first time in Moldova

Four projects that propose innovatory solutions for promoting and maintaining peace will be awarded as part of the Global Peace Festival, which is organized by the charity IRFF-ONLUS and will take place on Sunday, November 9, in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo. The nongovernmental organizations which participated in the contest proposed projects on four topics: peace creation, sustainable economic growth, education and family values, and mass media. A winner was selected at each category. . The winning NGOs have been selected from among 25 finalists, which qualified after their projects were evaluated by Moldova's division of the US-based International Education Foundation and the Consultant Committee, said Ronald Koonel, the executive director of the division, at a news conference on Friday. At the first stage of the festival, there were organized conferences on such subjects as protection of family values, and promotion of peace and non-violence. The conferences served as a platform for the launch of several projects, among which the creation of a network of volunteer associations for the youth and the elderly, in order to imporve social services in rural communities, said Mihai Calaestru, executive director of IRFF-ONLUS. The Festival's awards ceremony will culminate with a concert featuring Moldovan pop stars, like Nelly Ciobanu, Natalia Barbu, Aura, and others. IRFF-ONLUS organizes the Global Peace Festival once in two years. This is the first time that Moldovan NGOs will be awarded.