What Can You Do?

You can be a peacemaker. Jimmy Carter believes that it takes all of us to make the world a more peaceful place. As he says, peace “begins in your family or in your own classroom as you start learning how to deal with the differences that are in everybody’s life on a daily basis, and then try to resolve them peacefully.”

Whenever a conflict develops, ask yourself:

• What can I do to settle my differences peacefully?

• How can I put into practice the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Jesus teaches us to try to understand people and to forgive them rather than to punish them or hold a grudge. That’s not always easy — but it is possible! If you can’t find a way to get along with a brother or sister or a classmate on your own, ask for help. Talk to a parent, Sunday school teacher, or an adult you can trust. Peace begins at home. If you learn to be a peacemaker at home, you can carry those skills into the world. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

You can be a lifesaver by helping the Carter Center to fight malaria. Malaria is a deadly disease caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. Malaria causes high fevers and flu-like symptoms. Every year about 350 – 500 million people suffer from malaria. It strikes hardest at children five years old and younger. About 90 percent of all cases of malaria are in Africa where one out of every ten children dies of malaria before the age of five.

The Carter Center has found a solution. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, the Carter Center gives free bed nets to families. Sleeping under these nets prevents mosquito bites. The nets are treated with a poison that kills the mosquitoes too, preventing them from biting others. Each bed net costs six dollars. It’s a small price to pay to save a child’s life.

You can help the Carter Center supply bed nets to children in Africa. Save your allowance, earn money doing chores or errands, or collect donations from family and friends. You can donate on the web or send your donations to:

The Carter Center

One Copenhill

453 Freedom Parkway

Atlanta, GA 30307-1496

Online: Go to the website and click on WAYS TO GIVE. On the next screen, click on DONATE NOW.

http://www.cartercenter.org