‘Pencils For Peace’ Coordinator Will Travel To Kosovo

By Larissa Lytwyn

“Everyone wants to make a difference,” noted Reed Intermediate School sixth grade teacher Karen King. “But not everyone knows how.”

Several years ago, while visiting friends she had made during a year studying abroad in Ireland, she met a man, who, at first glance, was “rather ordinary.”

Paudraig Power, a 30-year-old Limerick sanitary worker, turned out, she continued, to be quite “extraordinary.”

“Paudie has traveled a lot through Europe,” said Ms King, “including Kosovo during [the Kosovo War] in the 1990s.”

At that time, most of Yugoslavia was populated with Christian Serbs, except the small southern tip of Kosovo, which was largely occupied by Muslim Albanians.

To fulfill his desire to make the entire country Serbian, then-leader Slobodan Milosevic orchestrated an “ethnic cleansing.” Albanians who did not flee the country (many with only the clothing on their backs) were executed.

“Often the men of entire villages were wiped out,” said Ms King, “leaving only the women and children.”

These women and children were often sexually violated, beaten, and abused.

Schools, homes, hospitals, and other buildings were bombed or burned to the ground. Ambulances, fire trucks, and other equipment were also destroyed.

“Once a house was burning and the residents could only try to put it out by using buckets of water from a nearby river,” said Ms King.

While Mr Milosevic was eventually overthrown, it has taken years for the maimed and poverty-stricken Albanians to restore their communities.

After visiting residents of Shala, Kosovo, Mr Power was so moved that he returned — atop a fire-truck donated by a Limerick Fire Station, with medical supplies. He has returned every year since.

One year, an Irish business offered to donate 1,000 pencils for Shala students.

“Paudie almost didn’t take the pencils because he didn’t think there would be enough room,” said Ms King. “But then he decided to take them anyway.”

Mr Power was struck by how grateful the Shala students were. The schoolhouse, recently built by UNICEF, was still lacking basic supplies such as pencils, paper, writing pads, and textbooks. Before Paudie arrived with his pencils, the students had been sharing them.

Inspired by Mr Powers’ tale, Ms King decided to begin a project last year called “Pencils for Peace.” The goal was to raise 20,000 pencils and other school supplies for Shala students.

A total of 30,000 pencils were eventually accumulated, among other supplies ranging from notebooks to four basketball hoops. Donors included local businesses such as Curtis Packaging and Costco.

This year, Ms King made the project schoolwide.

In addition to donating school supplies, students and faculty can purchase $5 bracelets and $2 pencils (materials provided by Curtis Packaging) with all proceeds going to the students in Shala.

About 50 Reed students volunteered to make the bracelets, working after school for about a month to complete the project.

Each bracelet spells the name of a Shala student — the purchaser is encouraged to don the bracelet at all times and write a letter to the student whose name they are wearing.

Because of the language barrier, Ms King has suggested students include family photographs or pictures of athletic equipment to indicate a love of family or sports.

Emblazoned with the “Pencils for Peace” logo in English and Albanian, the pencils, designed by last year’s sixth grade class, are topped with a bright green eraser in honor of Paudie’s Irish heritage.

To pull it all together, Ms King will be helping Mr Power deliver the supplies collected this year during a trip to Shala from March 26 to April 3. Her trip was underwritten by a $500 grant from Newtown Rotary.

She plans to videotape her experiences so that her students can be a part of the Shala community.

“I may also make a tape of our students to show the students in Shala,” mused Ms King.

Her students cheered enthusiastically. “Yeah — let’s do it!” one yelled.

There are also some decisions to make after Ms King returns.

“We want to do something special with the bracelets,” said one student, Ava Rojo. “Maybe use them to make something creative.” Her friends, students Kelly Ann Brophy, Sam Whitley, and Cady Jackman agreed.

“I am wearing mine all the time, just like Ms King said,” said Sam. “I won’t ever take it off!”

Cady giggled. “Yeah,” she agreed. “It’ll help us remember this — and we all know that everyone can make a difference!”

Kelly Ann said the project had given her more confidence. “I like helping others,” she said. “It’s important.”