The protection of the family as the road towards peace

In all the path of two decades of dedication to the social cause and social justice promotion, I have always kept in my mind the importance of the protection of the family and the value of the family’s role as the essential unit for the development of the human society. I firmly believe that regardless of the customs, habits or culture, the family must be kept and preserved, for it carries the basic instruments for the consolidation of the essential values for humanity’s evolution. I refer, of course, to the general concept of family, without imposing models, and respecting the peculiarities and particularities of each population and nation.

In Brazil, the impoverishment of a great part of the population causes, above the loss of survival means, the weakening of the family moral values, of the respect to social coexistence, of the life ideals. Who is pushed towards marginalization because of social factors hardly can defend and nurture ideals and in many cases is pushed to this condition because of the lack of character formation resultant of a troubled family environment. Regrettably, we live in a time when most of the youth has lost ethic and moral references. And because they don’t have the slightest idea of what it means to constitute a family – even because they never had one – , they grow up without any perspectives.

That’s why we work hard and defend with all our strength to do the most for the family not only in Brazil, but in the world. The role the family plays involves a concept without boundaries. Luckily, our efforts had good results, in the shape of over 1.5 thousand projects all over Paraná State, which allowed us to receive, in 2002, a Prize from the World Family Organization – affiliated to the United Nations – for the work towards social promotion and defense of family issues. The projects don’t involve just financial resources and human resources, but open opportunities to people through, per example, access to quality schooling, quality health care, professional training and micro credit. That’s why I consider this prize one of the great milestones of my life, and a great incentive to keep fighting for the dream of giving each family the conditions and opportunities so that they can have a decent life, generating a happier future. And carrying on our partnership with WFO, we will participate of the Organization’s World Family Summit in China, nest December 06-09, where we will have the chance to exchange experiences and seek support to continue this work.

The world’s peace relies on the protection and on the incentive to the family’s strengthening, for who doesn’t have the chance of coexist and receive the family formation, can’t understand the real meaning of peace. I wish that all the men of good will may understand this, joining in an effort towards the defense of the family values so that humanity will enhance as a whole.