Thanks and Congratulations for "The Day Love Stopped a War" : Kul Gautam

Agop - "I ask myself where are the people
 who participated in the Days of Tranquility

Message from Kul Gautam to Agop Kayayan and Richard (Ricardo) Wolf

Dear Agop and Ricardo,,
Thank you for producing this beautiful & touching documentary on how UNICEF, partnering with the Catholic Church was able to organize the first-ever "Days of Tranquility" to stop the horrific civil war in El Salvador to vaccinate children during 3 consecutive months for 5 years in the mid-late 1980s.

It was a great and daring feat that was later emulated in several other war-torn countries, including Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Afghanistan, & elsewhere.

Several books and articles have been published chronicling this great feat, one of many, under the dynamic and visionary leadership of the late Jim Grant. So many of us miss Jim Grant today and wonder if he could have shown a way to protect children from the horrific wars in Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine and elsewhere. To her credit, UNICEF ED Catherine Russell is speaking out strongly and trying to help, as are SG Antonio Guterres, WHO DG Tedros and other UN and NGO leaders but with very modest impact.

I hope this documentary will be shown widely in UNICEF offices and with partners to motivate them not to give up but persevere to help children even against the greatest odds.

As you will recall Agop, I was the Chief of Latin America Section at UNICEF HQ in the latter years of the Days of Tranquility and accompanied Jim Grant to El Salvador and joined you and Jernan Jaramillo in a meeting with President José Napoleon Duarte. Later, we met Archbishop Rivera y Damas at UN NYHQ to honor him for his leadership role in facilitating the Days of Tranquility. Those were the days when we felt we could move mountains for children!

I was happy to make a modest personal contribution to preparing this touching documentary. Thank you for the opportunity.

With best wishes - Kul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv9y05mezik

"26 Oct 2022

For the first time in history, a war was stopped to vaccinate children. This documentary brings to life the heroic efforts of those who managed to stop the civil war in El Salvador during the 1980s to prioritize saving children, and the lessons to inspire new generations today. Directed by Richard Wolf. www.lobodocs.com