"My first religion is humanity"
Kehkashan Basu, recipient of Pax Christi Toronto's Teacher of Peace award
Our friends at Pax Christi Toronto have presented their annual Teacher of Peace Award to Ms. Kehkashan Basu, a highly recognized youth leader in ecological and climate action, promotion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and in issues of disarmament and a Culture of Peace.
Kehkashan Basu, recipient of Pax Christi Toronto's Teacher of Peace Award for 2021
(Photos from https://greenhopefoundation.com/)
Ms. Kehkashan Basu was born in the United Arab Emirates, and she came with her family to Toronto as a teenager. “My spirituality stemmed from doing good for people and planet,” she said at the online award ceremony. “My first religion is humanity.”
Sr Mary-Ellen Francoeur told PeaceQuest that the award presentation was a truly moving and deeply hopeful experience which they would like to share with as many persons and groups as possible.
“When our hearts are saddened by the deterioration and suffering in Afghanistan, our hearts were then moved by the story of the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and the Blue Scarf Movement they keep alive. Ms. Kehkashan Basu, our Teacher of Peace Award recipient for 2021 left us in awe at what loving work and sustainable change she and her young colleagues in the Green Hope Foundation are accomplishing with the most disadvantaged around the world,” said Sr Mary-Ellen.
On receiving the award, Kehkashan's presentation invited the response of former Senator Douglas Roche O.C., himself a recipient of a Pax Christi Toronto Ambassador of Peace Award, and one of her colleagues in the areas of disarmament and peace.
You can watch the entire presentation on YouTube.com:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3gHu547Vi4