Tonga High School student, Mele Kaufusi Fungavai ran with the Peace Torch of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run today, 3 April. The global Peace Torch run aims to inspire and involve people from all walks of life to express their hopes and dreams for a more peaceful and harmonious world.

The Peace Run is an annual torch relay event calling itself humanity’s largest and longest grassroots effort for peace. 

Mele ran with the Peace Torch from Fasi Primary School to Tonga High School with a small team of peace runners from around the world, including Tonga’s professional athletes such as Olympic sprinters Siueni Filimone and Taina Halasima, and Pacific Mini Games gold medalist shot-putter ‘Atamaama Tu'utafaiva, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs Deputy CEO, 'Onetoto Anisi.

After arriving at  Tonga High School, students were given the chance to hold the torch “and take a moment to feel peace inside their hearts”.

Peace Run Pacific Coordinator, Stacey Marsh from New Zealand, said this year, the Peace Torch will travel the entire globe to every nation in the Southern Hemisphere, 44 nations in one continuous route.

“The torch has already been to Indonesia, Timor Leste, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Samoa, and now here in the Kingdom of Tonga.”

“We are very happy and grateful, and excited to be here with our peace torch. All we are doing is sharing the message of peace. If we all feel peace in our hearts we are able to make a difference to the world.”

150 nations

The torch has visited more than 150 nations since the event was founded in 1987 by Sri Chinmoy, an Indian spiritual leader, who taught meditation in the west after moving to New York City in 1964.

Stacey said Chinmoy created the run to unite people around the world, sharing the message that we are all one big family.

“We speak different languages, we live in different countries, we have different cultures, we look very different, and we have different religions, but in our hearts, we all love peace.”

Sri Chinmoy was internationally recognized, during his lifetime, for many initiatives uniting people from many cultures for a more fulfilling world.

Today, the torch visited the Prime Minister’s Office, ‘Api Fo’ou College, Malia Tupu ‘i Makulata, Fasi Primary School, Tonga High School, Queen Salote College, Saint Andrew High School, GPS Fanga ‘o Pilolevu, and Tupou High School.

On 4 April, students at Tailulu College, Liahona High School, Tonga College, Beulah College, and Toloa College will have the chance to hold the Peace Torch before it continues its journey to Fiji.

The Peace Run does not seek to raise any money. It is non-political, non-religious and non-denominational and only seeks to share the message of peace and the feeling of friendship with the global family.