LAGHMAN - To mark the upcoming International Peace Day, young women and men from eastern Laghman province today kicked goals and spiked balls in sports tournament organized by the Sub-Directorate of Youth with the assistance of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

A total of four men’s teams from different districts of Laghman province participated in the football tournament played in Mihtarlam City, the capital of the province.

“Every year, we undertake different programmes to celebrate the peace day. This year, our football tournament was supported by Eastern Regional Office of UNAMA,” said Fazel Rahman, Programme Officer at the Sub-Directorate of Youth Affairs in Laghaman.

Sayed Husain, 22, traveled 10 hours from Farashghan village in Alishang district - a remote area near to the border with northern Badakhshan province - to participate in this tournament.

“Our village is totally isolated and we seldom get the chance to take part in such activities. I, therefore, appreciate the organizers for inviting us to participate in this tournament,” Husain said.

Following the boys’ football tournament, volleyball players at Haidarkhani Girls School played a friendly match.

Mina, the 11th grade captain of the volleyball team, said that she and her peers made an effort to be a part of peaceful activities because “our people need peace for development and prosperity.”

In addition to the sports games for Peace Day, youth in the area are taking part in peace poetry, cricket match, blood donation and a road clean-up campaign sponsored by UNAMA and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said Shujauddin Ahmadzai, the head of Youth Information and Communication Centre (YICC) in Laghman.

Similar Peace Day events are planned in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces.

Read more about these and other events on the special UNAMA Peace Day 2011 webpage.

By UNAMA Jalalabad