HWPL Peace Education at Mongolia’s Middle School No. 109: Change Made Possible Through the Power of Cooperation

As always, my day begins with seeing my child off to school, tidying up the house, and then sitting down at my computer with a warm cup of tea.

Despite the cold winter air, the morning sunlight felt unusually gentle today, leaving my heart feeling unexpectedly tender.

During these brief moments of pause, I usually read news related to education.

Today, one story in particular lingered in my heart for a long time, inspiring me to write this post.

It was about the ‘HWPL Peace Education Completion Ceremony’ held at Middle School No. 109 in Nalaikh District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

🌱 “The most disorderly classroom sees the greatest change.”

According to the article, Class 1 of the 9th grade was well known throughout the school for frequent conflicts and constant noise.

However, after participating in a 12-course peace education program over five months, the students’ expressions, tone of voice, and the way they treated one another noticeably changed.

The moment I read this sentence, I found myself nodding in agreement.

Children… when someone sincerely approaches them and takes the time to truly understand their hearts, they can change in truly remarkable ways.

Thinking about that process of change suddenly brought tears to my eyes.

🌿 “Hope Where Education Meets: The Collaboration Between HWPL and the Lifelong Education Center”

This peace education program is the first tangible outcome of an official collaboration between HWPL and the Nalaikh Lifelong Education Center.

What made this collaboration especially meaningful was that it went beyond simple “support” and was instead a systematically operated program based on an official 12-course curriculum.

It was a scene of schools, local institutions, and civic organizations each moving from their own place toward a single goal for the children.

Wouldn’t this be an ideal scene that anyone working in the field of education has dreamed of at least once?

Education is not something done alone, but something created together.

It felt as though these words were being brought to life in reality.

💌 “Activities That Open Hearts… and Children’s Smiles”

The activities the children took part in transformed the concept of peace from something merely “learned” into something personally “felt.”

* Making a Tree of Peace

* Peace letters shared from heart to heart

* Communication activities for understanding each other

Aren’t these the kinds of experiences that leave children with something far more meaningful than grades or knowledge—a new way of seeing others who are different from themselves?

As I looked at photos of the children smiling brightly while receiving their certificates and gifts at the completion ceremony, it felt as though the changes that had taken place in their hearts were fully conveyed through those images alone.

🌍 “Seeds of Peace Spreading Through the Community”

What impressed me even more was that this completion ceremony laid the foundation for expanding peace education throughout the entire Nalaikh District.

Watching a small seed that began in one classroom spread beyond the school into the wider community made me reflect once again on the true power of education.

Living as both a mother and a teacher, there are many moments when I find myself wondering how much change my own efforts can truly make.

Yet stories like this strengthen my belief once again that small changes eventually create a powerful current.

✨ In Closing…

The changes seen among the students at Mongolia’s Middle School No. 109 were not simply the result of “one good program.”

It proved the value of cooperation, fostered the emotional growth of children, and presented a new model of education created together with the community.

It also made me sincerely hope that schools and local communities will work together to create environments where our children can experience this kind of growth.

Protecting the peace within children’s hearts—could this be the most important form of education that all of us should carry out together?