ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Children from 41 countries, some in a state of war, gathered at Disneyland and received the fourth annual Peace Prize awards for their personal visions of peace.
The ceremony, held Wednesday on an open-air stage next to the 'It's a Small World' ride, included children from the United States, the Soviet Union and Nicaragua. It was the fourth presentation by the Children as the Peacemakers Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1982 by San Francisco philanthropist Patricia Montandon.
The winners, who came from as far away as South Africa and China, were among 150,000 children who competed within their own countries and were selected by a panel of their peers. They ranged in age from 8 to 12.
Using any art form to express themselves, the children were asked to answer the question: Humankind will someday have the opportunity to live in space; if you could live on a space station, what would you do to create peace and prevent the conflicts we have seen on Earth?
Entries included original works of poetry, drawing, music, dance, sculpture, essays and videotapes.
The United States' Dawn Balady, 10, of Paterson, N.J., composed a song titled 'We Can Help' as her entry, which was among 5,000 nationwide.
Jihan Sadat, widow of assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Bonita Granville Wrather, owner of the Disneyland Hotel, presented the awards, glass statuettes representing images of three generations of hands reaching for the dove of peace.
'I'm deeply touched by these children,' Sadat said. 'My husband started the peace process in the Middle East and he paid his life for it, and I am dying to see peace prevail. Seeing this wonderful Russian boy means every child all over the world feels the same about peace.'
The children paraded on stage to the anti-famine anthem 'We Are The World' and each one, dressed in a native costume, made a brief statement in his or her own language.
Misha Sokolov, 11, of Moscow, who said he wants to be a diplomat and was chosen for his work with the International Friendship Club in Moscow, said, 'I'm very excited and very interested in seeing this country. I wish the leaders of the world would stop talking about peace and start doing things about it.'
Israel's Shachan Nisim said in Hebrew, 'I hope for peace between us and our Arab neighbors. I hope there will be no more wars.'
Northern Ireland's Sarah Lockhart, 11, said, 'Some children in my country have suffered a lot because of violence. We all pray for peace there.'
Nicaragua's Jorge Ingran, 11, said, 'I'm happy to be here. I wish you love and wish all the world can have peace.'
Actor Joseph Campanella was master of ceremonies, which were attended by about 1,000 invited guests and broadcast live by satellite to the Soviet Union.
The children arrived earlier this week with a parent or chaperone and will spend today at Disneyland before returning home.
