2nd graders at St. Perpetua School Photo provided

St. Perpetua School second graders have joined hands with tens of thousands of other school children around the world who share the vision and dedication to empower communities through education in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The students are embarking on a Pennies for Peace campaign to broaden their cultural horizons and become members of a global family dedicated to peace.

How can a penny bring peace? It doesn't buy much in Lafayette. But in the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, it can buy a pencil, start an education, and transform a life. That pencil can empower a child to read, write, and learn. The Pennies for Peace program goal is to encourage children, who are ultimately our future leaders, to learn the value of philanthropy by collecting pennies for global peace.

St. Perpetua second grade students have studied the cultures of Afghanistan and Pakistan and are working together in their Peace for Peace campaign while coming to understand their own capacity as philanthropists - one penny at a time.

Second graders have visited other classrooms, as well as the Student Council, to talk about the needs of students in Pakistan and Afghanistan and how their project can help these children. They have made posters for the school hallway and a display for the front office area. The pennies that St. Perpetua second grade students collect can add up to make a real difference.