During field visits in, Beni Suef, the field worker invited a boy named Mina, to the Children’s Festivals activity and asked him to encourage his friends to join. Enthusiastically, Mina told his classmates—Kirollos, Stephen, Omar, and Mahmoud—about the event. Everyone was excited about the idea, but when Omar asked his mother for permission, she refused, saying, “No, you can’t go. We don’t know these people, and I’m worried about you.”

Despite this, Mina, Kirollos, Stephen, and Mahmoud attended the carnival and enjoyed its exciting activities, including games, face painting, and puppet shows. They also listened to an important lesson about accepting others and respecting differences, whether in appearance, skin color, gender, or religion.

The next day, the friends shared their amazing experience with Omar, who felt sad for missing out. He said, “My mom didn’t let me go.” Mina asked his mother to talk to Omar’s mother to reassure her. Mina’s mother suggested that Omar’s mom could attend the event with her son to see how the activities were managed. After some hesitation, Omar’s mother agreed to accompany him to the next carnival.

Later Omar’s mother attended the group discussions activity, she shared that she witnessed the joy and benefits her son experienced, and her fears completely disappeared. After the event, Omar said, “I used to mock my classmates with darker skin tones and laugh at them, and I used to bully a child in the street because he had a mental disability.” However, this experience changed him entirely. He learned the value of respecting others and appreciating differences. The next day, he approached the child he used to bully and offered him candy as a gesture of apology.

When Omar’s mother was invited to participate in the group discussion, she happily shared, “My son has changed a lot, and I hope these events are held again so his younger siblings can benefit too.” Thus, the carnival was an opportunity to spread love and acceptance, planting seeds of tolerance in the hearts of children.