The desire for peace is growing stronger in response to the increasing number of wars, which are becoming chronic and reaching unacceptable levels of inhuman violence against civilians and defenseless people. To give space and voice to this desire, once again this year, AVSI’s Tents Campaign chooses peace as its central theme—a word we want to use while respecting its most authentic meaning, freeing it from rhetorical or ideological reductions.
We were guided in this intention by Pope Leo XIV, who, during an audience with Italian bishops last June, observed: “Peace is not a spiritual utopia: it is a humble path, made up of daily gestures that interweave patience and courage, listening and action, and which demand today more than ever our vigilant and generative presence.”
We realized that these words precisely describe our work: AVSI operates on the ground, through daily gestures woven with patience and, for many colleagues working in remote and dangerous places, with courage. Our action begins by listening to the needs of the most vulnerable and gradually builds through a constant presence alongside people and communities, through relationships cultivated with vigilance and attention to each person’s dignity.
This is why we can affirm that AVSI’s projects and the efforts of those who make them possible through their support are truly acts of peace: humble actions by peacebuilders. That’s why we want to title this year’s Tents Campaign with a phrase that expresses this conviction, which becomes both a call and an invitation: “Peace is a humble path. Let’s walk it together.” This path cannot be walked alone: it requires a community of people who, each starting from their own identity, creativity, and gifts, can bring to life daily gestures capable of building peace.
Defining peace as a humble path, especially when compared to high-impact media gestures, might seem like an escape or a surrender to silence.
But it’s quite the opposite: this title, like a slow-release medicine, forces us to pause, invites ongoing reflection, encourages us to see ourselves in action, places individual responsibility at the center, and calls everyone to embark on a journey that begins with simple, everyday relationships with those around us and extends to those living in distant contexts.
The adjective “humble” also evokes “humus,” the earth: it is an invitation to continually renew our passion for reality, for the daily encounter with others. We hope many will join us on this path.
Peace is a humble path. Let’s walk it together.