Project Children was founded nearly 30 years ago when Denis Mulcahy chose to reach out to the children who had become innocent victims of violence in Northern Ireland. Since then, over 17,000 Catholic and Protestant children have benefited from a safe summer haven in the United States where they have had the opportunity to build friendships across the sectarian divide. Each year, our Washington program hosts approximately 60 children, who range in age from 11 to 16.

For many years, childhood in Northern Ireland did not come easily. Boys and girls grew up in neighborhoods that served as battlegrounds for a deadly conflict, pitting the Protestant family on one block against the Catholic family around the corner.

Armored tanks, barbed wire, and patrolling soldiers were familiar sights outside schoolyards and playgrounds. Violence and death were everyday facts of life.

Now there is a ceasefire and a fragile agreement to seek peace. But the legacy of hate that has for centuries divided Northern Ireland into "us" and "them" lingers on.

Reconciliation remains a critical need. By bringing Protestant and Catholic youngsters to the U.S. for six weeks of summertime fun with American host families, Project Children is helping to break down the blinding prejudice that fueled the Irish struggle.

By exposing its visitors to people from the opposite religious tradition—an eye opening experience for almost everyone—Project Children of the District of Columbia is laying a foundation on which permanent peace can be built.