April as the Month of Service
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As April 2026 begins, the Universal Peace Federation enters the second full month of its 100 Days of Serving Community campaign, running from February 20 to June 1. March was the Month of Partnerships; April is the Month of Service. Partnerships build trust through practical action in society. Service reaches beyond charity: it reduces social isolation, renews shared public spaces, supports vulnerable families, assists those in need, and builds interpersonal trust.
This focus is in line with the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026). It also resonates with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on April 6 and International Mother Earth Day on April 22.
In many societies, spring is the season when homes, streets, schools and common spaces are cleaned, repaired and renewed. Thus, in many regions, April is marked by civic campaigns that connect volunteerism with spring renewal. Groups conducting such campaigns include Points of Light in the United States, Volunteer Canada in Canada, and European Youth Week, which kicks off in Belgium and spreads throughout Europe. Other projects such as the Spring Week of Kindness in Russia and Good Deeds Days in Israel, Italy, Poland and Portugal, inspire a culture of organized volunteerism with local and international acts of service. In Africa, active April networks can be seen in Kenya and South Africa.
UPF founders Dr. Hak Ja Han and the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon taught that lasting peace grows when people serve others through everyday acts of service and when consistent service becomes part of community life. Initiatives they inspired include the International Relief Friendship Foundation, founded in 1976 to provide humanitarian aid and development support to communities affected by poverty, disasters, and conflict; the Religious Youth Service, founded in 1985 to engage young people of many nations and religions in projects that combine service projects with interfaith exposure and education; and Youth and Students for Peace, founded in 2017 to empower a new generation through social service, peacebuilding and leadership training.
Sports for peace initiatives – including the Play Soccer, Make Peace tournaments, launched in 2004 as a project of the World Association of NGOs and developed in partnership with UPF in places such as Gaza, Israel, Jordan, and Nigeria – show how fair play and teamwork can help heal and serve divided communities and make the vision of one family under God visible on the playing field. Aewon, the charity organization founded by Dr. Hak Ja Han in 1994, provided free meals to the poor, supported low-wage earners and the handicapped in South Korea, and extended aid to North Korean people.
The Universal Peace Federation encourages its Ambassadors for Peace, national chapters, partner organizations, and all people of goodwill to dedicate April, the Month of Service, to one or more practical acts of service for the benefit of society, especially in the context of IVY 2026. Through such shared work, April can strengthen neighborhoods, institutions, and the habits of trust on which peace depends, while supporting the transition to May as the Month of Family and the campaign's culmination.
April Volunteer Activities Around the World
April 1-30 Points of Light Global Volunteer Month (USA)
April 12 Good Deeds Day (Israel)
April 14-16 ECOSOC Youth Forum
April 19-25 Points of Light National Volunteer Week (USA)
April 19-25 Volunteer Canada National Volunteer Week (Canada)
April 19-27 Spring Week of Kindness (Russia)
April 21-22 Humanitarian Congress Berlin (Germany)
April 22 International Mother Earth Day
April 24-May 1 European Youth Week 2026
April 27-29 World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Nairobi (Kenya)
