Interfaith project - From 22nd December 2001 to 7th January 2002, thirteen young adults from Gujarat, nine from other Indian states and ten from Canada, Hungary, Japan, South Africa, UK, and the USA took part in an international interfaith project in Gujarat, India. They helped to restore a mosque in a Muslim village, and to build a temple in a Hindu village. The original temple had been totally destroyed and the mosque partially damaged in the massive earthquake that hit the area on 26th January 2001.

The background - The project was arranged by the IARF South Asian Coordinating Council, and supported by the IARF Secretariat. We wanted to show solidarity with the people who had been affected by the earthquake in Gujarat. Our additional concern in choosing Gujarat, was awareness of incidents of religious intolerance, which needed to be addressed indirectly through a cooperative, publicly visible endeavour.

The aim of bringing the young adults together in this situation was to promote interfaith cooperation, an awareness of different cultural traditions and to provide an opportunity to reflect on issues of religious freedom.