Performing and Fine Artists for World Peace (PFAWP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization created in on the island of Kaua'i.
Our mission is to integrate the arts into the community to affect positive change. We promote the use of visual and performing arts to address social, environmental and cultural issues. These include the protection of the environment and natural resources, the promotion of cultural understanding through artistic exchanges, support for human rights and indigenous peoples rights and support for the treatment and prevention of substance abuse and addiction.
We work with artists, community organizations, businesses and government agencies. A number of our programs have been implemented in communities locally in Hawai'i and internationally. These programs include Earth-Friendly Schools Hawai'i-International, the International Month of Peace, Caring for the Earth Month, International Peace Gardens, The Dream Lives On: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and We Are 'Ohana-Songs of Hope.
We co-sponsor many community events. These have addressed issues such as Native Hawaiian rights, hunger and poverty, children's advocacy, and peace through non-violence. Some of the organizations in Hawai'i that we have worked with include: University of Hawai'i Matsunaga Institute for Peace, Recycle Hawai'i, Youth for Environmental Service, Kaua'i Center for Independent Living, YWCA, YMCA, University of Hawai'i Sea Grant Program, Hawai'i Environmental Education Association and North Hawai'i Drug-Free Coalition.
In 1987 Performing and Fine Artists for World Peace received the Peace Messenger Award from the United Nations. Through this recognition we established a network with national and international organizations. We have attended conferences and cultural exchanges across the United States and in many other countries. We have made presentations internationally in Moscow, London, Brussels, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Auckland and Vancouver, British Columbia. Nationally we have made presentations in New York City, San Francisco, Washington D. C., Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis and Nashville.
As we continue to expand our outreach to the international community, we remain focused on supporting our community at the 'grassroots' level. Today we are located in the town of Volcano on the island of Hawai'i (Big Island). Much of our work continues to be seeking ways to work in partnership with others in protecting the natural beauty of our islands as well as perpetuating and preserving the Native Hawaiian culture.