Remember Beslan: Journey of Hope

The Banner of Hope at School #1 Beslan, Russia 01-22-05

On January 15, 2005 our video crew, Bob Fox Camera/ Director, Bob Thorndike Sound, and myself Andrew Andersen Producer/ Editor, accompanied Pat Montandon and the Children as the Peacemakers Foundation on a mission of compassion to Beslan Russia.

For over 20 years, Pat Montandon has led groups of children on missions of peace around the world. One of her ongoing efforts has been the"Banner of Hope", a red silk banner that now measures over a mile long bearing the names and ages of children killed in wars. In response to the September 1, 2004 Terrorist attack on School #1 In Beslan, where children were the premeditated target, and over 331 people died, including over 184 children, Pat decided to go to Beslan with an international group of children and adults, to memorialize those lost with a new section of the banner.

School #1 Beslan 01-19-05

Our mission as film makers is to tell this story and the story of the healing power of compassion.

Click here to view a video clip

Pat Montandon and Peacemaker Koko Kondo from Japan in Moscow 01-18-05

Pat's vision of a new section of banner included not only the names of those lost, but their pictures as well. The banner started its journey at the Robert Lewis Stevenson Elementary School in Burbank, California where 4th and 5th graders helped sew on white silk doves they had cut out, and write the names of those children lost in the attack. One of those kids, Kathy Henry, age 10, (shown below) went along with the banner to Beslan.

Kathy and Nora connecting names with faces for the banner

Along with putting together a video, I raised my hand to figure out how to put the hundreds of pictures of the lost onto the banner. My solution was to photograph the pictures of those killed with a digital camera, then download them onto an iBook, edit them, and print them out onto ink-jet fabric transfer sheets (designed for making t-shirts).

Katheren Henry (Kathy's Grandma) shows a freshly printed picture to survivors.

We had 4 days in Beslan to gather the pictures and get them onto the banner. It was truly incredible the way every member of our group and all of those working with us, pulled together to make our vision of the banner a reality. Although there was not enough time to get all of the pictures and names, we were able to create the beginning of a new 300' section of the Banner of Hope, and on our last day in Beslan, we were joined by people from the town to walk the banner through the town from School #1 to the town's center Cultural Palace, where we had a brief and moving memorial ceremony. The Banner will be completed and return to Beslan in September 2005.

Bob Fox at work while Yana, Nora, Zalina, and Diana write names in Russian.

This trip has surely changed my life. To see what we saw in Beslan, to work side by side with those wonderful people, to have the mother of a murdered child hand me a picture of the love of her life, and ask me to document it so the uniqueness, and importance of that short life will not be forgotten by the world... This is something I will never forget.

Zaya and Andrew meet with one of the mothers of Beslan

Children as the Peacemakers and our new friends at the Beslan Airport.

Bob Fox and I acompanied Pat Montandon on a return trip to Beslan in September of 2005 to partake in the memorial commemorations marking the first anniversary of this terrible event. We visited our old friends and made new ones. The results of this trip can be seen in the 54:00 minute documentary we have recently completed.

I would like to thank all of you who helped or were in prayer for this mission, and ask that you continue in prayer for the success of the film we have made.

I also give special thanks to Rebecca and Davina Dixon for the photographs on this page, and the great Canadian spirit they brought to the effort.and the great Canadian Spirit they brought to the effort.