Recognition of a Smoke-free Uruguay ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Everywhere in this world, we can see acts of tenderheartedness and manifestations of God’s divine love. These beautiful encounters and charitable deeds are infusing positive energy into our society and adding momentum to the elevation of our world. To commend these virtuous actions and to encourage more people to follow their examples, Supreme Master Ching Hai has created a series of awards, including the Shining World Leadership Award, to be presented to these exemplary people, wise governments and organizations, as well as our compassionate and brave animal friends. These awards express our praise and appreciation for the superb ideal that they have set, which will bring a bright future to all beings. The ‘red heart’ ratings represent God’s love, reminding humankind to treat all living beings with compassion and love.

On March 1, Golden Year 3 (2006), Uruguay joined the list of other nations that have passed laws banning smoking in public areas and workplaces. For this enlightened initiative to protect the health of its citizens from tobacco smoke, Supreme Master Ching Hai bestowed the Shining World Leadership Award on the Uruguayan government.

The presentation ceremony occurred in Montevideo, Uruguay, on March 27, Golden Year 5, and the event was attended by the country’s General Director of Health, Dr. Jorge Basso, and Director of the National Program for Tobacco Control, Dr. Winston Abascal. Association members presented the Award to the Minister of Health, Dr. María Julia Muñoz, along with several gifts, including Master’s latest publications.

The audience was also shown the SOS video on the critical state of our planet due to global warming. After watching the video, Dr. Muñoz showed a positive outlook by saying that the World Health Organization has set April 7 as the day on which all countries will come together to address climate change. May God enlighten and bless the Uruguayan people with peace, happiness and wellbeing, and let us pray that their noble example is followed by more and more conscious, caring leaders of other nations.