Finding Peace in Chaos, Good News This Week
In a world where the news often feels like constant negativity, a positive story rarely reaches the headlines. Although it may feel surprising at times, people and organizations all over the world are working toward peace.
Recently, the World Health Organization validated that trachoma is no longer a public health problem in Timor-Leste. Trachoma is caused by the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, and is a leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide, that caused 1.9 million people to be affected by the disease. Trachoma disproportionately affects people in poverty-stricken areas due to a lack of basic resources. In 2025, in Atauro, an island off of Timor-Leste, samples were taken from children, confirming no positive results for the disease. Timor-Leste now has the ability to properly identify and treat trachoma. Dr Arvind Mathur, World Health Organization representative,e credits this as a “remarkable achievement and testament to the country’s unwavering commitment to ending preventable diseases.”
Closer to home in Palmdale, California, actor Christian Bale opened a foster care village with the purpose of keeping siblings together. Approximately 53-80% of siblings in foster care are separated; Bale states that “it’s our job to turn their heartbreak and their pain into love and hope and a sense of future.” Out of the thousands of children living in the foster care system today, this village is an incredible development that will work to provide struggling children with a chance at a happy and stable home.
Locally, Boulder, Colorado, is celebrating the United Nations International Day of Peace at the Celebration of Peace and Peace Faire. The celebration will bring together the community to work toward this year’s theme, “Peace is Possible.” Festivities began Monday, September 13, and will run until Tuesday, September 27. Many organizations, including the UN, will be participating at the peacefaire on Saturday, September 1,9 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome, invited,d and encouraged to participate in this celebration of peace.
As chaos seems to build all around us, it is important to search for the good. Positive stories are told every day, and Humanitarian work is not to be ignored. As worldwide diseases are set to be treated, foster homes in California are opened, and local communities are gathering to celebrate peace, these stories remind us that, in times of uncertainty show us that helping one another and caring for our community can create positive change and foster a more peaceful world.
Sources:
Corbley, Andy. “Following Timor-Leste’s Triumph, All of Southeast Asia Has Eliminated Trachoma.” Good News Network, 14 Sept. 2026, https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/following-timor-lestes-triumph-all-of-southeast-asia-has-eliminated-trachoma/.
Corbley, Andy. “Christian Bale Opens Long-Dreamed of Foster Care Village Aimed at Keeping Siblings Together.” Good News Network, 15 Sept. 2026, https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/christian-bale-opens-long-dreamed-of-foster-care-village-aimed-at-keeping-siblings-together/.
World Health Organization. “Trachoma.” World Health Organization, 7 Sept. 2026, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/trachoma.
World Health Organization. “WHO Validates Timor-Leste’s Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem.” World Health Organization, 3 Sept. 2026, https://www.who.int/news/item/03-09-2026-who-validates-timor-leste-s-elimination-of-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem.
Visit Boulder. “Celebration of Peace & Peace Faire.” Visit Boulder, 2026, https://www.bouldercoloradousa.com/event/celebration-of-peace-%26-peace-faire/46980/.
Boulder Rotary Club. “Boulder Builds Peace.” Boulder Rotary Club, 2026, https://www.boulderrotary.org/brc-events/boulder-builds-peace/.
