International Day of Friendship is celebrated every year by the United Nations (UN) on July 30. It is a day that honours friendships.
The day incites people to celebrate friendship regardless of race, colour or religion. It is a special day.
The first World Friendship Day was celebrated on 30th July 1958, in the North American state of Paraguay, by an international civil organisation named World Friendship Crusade.
In 2011, the UN General Assembly declared 30 July as an official International Friendship Day.
The UN proposed that friendship can inspire peace efforts between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals and link up communities.
“Sharing the human spirit through friendship” is this year’s Friendship Day theme.
The theme reveals the one aspect of friendship that, by sharing emotions of happiness and serenity, you can conquer the hearts of others.
A small but thoughtful gift can make an even greater impact than one that costs a lot of money.
Milisa Gom, 8, said that her mother is her best friend and she loves her so much.
‘’I love her because she cooks for me, and we share the same birthday. She is kind, and we share jokes together.’’
Patrick James,12, said that his friend is Matt, and they play games and soccer on weekends.
‘’We have been friends for two years. He is a good friend because he always fights for me when I get bullied at school. I am the only child, so he's like the brother I always dreamed of,’’ said Patrick.
Oyama Tolibadi,9, said that he makes a lot of friends. Everyone he meets is his friend. He believes that whoever makes you feel happy is a friend.
‘’I love meeting new people and making friends with them. I have lost count of how many friends I have, but my big sister is my best friend. She is always there for me,’’ said Oyama.