to raise global understanding. Later convinced that peace would not be achievable without the eradication of poverty, he founded "Islands of Peace", an NGO dedicated to the long term development of rural populations in developing countries. Projects were started in Bangladesh and India. Pire died at Louvain Roman Catholic Hospital on 30 January 1969 from complications following prostate surgery, at age 58. More than 30 years after his death, the four organizations he founded are still active. In 2008 a program was established in honour of his work at the Las Casas Institute at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford. Organizations founded Service d'Entraide Familiale: works towards the social re-insertion of persons in state of difficulty, Aide aux Personnes Déplacées: is active in the field of refugees in Belgium and sponsors children in developing countries, Université de Paix: specializes in conflict prevention in the family and work place, Islands of Peace: conducts long term development projects with the populations of Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Footnotes References including the Nobel Lecture on 11 December 1958 Brotherly Love: Foundation of Peace Houart, Victor, The Open Heart: The Inspiring Story of Father Pire and the Europe of the Heart, London, Souvenir Press, 1959. 1910 births 1969 deaths People from Dinant Walloon people Belgian Dominicans Belgian Nobel laureates Nobel Peace Prize laureates Belgian resistance members Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni