WHO WE ARE
PATRON:
MADONNA
DAME JUDI DENCH
ROYAL PATRON:
HH THE BEGUM
AGA KHAN
Copyright Children of Peace;
design and build by
THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES
Supporting Good Causes Worldwide
Goodwill Ambassadors are leading international
figures who act as
advocates for the work
of Children of Peace.
Scroll down to read
all about them.
We have an anthem ‘Dream of Tomorrow’, sung by one of our ambassadors, Liel Kolet.
Click the ‘play’ button below.
Or you can see her video with Bill Clinton on YouTube.
GOODWILL AMBASSADORS
“Goodwill Ambassadors must be willing to use their time and influence to help Children
of Peace in our role of working with our Partners to help and protect both Israeli
and Palestinian children and to promote our mission of peaceful coexistence between
diverse communities in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.
Goodwill Ambassadors must communicate to the general public our message of respect
and compassion for the values, history and heritage of all communities in the region.
They are expected to be serious and committed and adhere to our strictly non partisan
notions of conflict resolution, peaceful outcomes and cooperation in order to ensure
every child's right to health, education, equality and protection.
Goodwill Ambassadors should use their privileged access to mass media and other resources
to give a voice on behalf of children who are often the forgotten victims of the
conflict and the subsequent humanitarian crises that follow. Where possible they
can assist in publicising our work by visiting field projects, and programmes abroad.
Our Goodwill Ambassadors are uniquely positioned to make direct representations to
those with the power to effect change. Working from the heart, they can use their
talent and fame to fund-raise and lobby for the building of trust, friendship and
reconciliation between all children in Israel and Palestine during meetings with
world leaders as well as with the general public."
Bassam Aramin
Having spent seven years in Israeli jails between 1985-1992, Bassam has become a
notable advocate for peace and coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. He
is a Member of the Palestinian Israeli Bereaved Family Forum, is Chairman of Al-Quds
Center for Peace and Dialogue and Co-Founder of Combatants For Peace Organisation
(of Israelis and Palestinians) in 2005.
Bassam has given more than 70 lectures in Israel since 2006 in schools, universities
and meeting houses. In 2007, he tragically lost his beloved ten year old daughter
Abir in a tragic incident involving the IDF and has courageously maintained his search
for peace and reconciliation. Bassam is the recipient of many peace awards including
an Award on November 7, 2007 in New York, the Dieschwelle Foundation Award in Germany,
the Bremen Peace Award in November 2007.
We are honoured that this very special man has joined us in our work to protect all
of the children in the region. Bassam is 40 years old and married with five children.
Sally Becker
Sally Becker first became known as the Angel of Mostar whilst rescuing wounded children
from besieged areas of Bosnia. She continued her work throughout the war, organising
humanitarian aid convoys and evacuating around two hundred sick and wounded children
and their families.
When the war spread to Kosovo, she and her volunteers brought many tonnes of humanitarian
aid to the region and in June 1998, Sally crossed the mountains on foot carrying
medical aid for children trapped in the war zone. She was captured by Serb paramilitaries
while attempting to evacuate fifteen sick and wounded children and their families
across the mountains. Upon her release she managed to trace them to a refugee camp
in Albania.
In November 1998, while she was arranging for the children to receive medical treatment,
Sally was shot by masked gunmen. She refused to leave without the children, remaining
in the area for several weeks until her mission was completed.
When the war ended in 1999, Sally returned to Kosovo and opened centres for women
and children suffering from trauma. During the Israel/Lebanon conflict of 2006, Sally
distributed aid to women and children trapped in the war zone.
Eliana Benador
Eleana Benador is president of Benador Associates and Benador Public Relations, a
New York-based independent intellectual centre and public relations firm, respectively,
that represent various corporate and media personalities, including Amir Taheri,
former Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle, former Turkish Minister of Foreign
Affairs Ismail Cem, the Iraqi intellectual and author Kanan Makiya, international
renowned specialist Dr. Stephen Gullo.
Her corporate clients include the Arab Broadcast Forum and the Coptic Association.
She has been a keynote speaker at leading international events and has been interviewed
for publications such as “Asia Times,""Die Welt,"the "Gulf News". Ms Benador, has
developed an international media relations network that expands from Australia, Kazakhstan,
Singapore, Japan, the Middle East and Europe, in a variety of fields. Her contact
database includes presidents, prime ministers and decision makers from around the
world.
Nonie Darwish
Nonie Darwish is a leading writer and public speaker. She was born and raised a Muslim
in Cairo and Gaza. Her father was killed in 1956 in the first targeted assassination
by Israel in Gaza. She has dedicated her life to fostering peace for all faiths in
the Middle East - notably between Arabs and Jews. She has a Bachelors Degree in Sociology/Anthropology
from the American University in Cairo.
Edward Davey MP
Since 1997, Edward Davey has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton.
He was born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and after studying at Nottingham High School,
he went on to gain a first class honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics
at Jesus College, Oxford. Following his degree Edward became the Liberal Democrats
Senior Economics Advisor shortly before achieving an MSc in Economics at Birkbeck
College. Edward then worked for a consultancy firm, which specialised in Post Offices.
Edward has enjoyed many positions on the front bench and is currently the Chief of
Staff to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. Edward is married to Liberal Democrat
hopeful for North Dorset, Emily.
Louise Ellman MP
Louise Ellman MP, is the Labour Member of Parliament for Liverpool, Riverside. Between
1981-97 Louise was Leader of Lancashire County Council. A lifelong campaigner against
racism, Louise is a member of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. She chairs the Jewish
Labour Movement and is a member of the House of Commons Select Committee on Transport.
Tobias Ellwood MP
Tobias Ellwood was born in New York, USA and grew up in Germany and Austria before
completing his studies in the UK. He spent 5 years with the British Army, serving
in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia. After gaining
an MBA at the City University Business School he spent two years as a Senior Business
Development Manager at Allen and Overy. He is the Conservative MP for Bournemouth
East and is the Opposition Whip for the DTI and Constitutional Affairs. He is the
Conservative MP for Bournemouth East and is the Shadow Minister for Culture Media
and Sport, is married and lives in Boscombe.
Mansoor Ijaz
Mansoor is a project financier whose principal business is funding and developing
homeland security technologies, with specific emphasis on stratospheric airships
(WorldSpectrum Inc), and a new class of first-of-their-kind underwater resort hotels
(Crescent Hydropolis Resorts). He earned his master's degree at MIT and Harvard as
a neuro-mechanical engineer, with a bachelor's degree in physics from UVA. In 1997,
he negotiated Sudan's counterterrorism offer to the Clinton administration and jointly
authored the blueprint for a ceasefire of hostilities in Kashmir in summer 2000.
He is a frequent op-ed and television commentator on national security issues. See
their fairytale wedding in Monaco.
Valerie Ijaz
Valerie is a trained medical technician and has been certified to perform first aid
by the Monaco Red Cross Society. She was born in Luxembourg and hails from Belgium.
In 2005, she toured earthquake stricken areas of Kashmir to deliver aid and assess
damage to the area. She has one daughter, Aissata, and they are resident in Monaco.
See their fairytale wedding in Monaco.
Liel Kolet
18 year old singing sensation from Israel, Liel is set to become one of the world's
major international stars. Liel Kolet was born in a kibbutz in Israel and has dedicated
her sensational voice and her music to the cause of peace in her troubled region.
Since singing "Imagine"with President Bill Clinton (click on the right to watch the
video) and a choir of Israeli and Palestinian girls, Liel has gone on to sing "We
are the World"with President Kohler of Germany and with Richard Gere during his recent
peace tour of the Middle East. Liel is a symbol of peace and reconciliation across
the region, having sung with Bono, Elton John and The Scorpions. She has dedicated
a beautiful song... ‘Dream of Tomorrow’ to Children of Peace. Click right to listen
to ‘Dream of Tomorrow’.
Yasmin Levy
Israeli singer, Yasmin Levy, was born in Jerusalem in 1975. She was introduced to
Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish language dating from the 15th century in Spain, as an infant.
Her father, who died when Yasmin was very young, was committed to researching and
collecting Ladino music, which Yasmin preserves and revives with her unique and moving
singing style today. Yasmin's wish to promote cross-cultural communication and for
people to "have more compassion towards each other and to learn to live in harmony"
is reflected beautifully in her music, which fuses Ladino music with the Andalucian
Flamenco tradition.
Yasmin's four albums have confirmed her status as a world music star. Her third album,
Mano Suave (2007) featured musicians from Iran, Armenia, Greece, Paraguay, Israel,
Turkey and Spain. It also featured a very moving duet with guest vocalist Natacha
Atlas, in which Natacha's Arabic interweaves stunningly with Yasmin's Spanish vocals.
With her most recent album, Sentir (2009), Yasmin has honed a musical vision that
integrates effortlessly all of her previous musical preoccupations with fresh, new
directions. Sentir was voted one of the top 100 albums of 2009 by The Sunday Times
and was one of only 10 world music albums included. She has toured across the globe
and won awards for both her songwriting talent and her capacity to encourage cross-cultural
dialogue.
In 2008 Yasmin became a Goodwill Ambassador for Children of Peace, a role she takes
very seriously, promoting the charity's message at every opportunity. She has recently
given a workshop in her hometown of Jerusalem at one of our affiliate schools. She
brought music, hope and her own desire to work across cultural difference to children
caught in the Middle East conflict. Her inspirational success and personal compassion
encouraged these children to fight for their future.
AMBASSADORS
