NEWS DESK
Copyright Children of Peace;
design and build by
PATRON: MADONNA
ROYAL PATRON:
HH THE BEGUM
AGA KHAN
THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES
Supporting Good Causes Worldwide
NEWS DESK STORIES
Click a link or scroll down.
CHILDREN OF PEACE RECEIVES THE PERSONAL SUPPORT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has sent everyone at Children of Peace a personal
message of support. The Prime Minister told us that he "...was glad to hear about
Children of Peace's excellent and pioneering work to support and protect the children
of Israel and Palestine."
For many, Children of Peace acts as an inspirational, multi-faith and non partisan
role model of cooperation and peaceful coexistence between communities divided by
conflict.
The Prime Minister agrees that "Children are often the forgotten victims of conflict."
He went on to say that " all children deserve a future of opportunity, peace and
hope and by encouraging a sense of community and acceptance amongst the children
with whom you work, I believe you are helping to bring this about."
In his full Statement to Children of Peace, the Prime Minister said:
" I want to express my support for the important work that Children of Peace is doing.
It is our duty to work towards a true and sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine
so that the next generation can grow up without fear, in safety and enjoy the opportunities
in life that all children deserve. If we are to achieve this vision, it is vital
that today's children in both Israel and Palestine are given the chance to grow up
together. Children of Peace are working to protect the children of this conflict
and to encourage a sense of partnership and tolerance that can break down the barriers
to peace. I wholeheartedly commend them and wish them every success."
ACTRESS HELENA BONHAM CARTER, HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR TIM BURTON & SINGER SONGWRITER SOPHIE
ELLIS BEXTOR JOIN AS FRIENDS
Leading English film television and stage actress, Hollywood film director Tim Burton
and platinum award winning singer Sophie Ellis Bextor have all joined Children of
Peace as Friends. They join a growing circle of acclaimed public figures that support
our fresh approach to conflict resolution between Israeli and Palestinian children
and their communities.
Giving their reasons for joining Children of Peace, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim
Burton have told us that:
"As parents we are so aware of the efforts that have to be made to bring up children
and provide for them the security of home life and of the environment around them.
Children of Peace is reaching out to the children of Israel and Palestine and encouraging
them to understand each other to create a stable future for them all.
The conflict continues in the area and it is these children who hold destiny in their
hands. Children of Peace will succeed with your help and we are pleased to lend our
support."
HELENA BONHAM CARTER
Helena Bonham Carter is an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated English actress.
She is best known for her portrayals of Lucy Honeychurch in the film A Room with
a View, Marla Singer in the film Fight Club, Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix, her Oscar-nominated performance as Kate Croy in The
Wings of the Dove, her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney
Todd, as well as her other collaborations with her domestic partner, Tim Burton.
Bonham Carter has recently signed on to star as the leading villain, Serena, alongside
Christian Bale in Terminator Salvation, and The Red Queen in her partner Tim Burton's
2010 film, Alice in Wonderland.
TIM BURTON
Tim Burton is an American film director, screenwriter and set designer, notable for
the quirky and often dark, gothic atmosphere pervading his high-profile films. The
protagonists are usually misfits or outsiders, physically or emotionally different
or scarred.
The director of two Batman films, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), he has
collaborated with actor Johnny Depp and actress Helena Bonham Carter prolifically
in films such as Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999),
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride in 2005. His 2007 film Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, also starring Depp and Bonham Carter in the
leading roles, won the award for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best
Actor (Comedy or Musical) at the 65th Golden Globe Awards. It was also nominated
for Best Actor, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the 80th Academy Awards.
He has also collaborated extensively with composer Danny Elfman, in all but two of
his films.
SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
Sophie Ellis Bextor is a multi-platinum selling British pop singer and songwriter.
Her music is a mixture of mainstream Pop, Disco, Nu-Disco, and 1980s electronic influences.
Her fourth studio album was due for release in late summer 2008, with Sophie confirming
this on April 11, 2008.
According to HMV, Sophie's fourth studio album will be released on January 23, 2009.
In August 2006 it was announced that she was the new 'face' of high street fashion
chain Monsoon replacing the model Sophie Dahl.
In May 2008 it was reported that Sophie was hired by cosmetics brand Rimmel as one
of their new faces.
In 2008 she features in the short musical film The Town that Boars Me by photographer
Ben Charles Edwards. The film also features Jodie Harsh, Kelly Osbourne and Zandra
Rhodes amongst others. The film is set to debut in late summer at the Portobello
Film Festival and is produced by Glass Loves and Shoot to Kill Productions. On 4
October 2008 she performed at the End Child Poverty Coalition's "Keep the Promise"
event at Trafalgar Square.
THE MISSION AT CHILDREN OF PEACE
BY MANSOOR AND VALERIE IJAZ
In this article specially written for Children of Peace by Goodwill Ambassadors to
the charity, Mansoor and Valerie Ijaz, both outline their deeply felt reasons for
actively supporting our fresh approach to conflict resolution in the Middle East,
where children from all faiths, backgrounds and communities are protected through
shared notions of peaceful cooperation and coexistence.
“Healing the wounds of conflict in a region as complex as the Middle East is a generational
process that requires patience, intelligence and courage. The foundation of the human
intellect is an unparalleled ability to learn - from books, from experience, from
other human beings around us. Learning is a function of the environment in which
we raise ourselves up from early childhood.
A young girl born in the Amazon rainforest will learn the art of fishing among Piranhas
and alligators but may never learn how to click a computer mouse, or why that is
even relevant.
A young boy born into the family of a dot-com millionaire will learn how to use that
mouse before he learns 100 words, but may never have the practical life experiences
that could enable his survival in a remote region of Earth.
And then - sadly - we have the children of war, those among us whose only education
and social experiences lead them to a life of hurling rocks at tanks and strapping
plastic explosives onto their belts while shouting religious epithets as they destroy
life for reasons they cannot comprehend.
We at Children of Peace seek to end the cycle of violence and hatred that grips the
Middle East, not through empty diplomatic or political promises which deliver little
value to the daily lives of disaffected people, or through signing agreements whose
words are never honoured, but by going back to the fundamental basis of life - pursuit
of knowledge that enables one child, irrespective of race, religion or creed, to
understand another on the simplest of human terms - truth.
We don't take sides. We don't play politics. We promote justice and honour, and we
protect human dignity. We don't allow lies to be told where we know truth is the
strongest bridge to heal the wounds of war. And we don't allow ego and self-interest
to enter in the peace equation. We seek to build on the only blocks that can heal
what adults have torn apart - our children. We seek to amplify their pristinely pure
minds and honest intentions, their naturally high spirits, their raw unfiltered emotions
and their innate love for each other that knows no prejudice or barriers.
When we arrange a soccer game so that healthy competitive spirits are born to enable
growth in adulthood devoid of fear, we don't identify our children as Israelis and
Palestinians or as Jews and Muslims - they are simply our children playing a game
to learn team spirit and enjoy sport together. When we arrange classes to expand
their minds about culture or music or art or history, we don't place limits on the
boundaries of what knowledge is right for them to know and not know. We treat our
children as young adults whose minds need to know - everything.
We teach our children from the earliest age to love each other as humans - not to
distinguish upon arbitrary judgments that infect their minds with prejudice and hatred.
We are unique in this way because we are deaf, dumb and blind to any facet of human
behaviour which instils violence and fear. We fight anger with bold determination
to help a child understand their anger, and to eliminate it one step at a time. We
fight hatred by teaching patience and removing fear of the unknown by education.
Life is as precious as it is short. We at Children of Peace seek to ensure our children
one day grow up enabled to teach their own generations that at a time long ago, their
parents and grandparents had the courage to stand up to those who would sew chaos
for narrow political objectives and even more dubious personal ones - we should join
hands and be proud to say "Stop, enough, we will not let you have any more of our
children" - the very children who then saved us from the calamity of war. We are
Children of Peace.”
LATEST LONDON EVENT A GREAT SUCCESS
Sports Coordinator and Member of the Events Committee, Dominic Martin reports on
the success of the Children of Peace charity night held at the Volupté Lounge in
London.
A big thank you to everyone involved in the hugely successful burlesque dinner gala,
Busting For Peace, held at the West End's Volupté bar on October 9th. A generous
number of donations were raised on the night thanks to excellent ticket sales and
the great kindness of guests during an extravagant auction hosted by the evening's
superb compere Dusty Limits.
The evening's entertainment included a burlesque and vaudeville show - featuring
the likes of Chrys Columbine and Mamzelle Fifi - live music and a delicious three-course
dinner.
A special thank you goes to Alexandra Reed for initiating and organising the whole
event, and to Karen Farini and the rest of the Volupté staff for their cooperation
and generosity in providing additional items for the auction and helping the night
run perfectly. The charity is also grateful to Mr Michael Bennett of ReThink Recruitment
who provided the Red Letter Day auction items and David Smith, Sequel Business Solutions,
who kindly donated the iPods.
SEPTEMBER 2008
CHILDREN OF PEACE DONATES TO FIVE AFFILIATES
The Trustees of Children of Peace agreed to make a donation to a number of affiliates
and partners in Israel and Palestine in September 2008. The affiliates were selected
by the Trustees following a rigorous process. The selected affiliates include...
BEIT AL MUSICA
In March 2007, a Children of Peace delegation visited Beit Al Musica and were greatly
impressed by the remarkable work of this music school and conservatoire in building
trust, understanding and cultural links between the many diverse communities that
make up today's Israel.
Amer Nakhleh, the Director of Beit al Musica writes:
"I would like to thank you for the support of Children of Peace to Beit Al Musica
and for your interest in our work. It was such a great surprise to receive your message".
The donation will be used to purchase new musical instruments for the centre.
HOPE FLOWERS SCHOOL
If any organisation symbolises the significance of our work in Israel and Palestine
- it is Hope Flowers School - a beacon of hope for peaceful co-existence between
Israeli and Palestinian children and their communities. Hope Flowers School is a
unique school - teaching peace and democracy and aiding trauma-reduction and community
development in Bethlehem, Palestine.
Founded in 1984, the school was created to meet a need for a safe and supportive
environment in which children could grow and develop into citizens of a new Palestine.
It is supported by many groups and individuals worldwide from a range of faiths and
persuasions, who share its philosophy. The school is a leader in its field and a
significant contributor to the process of de-escalating violence and extremism in
the 21st Century.
An important objective is to help to raise a new generation in Palestine believing
in peace, democracy, freedom and respect for the rights and needs of others, possessing
the skills needed to manage conflict and complex situations.
The donation will be used to purchase important school supplies.
THE JAFFA INSTITUTE
In March 2007, the Children of Peace Delegation visited the Jaffa Institute and were
deeply moved by its work in helping economically deprived children from all faiths
and backgrounds in the ancient city of Jaffa.
All of the Delegates praised the work of the Institute.
Dr. David J. Portowicz, the Chairman of the Institute writes:
"The Jaffa Institute would like to extend its deepest gratitude to Children of Peace
for choosing to support our holistic anti-poverty programming.
Children of Peace's donation will support our Musical Minds program, which is proven
to advance the cognitive development of at-risk children. Further, Musical Minds
facilitates multi cultural cooperation through the study of music and without the
language and cultural barriers disturbing other interactive disciplines.
It is only through donations by organizations like Children of Peace that we are
able to continue to develop programs that work, that are outcome- and evidence- based,
and that provide youth with tools to overcome the vicious cycle of poverty while
creating a true generation of peace. Thank you for your support."
Warm Regards,
David Portowicz, Chairman, The Jaffa Institute
Two other groups will also receive a donation from Children of Peace in the coming
weeks - the primary school at Neve Shalom-Wahat al Salaam and Palestinian partners
al Quds for Dialogue & Democracy. In the next update, we plan to focus on their work
in a new feature: Partner Focus.
OBAMA’S VICE-PRESIDENT ELECT SUPPORTS
CHILDREN OF PEACE
The US Vice-Presidential Elect, Joe Biden has given Children of Peace his support.
Mr Biden said:
" As your organization has recognized, children are often overlooked victims of violent
conflict, and too few efforts are focused on their particular needs. Generations
of Israeli and Palestinian children have grown up with peace as an elusive dream.
Supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process requires grassroots reconciliation
through the mobilization of non-governmental organizations such as Children of Peace.
I wish Children of Peace the best success in all of its endeavors as it continues
to grow."
