NEWS DESK

SHINING A LIGHT AT THE END OF A LONG, DARK TUNNEL

NEWS DESK STORIES

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FIVE ISRAELI & PALESTINIAN GROUPS RECEIVE OUR GRANTS

FOUR NEW GROUPS JOIN OUR COALITION OF PEACE

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW: MOHAMMED AMIN

ARAB-JEWISH YOUTH ORCHESTRA JOINS US

SHANI CHOIR ON COURSE TO JOIN FESTIVAL

SUCCESSFUL PEACE FAIR IN KINGSTON, SURREY

JULIE CIGMAN & MARTIN SIMON JOIN US AS FRIENDS

RACING 4 PEACE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

BOOKS FOR PALESTINIAN CHILDREN IN LEBANON

THE 2011 10K RUN BEATS PREVIOUS RECORDS!

SHANI CHOIR INVITED TO PRESTIGIOUS THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL

THREE NEW TRUSTEES JOIN OUR BOARD

CHAIRMAN MEETS 16 PALESTINIAN TEACHERS

KARL JENKINS CBE & DAVID BADDIEL JOIN US AS FRIENDS

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW II: AFTAB AHMED, DIRECTOR, ROYAL ISLAMIC STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTRE IN JORDAN

SUPPORT OUR 2011 10K LONDON RUN

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW I: MAHMOUD JABARI, YOUTH AMBASSADOR

THE EGYPT EFFECT: MAHMOUD JABARI LOOKS AT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ISRAEL & PALESTINE

MOHAMMED LEHIA, GAZA DOCTOR TALKS TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

THE 2010-11 ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS BURSARY AWARD UPDATE

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW WITH HADAR SELA: AN ISRAELI MOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE

CHAIRMAN VISITS COLEBOURNE SCHOOL'S "PEACE WEEK" IN BIRMINGHAM, WRITES SAJIDA ASIF

DAUGHTERS FOR LIFE AFFILIATES TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

REVIEW: ROAD TO JERICHO - LARA MEPHAM

ANTONIA LESLIE & JESSICA WOOLLEY - OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP SECRETARIES

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER SUPPORTS CHILDREN OF PEACE

CHILDREN OF PEACE WORKS WITH SHIRAA TO BRING HOPE TO WEST BANK CHILDREN

ISRAELI STAR LIEL KOLET PRESENTS OUR 2010-11 ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS BURSARY AWARD

WE APPOINT KIDWELLS AS OUR LEGAL ADVISERS

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW - LABOUR FRIENDS OF ISRAEL

SHIREEN ANABTAWI & DANIELA NORRIS BECOME GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

THE PLIGHT OF THE BEDOUINS IN ISRAEL

JOIN OUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK GROUPS

NICK CLEGG - BRITISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SUPPORTS US

WE DONATE TO THE BETHLEHEM STAR CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION

MIFALOT, ISRAEL JOINS US AS AN AFFILIATE

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW: PEACE ACTIVIST BASSAM ARAMIN

BRITISH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT SUPPORT CHILDREN OF PEACE

CROSSING QALANDIYA WRITERS VISIT STEINER ACADEMY

KATHRYN PLAYA BECOMES A FRIEND

CHILDREN OF PEACE DONATES TO ISRAELI & PALESTINIAN AFFILIATES

TWO GIRLS TO RECEIVE OUR ABIR ARAMIN BURSARY

TWO LEADING PEACE GROUPS JOIN US AS AFFILIATES

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW: PROFESSOR RAPHAEL WALDEN

PEACE CHILD ISRAEL BECOMES AN AFFILIATE

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW: SAJIDA ASIF

NEW FRIENDS JOIN CHILDREN OF PEACE

WE HAVE MORE TO UNIFY US… writes Mahmoud Jabari

JOIN OUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK GROUPS

DAME JUDI DENCH JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE AS A PATRON

SAJIDA ASIF HOLDS EXHIBITION IN SUPPORT OF OUR CHARITY

10K LONDON RUN TAKES THE ROAD TO PEACE

STAND UP FOR PEACE REPEATS 2009 SUCCESS

PEACE PRE SCHOOL RECEIVES CHILDREN OF PEACE GRANT

MAHMOUD JABARI WRITES ABOUT HOPE & OF PEACE

CROSSING QALANDIYA WRITERS JOIN US AS FRIENDS

PEACE PRE SCHOOL RECEIVES CHILDREN OF PEACE GRANT

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: AGM JUNE 26th 2010

MAHMOUD JABARI WRITES ABOUT HOPE & OF PEACE

TWO NEW GROUPS JOIN US - THE STEERING CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY (BETHLEHEM) & BETHELEHEM STAR CHARITABLE SOCIETY

YASMIN LEVY - GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HOLDS INSPIRATIONAL WORKSHOP

WE APPOINT A FUNDRAISER

STEINER SCHOOLS JOIN US

CROSSING QALANDIYA - WRITERS DONATE TO US

OUR WINTER APPEAL 2009-10 SCHOOLS AID GIVING CHILDREN A CHANCE

Z OE HELLER & YOTAM SOLOMAN: NEW FRIENDS OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

JOIN OUR GROWING FACEBOOK GROUP

SIR DEREK JACOBI BECOMES PATRON OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

SHIRAA ORGANISATION JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE

AFFILIATE FOCUS: THE JEZREEL VALLEY MUSIC CENTER

CORK STREET CONTEMPORARY ART OPEN PRIVATE VIEW IS GREAT SUCCESS

TRUSTEES AGREE MAJOR CHANGE FOR CHILDREN

LOOK OUT FOR OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

MUSICIANS FOR PEACE TEAM UP WITH US

CORK STREET OPEN EXHIBITION - ARTISTS SHOW UP FOR
CHILDREN OF PEACE

THREE GROUPS RECEIVE OUR SMALL INTERNATIONAL GRANT

ISLA BLAIR, SIMON CALLOW, JULIAN GLOVER AND JANINE MARTIN
JOIN AS FRIENDS

NEW AFFILIATE -
MAOF SCHOOL, ISRAEL

OUR 10K LONDON RUNNERS
EXCEED PERSONAL BEST

67 WEST BANK CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM THE 2008 WINTER APPEAL

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE -
A GREAT SUCCESS

UNIVERSITIES AND STUDENT GROUPS SUPPORT CHILDREN OF PEACE

PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR GIVES US
FULL SUPPORT AND JOINS AS FRIEND

MATT LUCAS, PHILIP GLENISTER & AMELIA QUINLAN - NEW FRIENDS

SAHAR SHALALLDA AND DEJITSU WASSI - RECEIVE THE ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS' EDUCATIONAL BURSARY

STAND UP FOR PEACE - A BRILLIANT EVENING - A FUNDRAISING TRIUMPH!

NEW AFFILIATE - THE PEACE PRE-SCHOOL AT THE YMCA, JERUSALEM

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE - JUNE 2009 - IS A SELL-OUT SUCCESS

10K LONDON RUN - SUPPORT OUR TEAM

CORK STREET - CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW TO RAISE FUNDS THIS AUGUST

THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES CHOOSES US FOR NEW WEBSITE

COUNTESS OF CHICHESTER, SHEIKH MANASRAH, MANAL TIMRAZ JOIN US

STAND UP FOR PEACE: A NIGHT OF COMEDY ON 23RD MAY

OUR 2009 ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS' BURSARY FOR ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN GIRLS

WESAL - GAZA SCHOOLS JOIN CHILDREN OF PEACE AS NEW AFFILIATE

AFFILIATE FOCUS: HAND IN HAND FOR ARAB-JEWISH EDUCATION

CORK STREET - CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW TO RAISE FUNDS THIS AUGUST

BRITISH ACTRESS SAMANTHA MORTON JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE AS A FRIEND

"ANGEL OF MOSTAR" SALLY BECKER BECOMES GOODWILL AMBASSADOR TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

KING’S ACADEMY, JORDAN TO BE KEY PARTNER OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN RACING DRIVERS RACE FOR PEACE

HELPING THE CHILDREN - SAINT JOHN

OF JERUSALEM EYE HOSPITAL GROUP

AFFILIATE FOCUS – HANNAH WEITZER LOOKS AT THE WORK OF WINDOWS

CORINNE BAILEY RAE GIVES STRONG SUPPORT TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

JEWISH SIXTH FORMERS CHOOSE CHILDREN OF PEACE AS THEIR 2009 CHARITY

BORIS JOHNSON - THE MAYOR OF LONDON GIVES HIS SUPPORT FOR OUR WORK

CHILDREN OF PEACE SETS UP NEW FACEBOOK PAGE

AMERICAN DONORS CAN NOW GET TAX BREAKS IF YOU GIVE TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

2009 - THE UNITED NATIONS YEAR OF THE CHILD

GORDON BROWN SENDS PERSONAL MESSAGE OF SUPPORT

HELENA BONHAM CARTER
TIM BURTON
AND SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
JOIN AS FRIENDS

GOODWILL AMBASSADORS MANSOOR & VALERIE IJAZ ON
WHY THEY ENDORSE OUR WORK

VICE-PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN SUPPORTS
CHILDREN OF PEACE

DONATIONS TO FIVE REGIONAL PARTNERS

INTERNATIONAL STAR YASMIN LEVY BECOMES GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

THREE LEADING ACADEMICS
JOIN AS FRIENDS

TEAM CHILDREN OF PEACE TRIUMPH

GAZA AID SHIPMENT REACHES THE CHILDREN

AMERICAN SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN SUPPORTS US

HOUSE OF GRACE JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE

10K TEAM RAISES MONEY FOR CHILDREN OF PEACE

JEFF GOLDBLUM MEETS SIR DEREK JACOBI IN LONDON

BASSAM ARAMIN BECOMES CHILDREN OF PEACE GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

DOMINIC MARTIN BECOMES SPORTS COORDINATOR - MADELEINE McGIVERN OUR VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR

JULIA SAWALHA JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE AS A FRIEND

MESSAGE FROM TONY BLAIR
March 2008

EMMA THOMPSON, GREG WISE, IMELDA STAUNTON AND JIM CARTER BECOME FRIENDS OF THE CHARITY March 2008

BRITISH ARTIST HOLDS CHARITY NIGHT March 2008

ABIR ARAMIN 2008 SCHOLARSHIP

GAZA EMERGENCY APPEAL SENDS AID December 2007

HEREFORD FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORT December 2007

SOCCER SCHOOLS UPDATE

STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN ATTEND THE FIRST LONDON EVENT November 2007

OUR GAZA FRIENDS CALL ON CHILDREN OF PEACE TO HELP October 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE SUPPORTS ONEVOICE DAY OF PEACE
October 2007

MIDDLE EAST DELEGATION REPORTS TO DISTINGUISHED GUESTS April 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE SOCCER TEAM WIN WORLD CUP! March 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE DELELGATION MEETS 13 ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN GROUPS March 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE REMEMBERS ABIR ARAMIN January 2007

BIG LOTTERY FUND AWARDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL GRANT TO CHILDREN OF PEACE December 2006

CHILDREN OF PEACE ENJOYS A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH Nov. 2006

PATRON:
MADONNA
DAME JUDI DENCH

ROYAL PATRON:
HH THE BEGUM
AGA KHAN

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THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES

Supporting Good Causes Worldwide

WANGO, World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations

NOVEMBER 2010...

NICK CLEGG - BRITISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SUPPORTS CHILDREN OF PEACE

The Board of Trustees are delighted to announce that the British Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Nick Clegg MP has given us his full support for our work.

The Deputy Prime Minister tells us that both he and David Cameron, the Prime Minister “commend the important work Children of Peace undertakes”. In his full Statement of Support, he writes:

"It is important for future peace and stability in the region that the next generation of Israelis and Palestinians have every opportunity to live and work side by side and can understand each other's history and culture. Charities such as Children of Peace, working with young people, play an important role in helping to preserve the possibility of peace in the Middle East. We wish them the best for their continued success."

Chairman and Founder of Children of Peace, Richard Martin says:

“I am delighted that Nick Clegg has given Children of Peace his personal support. He joins other world leaders in their personal praise for our fresh approach to conflict resolution.”

CHILDREN OF PEACE DONATES TO THE BETHLEHEM STAR CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION

Children of Peace is pleased to donate to the Bethlehem Star Charitable Association through our Small International Grants to assist in providing sports and recreational equipment at the organisation’s centre in Bethlehem.

The Bethlehem Star Charitable Association supports members of the Palestinian Christian community in the West Bank. In 2005, it was known that Christians make up between 40,000 and 90,000 people, or 2.1 to 3.4% of the population of the Palestinian territories. Most are in the West Bank. Palestinian Christians in Israel number between 144,000 and 196,000, or 2.1 to 2.8% of the total population and about 9.8% of the non-Jewish Arab population.

In this article, Ziyad Bannoura, Chairman of the Bethlehem Star Charitable Society discusses the work of his organisation:

"Our purpose in the Bethlehem Star Charitable Society is to improve the lives of needy people in Bethlehem and the surrounding area through our different programmes.

Our three key programmes include The Golden Jubilee Programme: for elderly people. The purpose of this programme is to help the elderly bear the burden of the daily life and especially when they are not able receive assistance through social services. This is why we try to create another source of help for them and this would be through different fellowship meetings where we serve them food, medical care and provide financial aid.

I have personally been in touch with the social services in the area, so that to be able to provide free health insurance to the elderly and especially those who are not able to pay their hospital fees for their treatment. Right now, we are working to find the suitable finance to make this programme into a permanent one for the elderly. The Young Couples Programme is built upon helping young couples and their kids. There are many families with a very limited income who barely have anything and some families have no income at all. Through this programme we give to the families from time to time some help or clothing, and also try to help them with some school fees, some needs and other necessities of life. We also provide educational sessions to educate them and their families.

The most relevant programme for Children of Peace is The Christian Youth House: This is a house which is set up to provide activities for young people - young girls and boys. The place contains some games like table tennis, indoor football and has a small library for the benefit of the children. We have organised a playground around the Youth House where we brought some swings and other different games for the children to use. All of this help the kids to spend their time in a safe place away from the streets and its bad influence on them.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Children of Peace for this grant which we were so happy to hear about. May God bless you all."

MIFALOT, ISRAEL JOIN US AS AN AFFILIATE

Joining our unique Coalition of Peace as an honoured affiliate is Mifalot - the largest and most diverse sport for development and peace organisation in the Middle East. To date, over 20,000 children and young people in Israel, Palestine and Jordan participate in Mifalot's programmes each year alongside with activities run for children from Congo, Cameroon, Rwanda and Haiti.

Founded in 1997 by the owners of Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club at the time, the primary business of Mifalot is using football to serve the educational and social needs of children in Israel and Palestine to provide them with the life skills and tools to learn, grow, excel and develop their community and world.

Gal Peleg, International Development Manager of Mifalot, outlines the important work carried out by this inspirational organisation:

Mifalot's vision is:

To capture the power of football in order to build more active, compassionate, just and cohesive communities, and
To support the sustainable development of a more engaged society, and
To promote peaceful coexistence in our immediate region and beyond.

Four fundamental objectives transform Mifalot's vision into reality:

To promote peace, inclusion and coexistence across different cultural, religious, ethnic and social groups;
To provide equal access to high-quality sport and educational opportunities for children and youth in need;
To effectively teach and empower children and youth with essential life skills and values;
To successfully develop local leaders and promote stronger families.

Mifalot has over 300 projects based on the following programme themes:

Promoting peace and coexistence by creating bonds of friendship between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians;
Teaching life skills to children with special needs;
Promoting the integration and inclusion into Israeli society of marginalised populations, including newly arrived immigrants, youth with special needs, minorities and more;
Encouraging the social integration of Arab-Israelis by empowering the individual and the Arab-Israeli community;
Shaping socially responsible and value enriched leaders for tomorrow.

Mifalot International

Mifalot's local success over the past 13 years and a growing interest from international communities to implement the Mifalot model is driving our new international initiative. To date, we have assisted communities in implementing and adapting our project models to their local needs in Jordan, Palestine, Rwanda, Haiti and Cameroon.

Our international efforts are characterized by Mifalot's governing principle that the local communities, themselves, implement and operate all local efforts. Mifalot's role is to train and then oversee - from a distance - project implementation in order to maximize project effectiveness and to guarantee sustainability over time.

Children of Peace Chairman and Founder, Richard Martin says:

"Mifalot is an extraordinary organisation and their worldwide vision is testimony to their dedication to peace, dialogue and co-existence. Their work in Israel and Palestine acts as an important template for peace building and the spirit of understanding between communities - exactly the underlying message that we at Children of Peace wish to develop, promote and support."

THE CHILDREN OF PEACE INTERVIEW - PALESTINIAN PEACE ACTIVIST
BASSAM ARAMIN

In the latest of her series of interviews, Trustee Professor Sarah Brown interviews leading Palestinian peace activist and Goodwill Ambassador to Children of Peace - Bassam Aramin. Bassam is the co-founder of Combatants for Peace an affiliate of our charity and he is the father of Abir Aramin who died so tragically, aged just ten - caught up in a firefight in East Jerusalem during a school break. To many of us, Bassam is an inspirational man.

Sarah Brown: I was deeply impressed and moved when I read about your decision to reject militancy and choose to work for peace. Can you explain how you arrived at that decision?

Bassam Aramin: First I would like to thank you for giving this opportunity to talk about my experience, and share it with others, in order to let them know that there is another way.

Unfortunately, I reached this conviction after long and harsh experience which started when I was 13 years old. Growing up under occupation, especially for children, it's not easy, there is no safe place for you, fear and violence is your daily life. It is easy to find yourself involved in the circle of violence.

With five other classmates we created a local military group to resist the Israeli occupation in our village near Hebron in the West Bank. We used violence because in that time this is the only way to protect your own freedom as a child. We didn't do this to establish a Palestinian State, I didn't even know who our occupiers were and why they occupied us. After we found old weapons in a cave, including two hand grenades, my friends used it against Israeli jeeps, but no one was killed or injured because they didn't know how to use it.

On 19 October 1985, I was arrested and sentenced for seven years in the Israeli jails. The situation around you let you understand that you a fighter, hero, and not a kid anymore. You got this feeling from our Palestinian friends in jails. The iron fist policy that the Israeli Authorities used against the prisoners, such as sleep prevention and torture, helped me to keep my humanity as a tool of resistance against this policy which aimed to kill your humanity, so that you will think only how to revenge. In the Israeli Jails you learn how to hate and how be more determined to continue your struggle by violent means because it's the only way to talk to those people. The only language jailers and prisoners talk is hatred.

We must know each other's history, we must recognize the pain of both people, and then we can understand that all of us have the right to exist. More than 100 years we kill each other, what are our achievements? More bloodshed, more victims and more pain.

We killed each other for land. It continues to exist and we found ourselves under the ground - who is more important the people or the land? I understand that fear is our big enemy, so everyone must win over his own enemy, his fear; Gandhi said "there is no way to peace, peace is the way". You need to liberate yourself from yourself first, you must make peace with yourself then you can make peace with your enemy.

Sarah Brown: You have recently won an award for your work with Combatants for Peace. Could you tell us a little more about that movement?

Bassam Aramin: On the 13th of October 2010, I have been honoured by the Institute of International Education Award for peace in the Middle East together with my Israeli Co-Founder of Combatants for Peace (CFP), Dr Avner Wishnitzer, the prize is a recognition of our efforts to achieve peace and justice to our people in Palestine and Israel.

CFP is a moral, unique young movement established in 2005, by seven Israelis and four Palestinians, the members are ex-fighters on both sides. It's really not easy to meet your real enemy and start to talk to him instead of fighting him, but despite our fear and pain we can do it, our main message is that ‘if we, the fighters, the same people who used to kill one another can sit down and talk, everyone else can.’

After 5 years we became more than 600 hundred members, with thousands of supporters from both sides, we became one side, the other side is the occupation and the fear, and those are our common enemies. Vengeance is the weapon of weak and cowardly people, we are stronger than our fear and pain, we are not going to be prisoners to our past forever, past is past, it's over, we must look forward, for the future, our future.

I am not talking here about empty slogans, I lost my beloved daughter Abir Aramin 10 years old only, on the 16th January 2007, an Israeli border police shot and killed Abir in front of her school in the morning in the back in her head from distance of 15 meters only, she is my daughter, she didn't know a lot about the conflict, not Fatah nor Hamas, just my daughter. Never to understand why this happened to Abir and to my family, I don't hate anyone, I have no enemies, they are victims in my eyes. The same killers are victims to their education and to the mad situation that we lived in. we are all normal people living in an abnormal situation.

Sarah Brown: What made you choose your current degree course? Can you tell us about your experience of study in the UK?

Bassam Aramin: In my case my life is my message, so it's important to develop my abilities and to have the academic tools in the field of conflict resolution, peace building and peace keeping, because this is what I am doing on the ground, and this is what we are need to change our situation.

The Peace Studies centre in Bradford University is known as the best in Europe, and I found it very interesting, the staff and the people very supportive. At the same time it's not easy to be student after 26 years, I do my best to study.

Here I want to thank all my friends, people that I know, and many I didn't for their support, because without that I can't be here and continue my studies.

Sarah Brown: How did you first get involved with the work of Children of Peace?

Bassam Aramin: I have the honour to be a small part of Children of Peace in the UK. It started in early 2008 when the Board of Trustees nominated me to be a Goodwill Ambassador to Children of Peace. They are doing a great job because they help and support the children in Palestine and Israel equally, no differences between children in any place over the world.

They are all our children.

Bassam and Dejitsu Wassi, 2009 Israeli recipient of our bursary

I am very proud of this organization, also because they honoured my beloved Abir, by launching a project in her name, the Abir Aramin scholarship. Each year they give this scholarship to two girls, one from Palestine and one from Israel to, help them in their study.

BRITISH PARLIAMENTARIANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN OF PEACE

EARLY DAY MOTION TABLED

On 12th November 2010, Members of Parliament tabled an Early Day Motion (Number 997) in support of Children of Peace.

You can see the full text of the EDM.

The Board of Trustees wish to express their gratitude to James Arbuthnot MP for kindly organising this significant support from Members of Parliament from all mainstream political parties at the House of Commons.

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN WRITERS
VISIT STEINER ACADEMY, HEREFORD

On 13th October 2010, Israeli Daniela Norris and Palestinian Shireen Anabtawi - both Friends of Children of Peace and writers of the seminal book "Crossing Qalandiya" about their friendship across the divide - visited the Steiner Academy at Much Dewchurch in Herefordshire, England at the invitation of the Principal Trevor Mepham, a Trustee of the charity.

The two writers enthralled over 50 students and staff with their compelling story and referred to their personal journeys which culminated in friendship between two women - wives and mothers - despite the difficulties of developing understanding against the background of the conflict.

Daniela was born in Tel Aviv; Shireen was born in Nablus. Both have young families. For the last 60 years their peoples have been living alongside each other in conflict. Mistrust, misunderstanding and fear often dominate the relations between Israelis and Palestinians. Daniela and Shireen have developed a friendship and collaboration that challenges many of these difficult and ingrained dynamics. Their work and their partnership offers a model of reconciliation and togetherness and introduces the notion that what people have in common is, ultimately, always more powerful than the things that divide us.

Students who attended the talk were greatly moved by each writer's narrative as these comments clearly show:

"Before the talk I didn't know anything about the war. Now I understand, I can see why people do things like suicide bombing.

And it also said to me that whatever your race or religion you can unite and be friends.

Daniela's and Shireen's friendship reminds me of a line from Romeo and Juliet: ‘A love sprang from my only hate’ and it kind of inspired me.

How alike they were and how they let nothing get in between them and their friendship, which is so strong. I think peace would come, but for the leaders."
Daisy Donaldson

"The talk presented to us about the Holy Land was very interesting. It completely blew away the assumed views of the area and it is hard to imagine what it must have been like to grow up surrounded by bombings and violence and knowing that, as an Israeli, you were destined to enter the military, whether you liked it or not. I think it is a very good thing that two women and probably many others too, are able to overstep the boundaries of culture, faith and upbringing to become the closest of friends.

The two countries of Israel and Palestine both believe the land to be theirs and it is their leaders and governments who keep the people in conflict, which I imagine many of the people of both countries would find to be a very bad thing. I don't understand why the governments keep getting elected, thus keeping the state of warfare, which has been endured for so long."
Mairin Long

"I found the talk very interesting. I didn't know much about what was happening between Palestine and Israel but the idea one gets from the small things picked up is that it is a war-zone. It is far from a normal life, but sometimes when you hear about places like that you forget to think that these people are like you; they have the same feelings and needs. It's strange to think about going shopping as dangerous. The Palestinian woman, Shireen Anabtawi, said that every time she went shopping with her mother, as a child, she would say goodbye to everything in the house.

I hate the fact that leaders can have the selfishness and cruelty to do what they do. They don't have to fight or risk their lives so they are perfectly happy to send their soldiers out to do the dirty work. It's as though they are controlling their people like puppets. The women said that if anyone asked 'the people on the ground' what they thought of it all they would say they just wanted peace, but the leaders are in power; they don't want to give it up, so they carry on."
Charlotte Crawford-Sharpe

KATHRYN PLAYA OF THE PLAYA FOUNDATION BECOMES A FRIEND OF THE CHARITY

The Trustees of Children of Peace are delighted to welcome Kathryn Playa, the CEO of the prestigious American organisation, the Playa Foundation as a Friend of our charity.

Kathryn Playa, Editor of The Playa Wire, is an American philanthropist who holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and a master's degree in theology. She was a high school religion teacher for 2 years in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and spent a year living at a mission in the Back of the Yards neighbourhood on the south side of Chicago, working to assist poor families.

Now residing in New Jersey, Kathryn has contributed much energy to children and their causes. Ms. Playa was a volunteer in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). She also is the CEO and founder of The Playa Foundation, whose mission is to support other non-profit organizations that nourish children's health, education and welfare. She is passionate about helping children find a better tomorrow, and is most enthusiastic about supporting Children of Peace in their mission.

On her reasons for joining Children of Peace as a Friend, Kathryn says:

"Children of Peace builds upon a pro-active, non-partisan approach that actively manifests a better tomorrow in a region of conflict. Their successful humanitarian strategy focuses on what is of the highest value in society: Our Children."

JOIN OUR TWITTER AND FACEBOOK GROUPS

Children of Peace has just set up our Twitter account.

We would love you to join in the conversation with us.

Click the link: twitter.com/childrenofpeace

And if you haven't yet joined our Facebook group, just click below too. We are trying to reach 1000 supporters by the end of 2010, so please invite your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues and community to join us and tell the world you all care about the children.

THE ARCHIVES