PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

From Richard Martin, President and Founder.

In the 21 years since our foundation, there have been at least four major conflicts between Israel and Gaza. But the act of terror by Hamas 7 October and Israel’s response was a massive escalation. It is rumoured that the Hamas attack was orchestrated to maximise the horror of their actions. Hamas videos could only encourage the intense counter attacks.

As the ground offensive entered different stages, the indigenous population left their homes in the north. To central Gaza, and then to the south, where they were told they would be “safe”. Over half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled to Rafah. They are packed into sprawling tent camps and UN-run shelters near the border.

Approaching 30,000 Gazans have been killed, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. 70,000 have been injured, and thousands more are missing, presumed dead. Israeli military officials say more than 220 soldiers have been killed during the ground invasion.

Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel, if Israeli troops are sent into Rafah. They say fighting there could force the closure of the territory’s main aid supply route. The tension between Israel and Egypt comes as aid groups warn that an offensive in Rafah would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The UN says a quarter of the population faces starvation. A serious lack of food in Gaza means that families are going for days without a meal. 2.2 million people, the entire population of Gaza, is experiencing food insecurity at crisis level or above. The World Food Programme is already warning that the threat of famine in Gaza is looming. Healthcare is inadequate. There is no clean drinking water or proper sanitation. Gazans are trying to make it through the coldest and wettest months without adequate shelter or warm clothing.

Satellite images show Egypt heavily fortifying its border with Gaza, carving out a 5km buffer zone. Concrete walls now exist above and below ground as “Egyptian officials fear that if the border is breached, the military would be unable to stop a tide of people fleeing into the Sinai Peninsula.”

‘Blind hatred leads us all into a much darker place’

Richard Martin FRSA.

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“Our history is a living history, that has throbbed, withstood and survived many centuries of sacrifice.

Now it comes forward again with strength. The seeds, dormant for such a long time, break out today with some uncertainty, although they germinate in a world that is at…

The world must find a way to get humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza who need it. Right now, Hamas is stealing the humanitarian aid, and that only prolongs their regime of terror in the Gaza Strip.
#FreeGazaFromHamas

“I entered medical school because I wanted to save people's lives, and now I am helpless to save even the lives of the people I love.”

Marwa, 21, Gaza.

An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the only chance to save children’s lives and end their suffering.

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FEBRUARY 2024

Recent Donor Comment

New Affiliates

New School in Gaza

Not only mending physical hearts but also the hearts of families and communities.

By providing hope, healing, and a pathway to a better tomorrow for children in need.

Art for Peace Fair

Summer Fun Day

Our Legal Team

RECENT DONOR COMMENT

PAx in Sweden recently gave a benefit performance for us. And at the end of November, the Student Council of a school in New York City, USA, held a fundraiser for Children of Peace.

Hello, My name is Love Hellgren and I am a co-director of a dance group called PA× Performing Arts Multiplied based in Sweden. Last week we held a performance to raise funds for your organisation as well as Oasis of Peace. It was held in collaboration with the Baptist Church in Shizuoka, Japan. We presented our pieces DAWN and 2:1. We did not manage to raise huge amounts but we have transferred equivalent of 10,000 yen through your donations form. Warm regards, Love Hellgren PA× Performing Arts Multiplied 

Thank you PAx for your performance.

We do appreciate and value your support for Children of Peace.

Photos: Hirokazu Hosoya

 

Lighting the Way to Peace

Thank you West End Day School for your valuable donation of US$670.

We’ve had quite a few donations in recent weeks. And very gratefully received.

But one especially grabbed us. Out of the blue, this donation arrived. It is heart-warming that these young people should wish to help other young people far away. We thought we’d say ‘thank you’ publicly.

West End day School said…

“We are so proud of our Student Council, for planning a day of ‘Lighting the Way to Peace’. For our Community Thankfulness Project, our incredible Student Council is on a mission to make a difference for their charity, @childrenofpeace. The lanterns they made were beautiful in our gym!”

The pictures here come from this post on Facebook.

westenddayschool.org

MORE COMMENTS FROM RECENT DONORS…

Hello, thank you for the work you are doing. My teacher Melissa Tiers at the Center for Integrative Hypnosis advocated for her students to donate to your organization. This is in honor of her request.

Thank you for what you do. Thank you also to Melissa Tiers. Without her I would not have known your organization.

Via Melissa Tiers who signposted this to me. Thank you for the great work.

May Israeli and Palestinian children know their equality and mutually support each other. Peace can only happen with justice for all.

We feel helpless witnessing the brutality on both sides of the Israel/Hamas war. Please use your best endeavours in being proactive helping those traumatised by this senseless violence and in need of help.

Sending support as a member of the Ethical Coaching Collective in USA – praying for peace!

Thank you for all the work you do to help the vulnerable children.

I’m a student in Kenya who learned about your organization through my social studies class. I was really inspired by what you do to help these children, and I hope this little donation will help you in this devastating time.

Children selected a donation in exchange for their Halloween Candy – Sunrise Pediatric Dentistry, Palo Alto, California, USA

Corporate donation from ION Trading Ltd, matching donations made by our employees.

7 and 8 December, 2023

MORE THAN £1,000 RAISED!

Hereford Cathedral School, Castle Street, Hereford.

The ‘Art for Peace’ Pop-up Artisan Market, hosted by Headmaster Dr Michael Gray of Hereford Cathedral School, UK. A group of Herefordshire makers, offered jewellery, illustrations and ceramics for sale. All in support of Children of Peace.

Makers included…
Adrienne Craddock – Prints, Berried Treasure – Jewellery
Clare de la Torre – Silver Jewellery, Cabalva – Ceramics
Janine Martin – Paintings, Kate Duffet – Baskets
Laura Mccarthy – Jewellery, Jesse Watkins – illustration

We thank the Makers, the many visitors and the Cathedral School for a successful event, raising over £1,000 in sales and donations.

Hereford Cathedral School, Castle Street, Hereford.

The ‘Art for Peace’ Pop-up Artisan Market, hosted by Headmaster Dr Michael Gray of Hereford Cathedral School, UK. A group of Herefordshire makers, offered jewellery, illustrations and ceramics for sale. All in support of Children of Peace.

Makers included…
Adrienne Craddock – Prints
Berried Treasure – Jewellery
Clare de la Torre – Silver Jewellery
Cabalva – Ceramics
Janine Martin – Paintings
Kate Duffet – Baskets
Laura Mccarthy – Jewellery
Jesse Watkins – illustration

We thank the Makers, the many visitors and the Cathedral School for a successful event, raising over £1,000 in sales and donations.

Supporting Children of Peace

Michael Gray

CHILDREN OF PEACE AFFILIATES

Last year, we welcomed to our growing coalition, two worthy organisations, both making a big difference in the Middle-East.

SAVE A CHILD’S HEART

Not only mending physical hearts but also the hearts of families and communities.

By providing hope, healing, and a pathway to a better tomorrow for children in need.

SAVING CHILDREN’S LIVES ONE HEART AT A TIME

We have long admired this extraordinary Israeli organisation. More than 100 medical professionals based at the Wolfson Medical Center in Israel have saved the lives of thousands of children suffering from heart disease, worldwide.

Here Ido Gutin, Director of Resource Development tells us about their work…

Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), is an Israeli non-profit that offers life-saving cardiac care to children with heart disease in developing countries. Founded in 1995, it addresses the scarcity of paediatric cardiac care globally.

SACH believes every child, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic background, deserves access to quality medical treatment. SACH’s team, medical professional volunteers, giving their time and expertise to perform surgeries and catheterisations, and provide post-operative care.

A distinct feature of SACH is capacity building. Operating from the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital in Israel, it trains medical teams from partner nations, empowering local healthcare providers for sustainable impact.

SACH kids meet Lionel Messi and the Paris St. Germain team, July 2022

Having transformed 6,700 children’s lives across 69 countries, SACH fosters a global community of supporters, volunteers, and professionals, embodying hope and healing for families facing challenges.

SACH aims to expand its reach, enabling more countries to treat children with heart disease, thus providing a healthier future for children.

Save a Child’s Heart hopes through collaboration with Children of Peace and its network, it can further advance its lifesaving mission with likeminded organizations to improve the lives of children worldwide.

www.saveachildsheart.org

MUNTAHA

FREE TUTORING FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED MIDDLE-EAST KIDS.

Muntaha is a brilliant initiative of academics and students to provide free online learning programmes to children and young people across the Middle East

Adnan Bseisu (Founder and Executive Director) outlines the work…

Al Muntaha Tutoring is a non-profit startup organisation based in the UK that provides free one-to-one online lessons, led by university students and teachers, to underprivileged children aged 6 to 17 in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.

Our original goal upon our foundation in March 2020 was to provide vital education to schoolchildren in the region who, due to unstable internet access, were experiencing disrupted online instruction. We currently have over 100 students and have successfully completed lessons for more than 300 students since 2020.

We recruit our tutors from various universities around the world and provide them with the necessary guidance and support throughout. The tutors volunteer with us to help the community, gain skills, and enhance their CVs.

We recognise the educational value of exposing our students to university student and professional teacher mentors worldwide. Hence, our mission is to reach more children in the area so we can provide them with a head start in their academic journey. Our tutors inspire those children, guide them to pursue their dreams, and unleash their academic potential.

At Al Muntaha Tutoring, we recruit volunteers from universities to tutor children in the MENA area online. We advertise opportunities through social media, register students and volunteers, match each student with a suitable tutor, then establish weekly online sessions. We provide safeguarding training to our tutors and students before the start of the sessions and closely monitor their progress. After the tutors have completed 40 hours of tutoring, we offer them a certificate of completion and provide references when needed, thus helping them with their progress to higher education or careers.

We are a small team of Adnan Bseisu (Founder and Executive Director), Meemo Khojah (Education Officer), and volunteers from around the world that help with our social media and tutoring.

Although we are based in London, UK, to help children in the Middle East, our tutors are spread across the globe, with tutors from Korea, the United States, Europe, and India.

Our goal is not only to provide online lessons, but to inspire, guide, and encourage children to further their education and explore the endless possibilities to grow. We are currently helping a student from Gaza to improve their academic writing skills and search for scholarships in the US or the UK.

We hope to partner with many like-minded organisations to spread the word about what we do and potentially reach more children and volunteers to move us forward.

PALESTINIAN CHILDREN GET A SUMMER DAY AT THE ZOO

Each year up to now we have supported our partners at Humans Without Borders in Israel. They work with their Palestinian counterparts in the West Bank to arrange a Fun Day for sick or disabled Palestinian children. We kept it here to show how life was, just a short while ago.

Amy Yourman from Humans Without Borders tells us of a wonderful day out this summer…

Humans Without Borders held its annual fun day for the children with medical problems and their families on June 23, 2023, at the Tisch Family Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem.

In attendance were approximately 40 children who receive treatment in hospitals in Jerusalem. we supplied transport, including parents and siblings, altogether some 130 people, as well as several volunteers from Humans Without Borders. And some high school students from the Bilingual School in Jerusalem who came to help out. One of our volunteers also volunteers at the zoo. She made the arrangements for us with the administration of zoo, which could not have been more gracious and accommodating.

We provided buses for the families from Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem. The families arrived at the zoo at around 9.00. A lovely breakfast was served on the lawn overlooking a large pond with all sorts of water fowl. The group then spent several hours touring the zoo, some of the time with guides from the zoo who provided explanations about the animals. Most of the children had never been to a zoo before and it was a wonderful opportunity for them to enjoy the animals as well as the large open expanses of the zoo.

At 1.30 the families all gathered for lunch on the lawn. By this point, everyone had worked up an appetite and they enjoyed the meal of chicken with rice, salad and yogurt. They finished off with ice lollies, provided through the generosity of one of our volunteers, together with a staff member at the zoo.

The experience was memorable for the children and their families, providing them all with some respite from the problems they face on a constant basis.

It was also an opportunity for the volunteers who attended to get to meet siblings of the children whom they know and to interact in a relaxed fashion, not while driving through traffic jams.

CHILDREN OF PEACE SCHOOL, RAFA, GAZA

This was meant to be one of our most exciting developments. A new school in Rafah, southern Gaza, named in our honour.

Our Regional Liaison Ola Shalayel and her husband, Norwegian Dr Mohammed Fougou, had built a three-storey facility and planned to equip two floors for a kindergarten and a special school. Tiling, painting, doors, windows and fitting out was meant to be completed this winter.

Now, everything is on hold. But as far as we know, the building is still intact, which is an achievement in itself.

OUR COALITION OF PEACE

… is a unique peace network with affiliates on every continent, and especially in Gaza, Israel, Jordan, the West Bank, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco.

TAYLOR-WESSING

There are unsung heroes of charity world, top law firms that offer invaluable pro bono work to organisations like Children of Peace. Here George Porter, a Senior Associate at Taylor Wessing, our legal advisers, outlines their work.

Taylor Wessing have provided Children of Peace with outstanding advice and support over the years. We hold them in the highest esteem as leading professionals and have the highest regard for their expertise.

Richard Martin

George Porter

Taylor Wessing is a global law firm that serves the world’s most innovative people and businesses.

With more than 300 partners and 1,100 lawyers spanning 28 offices in 17 jurisdictions, collaboration and connectivity are key to our success. Deeply embedded in our four core international sectors – technology, media and communications; life sciences and healthcare; real estate, infrastructure and energy; and private wealth – we work closely together with our clients to crack complex problems, enabling ideas and aspirations to thrive. Together we challenge expectation and create extraordinary results.

Our responsibilities as a business are fundamental to our strategy, and we take them seriously. We’re committed to giving back to our local communities and supporting broader society, as well as our journey to net zero, taking care of our people and fostering an inclusive culture. We are also committed to supporting our clients’ ESG journeys and provide tailored advice to support all aspects of their strategies.

We are proud to support the fantastic work that Children of Peace do.

https://www.taylorwessing.com/

Rebuilding Lives

The violence against Israelis and Palestinians hurts children in both communities – with an increase in post-traumatic stress, morbidity, nightmares. Children of Peace carries out urgent work with our partners – protecting and supporting children. Please support our work and help the #childrenofconflict.

Photo credit: Lyle Hastie - Unsplash

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