CHILDREN OF PEACE AFFILIATES

Harey Yehuda, Israel, UK, USA – The Abraham Fund Initiatives works to advance equality and cooperation among Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens.

Through its “advocacy through action” strategy, The Abraham Fund develops and operates groundbreaking social-change initiatives that have inspired public support and harnessed government resources.

This is to replicate programs and adopt policies that promote democratic values of equality and social inclusion in Israel.

Core areas of intervention are in:

• Education for a Shared Society.
• Equal Opportunities.
• Participation and Economic Development.

USA, Israel, Palestine – Abraham’s Vision is a conflict transformation organization that explores group and individual identities through experiential and political education.

Examining social relations within and between the Jewish, Muslim, Israeli, and Palestinian communities, they empower participants to practice just alternatives to the status quo.

Beer Sheva, Israel – AJEEC-NISPED is an organization working towards creating equal, inclusive, and flourishing societies.

Their programming includes an array of strategies including economic development through the formation of:

• Cooperatives and social enterprises.
• Volunteerism.
• Quality early childhood education.
• Health promotion.
• Shared society partnerships.

London, UK – sources volunteers from universities to tutor children in the MENA area, online. They advertise opportunities through social media, register students and volunteers, match each student with a suitable tutor, then establish weekly online sessions. They also 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, they offer the students a certificate of completion and provide references when needed, thus helping them with their progress to higher education or careers.

Arraba, Galilee – al-Taj for Health and Heritage provides health and community support for Palestinian communities in Israel.

More specifically,  they focus on improving the quality of life of people with diabetes and cancer in the Arab sector.

Their cancer activities include:

• Raising awareness of cancer prevention such as healthy lifestyles.
• Exercise.
• Nutrition.
• Weight loss.
• Avoidance of active and passive smoking.
• Early detection by identifying signs of the disease.
• Screening for men and women different types of cancer, especially for people at high risk.

West Bank, Jerusalem – The al-Quds Center for Dialogue and Democracy is an independent think-tank formed in 1999.

They promote values of peace, democracy, tolerance and the culture of peace in Palestinian society and through dialogue with Israeli counterparts.

Rahat, Israel – This is an Arab¬Jewish community development organisation, catering to the challenges of Bedouin society from the grassroots level. A New Dawn believes that education, employment, and leadership are the key elements helping the youth rise out of poverty to become active, engaged citizens in civil society.

Ramat Ha-Sharon Israel – promotes the School Twinning Shared Citizenship program implemented in over 60 schools in cities and regions populated by both Palestinians and Jews and in geographic proximity to one another.

Nazareth, Israel – The Arab Filmmaking Center focuses upon developing education programmes in the arts, music, television and film to celebrate and develop the Arab cultural heritage.

This is whilst preparing youth and students with the professional skills to build an Arab Center of film in Israel.

Jaffa, Tel Aviv – In operation for more than two decades with a mission to increase intercultural cooperation, tolerance and trust between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

Israel – The orchestra is composed of 20 Israeli Jews and Arabs aged between 15 and 25.

It was founded in 2002. This was by Dr. Meir Wiesel, Director of Youth and Music. Its musical director is the renowned composer, conductor and oud player Prof. Taiseer Elias.

 Founded in 1999, Ayat is an Israeli registered charity and community association serving the needs of the Muslim and Christian Arab population of East Jerusalem. It offers a range of services and activities for children with special needs including day care, respite, rehabilitation and guidance to parents

Beit Ummar, West Bank, Palestine. The Center addresses the lack of community development and organizing programs in rural Palestinian communities. Through a combination of educational and development programs, the Center seeks to build the collective and strategic power of these communities, and improve the lives of rural West Bank residents.

Morocco Larache – a Moroccan association focusing on helping the needy and disadvantaged, located in a small coastal town in the north of the country.

Northern Gaza. CWA aims to increase social empowerment and the elimination of all forms of vulnerability and poverty, poor education and underdevelopment, helping disadvantaged marginalised groups to provide a decent life for them.

Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine – consist of  a group of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who were actively involved in the Israeli-Palestinian cycle of violence. The Israelis served as combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinians were involved in acts of violence in the name of Palestinian liberation.

These men, who have used weapons against one another and looked at each other only through weapon sights, cooperate today to bring an end of Israeli occupation and a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Combatants for Peace initiates projects that focus specifically on the younger generation in an attempt to promote peace and mutual understanding.

Among these on-going projects are the construction of playgrounds in the village of Anata in northern Jerusalem and lectures in schools throughout Israel.

USA, Israel, Palestine – “What use are peace treaties if the people still hate each other?”

Creativity for Peace work with young women in Israel and Palestine to create peace from the ground up. A leadership programme builds emotional resilience through dialogue. They equip participants with social action skills and train them partner for peace with their former enemies.

The strength of their leadership lies in the authenticity of their voices and their commitment to non-violent conflict transformation. Israeli and Palestinian Young Leaders also facilitate our US-based efforts for American young people.

Toronto, Canada. Daughters for Life is a registered Canadian charity that provides young women in high school and university the opportunity through education to develop a strong voice. This is as well as playing a more influential role in improving the quality of life throughout the Middle East.

“We believe that every girl in Palestine and throughout the Middle East has the right to higher education and training.

To this end, the foundation provides financial awards to assist young women regardless of background to pursue studies at universities in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Syria.”

Gaza – The deprived child charity association (DCCA) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-political, non-denominational and non-profit group. It is seeking a safer and more equitable life fighting disease, poverty and violence in marginalized areas of the Gaza Strip Palestinian territories.

Tel Aviv, Israel. Debate for Peace uses Model United Nations (MUN) as a framework for bringing together Arab and Jewish students from different communities to debate the most salient and sensitive topics in a respectful manner. Through MUN conferences, delegations abroad, training sessions, retreats, diplomatic visits, and social and volunteering events, the organisation empowers young leaders with skills and knowledge about how to change the world around them, connect them to their peers from different communities and enable them to develop deep friendships, and provide a physical and digital space for these interactions to continue. Because Debate for Peace has students from all over Israel, as well as Palestinian cities, there is no one physical location. They hold conferences all around Israel, and meet regularly in Tel Aviv, as well as leading delegations to Europe and North America.

Israel, Lahav – Located in the Negev, southern Israel, Desert Stars’ main mission is to equip young men and women with leadership abilities, the opportunity to develop and realize their individual potential in a way that will allow them to lead change and advance Bedouin society – as a significant part of the Israeli success story.

100 Dream Doctors work hand-in-hand with doctors and nurses in 30 hospitals across Israel, assisting in more than 40 different medical procedures.

Dream Doctors provide specialised care to over 200,000 child and adult patients a year, including preemie babies, youth-at-risk, victims of sexual assault, veterans, and communities in trauma, among others.

The DD International Training Centers offers custom-made courses and workshops to organizations and communities around the world in a wide range of therapeutic settings.

Japan, Europe, Canada, United States. A global community of people who believe and promote a way of living based on Buddhist principles of compassion, empathy and spiritual development for all beings.

UK – Equity and Peace is an independent lobby and social media campaign for a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine. This project takes a pragmatic approach.

It does not look back, it is non-partisan.

It is putting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within a broader framework of inequality and human rights.

Equity and Peace raises questions, opens a dialogue and calls for a plurality of constructive responses.

Hopefully this could build enough momentum to help break the current impasse of this complex conflict.

United Kingdom, Israel – Football 4 Peace is a sport-based co-existence project for Jewish and, Arab children from towns and villages in the Galilee region of Northern, Israel.

The project is run in partnership between Chelsea School, University of Brighton in the UK, the British Council and the Israel Sports Authority.

Binyamina, Israel – the Freddie Krivine Foundation is unique in bringing tennis to Israel’s Arab sector. They have ten years experience in creating coexistence and equal opportunity for Jewish and Arab children through tennis.

The Foundation supports and create tennis schools in Arab towns and villages, where previously there were none and it creates inter-school tennis programmes where children of different cultural backgrounds meet, nearly always for the first time.

Freedom Forum, Ramallah West Bank works with youth and communities of Palestine, providing them with opportunities through music and sports projects, so that conflict zone youth have the chance to express themselves freely.

United Kingdom – FBFF is a charity which works in the UK to support the Parents Circle-Families Forum.

It is a non political organization of bereaved families in Israel and Palestine that promotes dialogue, reconciliation and peace across the divide.

They develop projects that build trust, recognise joint responsibilities and affirm the shared desire for dignity and freedom as a basis for just and peaceful co-existence.

Bethlehem, West Bank – Ibtikar was created by a group of Palestinian educators, entrepreneurs, activists, and changemakers. Together, we bring in extensive professional experience in intercultural learning, youth empowerment, social entrepreneurship, non-formal education, democracy and civic engagement, social impact measurement, organizational development, and social innovation, among many more.

Lebanon. IFI was set up in 2015 in response to past and present tensions in Lebanon brought about by the persistence of sectarian violence. IFI Lebanon provides forgiveness based education programs for youth and young adults by equipping them with the skills needed to explore peaceful conflict resolution. This in turn helps to create peace mechanisms for the Lebanese host community as well as the displaced Palestinian and Syrian communities.

Jerusalem – IPCRI is a joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of “two states for two peoples” solution.

IPCRI recognizes the “two-states for two peoples”solution as the ultimate fulfillment of the national strategic and security interests of the two peoples.

IPCRI therefore recognizes the rights of the Jewish people and the Palestinian people to fulfill their national interests.

This is within the framework of achieving national self-determination within their own states and by establishing peaceful relations between two democratic states living side-by-side.

Israel. The Israel Youth Award is one of the forefront organizations in Israel promoting links between youth from all over the country.

They bring together Arab, Jewish, Bedouin, Druze, Circassian, Christian, and Muslim youth in Israel to enable learning and growing together.

This is through joint initiatives as neighbours and friends including hiking trips, service days, and national conferences.

Jaffa, Israel – Founded in 1982, the Institute for the Advancement of Education in Jaffa “The Jaffa Institute”assists around 4,000 severely disadvantaged children aged 4-18, and their families, regardless of religious or ethnic background by providing educational, recreational and social enrichment programmes that endow children with a sense of self worth, while furnishing them with the skills needed to succeed in contemporary Israeli society.

Jenin, West Bank. The Jenin Creative Cultural centre aims to use art and cultural projects.

This is to foster peace and justice in the Palestinian occupied territories.

The creative methods are meant to help children lessen their depression and allow them to express themselves especially as they deal with the realities of life in Palestine.

New Jersey, USA. A not-for-profit, non-partisan organization, was established in July 2021 and registered in New Jersey in the United States. However, members of its Board of Directors and of its International Advisory Board live in various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, England, Palestine, and Israel. They represent a diverse group of respected community leaders – Jewish, Christian, and Muslim – and a variety of professional and vocational backgrounds – ambassadors, professors, clergy, journalists, businesspeople, and activists. JPI conducts its work through advocacy, programs, interdisciplinary research, and publications.

Jerusalem, Israel and West Bank. A choral and dialogue program for Israeli and Palestinian youth in Jerusalem. Mission is to provide a space for these young people from East and West Jerusalem to grow together in song and dialogue. Through the co-creation of music and the sharing of stories, empowering youth in Jerusalem to become leaders in their communities and inspire singers and listeners around the world to work for peace.

Jezreel Valley, Nazareth and Yefia – Jezreel Valley Center for the Arts is a groundbreaking music and dance centre teaching Arab and Jewish children from across the region, including the Tenufa school music programme which brings music studies to thousands of young children.

Ibillin, Israel – The Mar Elias Educational Institutions (MEEI) is a consortium of six schools founded by Father Elias Chacour in Ibillin, in the Galilee region of Israel. Father Chacour was consecrated as the Archbishop of the Catholic Melkite Church in Galilee.

MEEI is a Christian institution that embraces students and faculty from Christian, Muslim, Druze, and Jewish traditions who study and teach together as one community of learning and service.

Beer-Sheeva, Israel – Maof School is an Arab-Jewish education centre that aims to provide a supportive environment.

They help every child to reach their fullest potential, learning to respect the needs and feelings of those around them and caring for the community in which they live.

Dair El Ballah, Gaza. Strengthening and empowering individuals, families, and communities to develop resilience by promoting mental health and wellbeing through proactive programmes.

West Bank – addressing educational and psychosocial health, and other basic humanitarian needs of children and women in impoverished and war-torn areas of the Middle East.

Israel – Founded in 1997 by the owners of Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club, Mifalot is the largest and most diverse sport for development and peace organization in the Middle East.

To date, over 20,000 children and youth in Israel, Palestine and Jordan participate in Mifalot’s programmes each year.

California, USA – Musicians for Peace is a global network of performing and fine artists who dedicate their work to peace, promote freedom of expression through the arts and oppose governmental repression of creativity.

They preserve the diverse cultures of the world through cultural exchange; supporting environmental, human rights, world hunger and peace education organisations with their work.

They also support the goals of the United Nations and other international bodies addressing global issues.

United Kingdom – a charity made up of British Muslims who believe it is the duty of everyone to challenge antisemitism in all of its guises. Antisemitism is not just a problem for British Jews. It is a problem for us all.

Ramallah, Tel Aviv – OneVoice is an international grassroots movement that amplifies the voice of mainstream Israelis and Palestinians, empowering them to propel their elected representatives toward the two-state solution.

The Movement works to forge consensus for conflict resolution and build a human infrastructure capable of mobilizing the people toward a negotiated, comprehensive, and permanent agreement between Israel and Palestine.

This is one that ends the occupation, ensures security and peace for both sides, and solves all final-status issues in accordance with international law and previous bilateral agreements.

Palestinian Association, Gaza Strip works with children to promote road safety together with health and safety for employees and local community to create safe space for children to live and learn.

USA, West Bank, Gaza – The Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund is a non-political, non-religious enterprise whose aspirations are purely humanitarian and for the purpose of emancipating the children of Palestine and the human rights of the people and children of Palestine.

This is through a process of mutual respect, conflict resolution and understanding between all communities in the region.

Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine – The Center’s leading initiative is to assist people from the Middle East and particularly in Palestine, Jordan and Israel to look for better alternatives to find solutions to the current conflict.

The Center focuses on the sanctity of life as both a means and an end in itself.

Gaza – PNA works to help people, especially children and women, by introducing health services to them and raising the health service quality to all Gazans.

Geneva – the Palestinian Peace Coalition-Geneva Initiative is a non-governmental Palestinian organization that works on issues of education for peace and non-violence. The PPC-GI emphasizes the ideals of “making peace our horizon”and “peace is possible”. Hence, children are one of their main areas of interest.

They have organised and continue to organise summer camps for Palestinian children on issues of peace education. As grassroots organization, the PPC-GI works in cooperation with Israeli counterparts (Geneva Israel) in bringing people – Palestinians and Israelis – together with two programs in this regard, one for grassroots and another for politicians.

Tel Aviv, East Jerusalem – The Parents Circle-Families Forum is an organization of Israeli and Palestinian Families who have all lost immediate family members in the conflict. The long-term goal of the Parents Circle-Families Forum is to build trust between both sides by initiating a process of reconciliation.

To achieve this goal they work to imbue both sides with a sense of tolerance and reconciliation, rather than hatred and revenge, sharing with others their personal and painful stories.

Each day through their activities and outreach, they reaffirm the sanctity of life and the need to safeguard human dignity and freedom.

United Kingdom – Peace21 is positive social network that aims to promote peace throughout the world by collective petition.

The group aims to share and celebrate life, our heroes, lost loved ones and charitable projects.

Founded in 1988, PCI uses theatre and the arts as a tool for repair and advocacy between Jewish and Palestinian communities throughout Israel.

“Du-Drama” is a youth programme comprised of weekly meetings at partnering (neighbouring) schools followed by rehearsals for productions of bi-lingual plays that are performed by these young leaders for thousands of student audience members.

This is in order to change attitudes, serving as a positive role model for their peers and the communities.

The “Du-Drama” program is recognized by the Israeli Ministry of Education.

United Kingdom – PeaceInsight provides educational and friendship programmes between Israeli and Palestinian students.

The young people come to a two-week residential summer camp in Britain and learn how to deal with conflict, fear, prejudice and hatred.

Israel – Tel Aviv, Jerusalem . Peace Now works on public exposure and advocacy to enhance the possibility of realising a negotiated two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

The organization runs educational programmes for youth.

The flagship project is Settlement Watch, which monitors and exposes settlement growth and the moral, political and economic threats they cause to a negotiated agreement and the democratic state of Israel.

Israel, West Bank – Peace Oil is a cooperative venture of Jewish, Arab, Druze and Bedouin farmers who grow, harvest and bottle a prize winning range of extra virgin olive oil available in the UK.

Profits from Peace Oil are used to support peace and reconciliation work in the Middle East.

Israel, International – PeacePlayers International is a non-profit organization that use basketball as conduit to unite and educate children from divided communities.

Currently, PeacePlayers International runs year-round programs in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Middle East (Israel and West Bank) and Cyprus.

Jerusalem – the Peace Preschool at the Jerusalem International YMCA in Israel brings together Christian, Muslim and Jewish children in a loving and peaceful environment.

Peres Center for Peace
Tel Aviv – active and practical initiatives in promoting peace between Arabs and Jews across the region.

Peres Center for Peace Medical Division
Tel Aviv – supporting research and providing initiatives for Israeli and Palestinian doctors and medical services.

The Peres Center for Peace, Sports Department
Tel Aviv – organising highly successful joint sports activities and programmes for Israeli’s and Palestinians.

Tel Aviv, Israel – Building on twenty years of joint concrete work by Israeli and Palestinian medical professionals and activists, they are committed to an alternative vision of Israeli and Palestinian society, based on human rights, medical ethics and social justice. Work combines direct medical aid with advocacy for long-term policy change that will end occupation and bring health and security to both peoples.

The communities they work for: Palestinians of the occupied Palestinian territory, Palestinian and Israeli prisoners and detainees, Bedouin communities in the unrecognised villages of the Negev desert, marginalised Israeli communities and undocumented people, migrants and refugees living in Israel.

The communities they mobilise: Over 1,500 members and volunteers, including medical professionals, medical students and human rights activists.

UK – a registered charity since 2016, it has funded seven playgrounds in Palestine to date.

Holon, Israel – Save a Child’s Heart is an Israeli humanitarian organization, working internationally to save the lives of children from countries where access to paediatric heart care is limited or non-existent. Save a Child’s Heart has saved the lives of more than 6,700 children from 69 countries and has brought more than 145 local healthcare professionals to Israel for training so they can treat their own children independently and create centres of excellence in their home countries.

Nablus, West Bank. A group of single parents and female head of households, separated, widows, gathering together in order to strengthen and empower each other along with their children. SAWA implement workshops in raising women’s awareness of the CEDAW convention, women health welfare workshops and training for economic empowerment.

Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem. – Established in 1882, St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital is the only charitable provider of crucial eye care in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

They treat patients regardless of ethnicity, religion or ability to pay.

As a peace orientated and Christian based organization, they advocate strong interfaith relationships.

On average, they treat over 25,000 children under 18 across East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank.

USA, Israel, Palestine – Seeds of Peace help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills necessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence. Treaties are negotiated by governments; peace is made by people. Seeds of Peace is doing what no government can.

It is sowing the seeds of peace among the next generation of leaders. It is educating them to develop empathy, respect and confidence. It is equipping them with communication and negotiation skills and enabling them to see the human face of their enemies.

Jezreel Valley, Israel – Under the direction of Pnina Inbar, the choir consists of Arab, Jewish, Muslim and Christian girls and are part of the Jezreel Valley Center for the Arts.

Israel – Sadaka-Reut was founded in 1983 by a group of Jewish and Palestinian Israeli university students who shared the vision of a better future for both communities,

Sadaka-Reut seeks to educate and empower Jewish and Palestinian youth to lead social and political change through bi-national partnership and joint activism.

Bethany, West Bank, Palestine – Pioneering programmes to encourage Palestinian women to participate in society, to become leaders in the community and the nation.

This is by promoting womens’ rights and by empowering Palestinian women socially, economically and politically.

Bethlehem, West Bank – Shiraa is a Palestinian civil development NGO working in the Bethlehem District, West Bank.

Shiraa empowers groups of women, youth and labourers so that they play a greater role in creating a democratic society.

To this end Shiraa raises awareness about human rights, offers free legal advice, provides vocational training and runs youth clubs for peace education, youth issues, recreational activities.

Kufr Manda, Israel. Sindyanna of Galilee is a women-led fair trade association that operates amongst the Arab population of northern Israel. We produce and market local fair trade products. The Sindyanna Visitor Center and the basketry workshop, provides a meeting point for Arab and Jewish women.

Acre, Israel – This Centre was established in 1990 by local Arabs and Jews to provide after-school programmes and meetings for local children, many of whom came from broken families and faced the challenges of high unemployment, drug abuse and lack of educational opportunities.

Today the Centre remains independent (funded only through voluntary income) and non-partisan, serving 1500 children, teenagers and women from all backgrounds and communities. It incorporates tolerance and respect in all its activities.

Bethlehem – The Steering Center for Democracy is focused on the promotion and upholding of democracy in Palestine.

The vision of Steering Center is for a more democratic, more just society in Palestine.

The Steering Center believes in the importance of working for peace, of participating in building and shaping a new future for the sake of the children and the generations to follow – for both Israelis and Palestinians.

London, Israel, Palestine – Non-partisan education programme formulated with the input of both Israelis and Palestinians activists, as well as senior members of Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities in the UK and is designed to prepare young people to make a positive, solutions-focused contribution to debates on Israel-Palestine.

The first Waldorf School opened in September 1919 in Stuttgart. Today (May 2014), there are Waldorf and Rudolf Steiner schools in 60 countries. The educational approach caters for children and young people from 3 to 19. The principles of the educational approach share ideas and concepts that have emerged in recent times – Howard Gardener’s theory of multiple intelligences, the value-oriented concept of education outlined in the Kroneberg Declaration (UNESCO 2007) and the educational priorities set out in the Delors Commission Report: “Learning – The Treasure Within” (UNSECO, 1996).

Steiner educational practice embraces the idea of integrated education in which the core skills of oracy, numeracy and literacy are woven together with a study of science and an immersion in the arts. Alongside the the core skills and academic disciplines, experiential learning, through hand-work and land-crafts, and an exploration of moral-ethical ideas, myths and truths of diverse cultures and religions through narrative and biography form the corner-stones of the international curriculum framework. There are currently 12 Steiner schools in Israel and one in Egypt.