The Parents Circle’s Women’s Group was born out of a need to express the voice of the women in our organization. Its aim is to equip women from both sides of the conflict to acquire an authoritative voice and a real say in any future reconciliation process. The group was formed by some 20 women and has grown to more than 150 women.
Bereaved women pay the highest price of the conflict, and are seldom consulted in the decision to go to war, to have a cease fire, or to sign any peace agreements. Their experience highlights the sanctity of human life across the divide, and they have an important role to play in peacebuilding. However, as more women joined the PCFF Women’s Group and in light of the deteriorating social and political atmosphere in Israel and Palestine, the Parents Circle’s female members have expressed their desire to increase their leadership, dialogue, and peacebuilding capacities, in order to create a change in the public sphere.
Contributions support the Engaging Women for Change program, a Women’s Group initiative. This program has a two-pronged approach to gender-based peacebuilding:
The program engages bereaved women, from both sides of the conflict, in workshops focused on reconciliation, including bi-national and uni-national sessions.
Training in facilitation and story-telling
Bereaved Israeli and Palestinian women co-lead and co-facilitate Dialogue Meetings by describing their personal loss and their choice of reconciliation and non-violence.
Attendees then participate in a facilitated discussion, including:
The PCFF Women’s Group Program aims to:
An evaluation of a 2017 Women’s Group program showed the following results among participants:
