Building a Better World Peace by Peace (with Peace X Peace)

Women in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan too are waiting to connect with you. And they don’t want handouts; they want to be your friends. They are as curious about your life as you are about theirs. And though your circumstances may be different, the concerns that fill their days are generally the same ones that fill yours: balancing work and family, staying healthy, caring for aging or ailing family members, making sure the children stay safe and get the education they need to succeed, and finding a little time to relax now and then.

Go to www.peacexpeace.org, join, fill out a simple profile, and connect to a world of women through the Peace X Peace Global Network. You’ll find women who share your professional interests: teachers, nurses, businesswomen, artists, activists and community organizers. You’ll find women who share your passions: justice, equal rights, healing the environment, protecting women and children and minorities from violence, and bringing an end to war. You can connect as an individual or gather a small Circle of women to share the adventure. And if your first Circle connection isn’t just right you can start others, and join as many Circles as you want. Though women in many parts of the world speak and write English, messages can be automatically translated into Arabic, English, French or Spanish.

At Peace X Peace (pronounced “peace by peace”) we believe that the sorry state of things is no surprise -- since 50% of the population has been left out of the decisions that shape our world. We believe we women can claim our power together, strengthening each other, bridging all the divides, and tipping the balance toward peace and justice for all. It starts with just reaching out to one woman or a small Circle that is reaching out to you.

Where it goes from there is up to you and your sisters. So far, through the Peace X Peace Global Network:

• In Pakistan, the Society for Disabled Women opened a center where women can learn to use computers and the internet.
• In the United States, members invested with members of their Circle in Kenya to open and run a hostel for people visiting the Kenyan village.
• In Uganda, members exported handmade jewelry to members of their US Circle, who sell it through their local networks and return the profits to be reinvested in the Ugandan micro-enterprise.
• In Canada, Iraq, and the US, members ignited a movement that became the Women Stand with Iraq Coalition, offering concrete actions to take in solidarity with the people of Iraq.
• In Egypt, members initiated educational exchanges about women’s health and hygiene in their Global Network Circle, gaining information they had been denied in their home culture.
• In Israel and Palestine, members co-hosted events that brought women from their communities together for fellowship, education, and cultural exchange.
• Members in 118 countries (and growing) organize peace festivals, marches, activism days, and vigils to raise awareness in their local communities every year.

Violence begins when communication ends. And peace begins when communication opens and flows. Go with the flow! The world is waiting for you, at www.peacexpeace.org