GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 7 | Page 78

PEOPLE & LIFESTYLE

It’s not just women in the conflict regions
that are working for peace. Creativity for
Peace, a grassroots organization that
‘prepares the next generation of female
leaders and peacemakers in Israel and
Palestine’ is based in the United States. It
hosts a three-week-long summer camp
where girls aged 15-17 learn ‘to partner
as leaders by breaking down barriers of
anger and prejudice, facilitating friendships, and inspiring action to promote
peace.’ Participants include Palestinians
from the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, as
well as Jewish Israelis and include girls of
Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faiths.
The organization was founded by three
women – psychotherapist and humanitarian Rachel Kaufman, artist Debra Sugerman, and peace activist and writer Anael
Harpaz – who were inspired by the African
proverb ‘If you educate a man, you educate
a person, but if you educate a woman you
build a good nation.’