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Elevating Women Leaders Promoting Peace in the Middle East

Nov 15, 2024 | Churches for Middle East Peace
Jericho, Palestine
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And Still We Rise is a women’s empowerment program at Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) that creates a safe space for women to build community, invite transformation, and take action. Christians of all backgrounds from the Holy Land and the international community are invited to come together to participate in this important gathering elevating the voices of women committed to pursuing peace. We anticipate 100-200 people to attend.

The precursor to this event was the Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 2018 annual advocacy summit held in June 2018 in Washington D.C., with a diverse delegation of women from the Middle East who are involved in peacebuilding. It was titled: And Still We Rise: Transforming US Policy for a Just Middle East.

Following October 7, 2023, the Palestinian community struggled to process pain and trauma. The unprecedented death toll in Gaza has caused a huge amount of suffering in Palestine. And Still We Rise 2024 seeks to help Palestinian women be a part of an international community that shares the pain and seeks to heal by talking about a shared struggle. Through this process, ASWR seeks to elevate Palestinian Christian women leaders, with a particular focus on topics like:

  • Women in society, peacebuilding, and the church
  • Men blessing women and celebrating their gifts 
  • Ecumenical unity among Palestinian Christians
  • Building peace in our homes and communities through trauma healing and the sharing of stories
  • Principles of gender justice in the local context
  • Responding to geopolitical challenges and taking action against injustice 
  • How international community members can advocate and support an end to the occupation of the Palestinian people
  • Acts of solidarity and advocacy that internationals can take to support the Christian community in Palestine
  • Spiritual formation, self-care tools, strategies for addressing trauma, and healing meditations

And Still We Rise 2024 (ASWR2024) is not a typical conference where attendees will only be listening to influential leaders, instead, participants will be given the opportunity to engage with them and with their fellow attendees. There will be the opportunity and space for women to learn from one another and community leaders through dialogue, cooperative exercises, and story sharing. The ASWR Summit will be very participatory and will create the opportunity to build community and experience transformational growth – both spiritually and through practical tools for peacebuilding and activism. Men will join women for day 1 of the summit, but then have their own program for days 2 and 3.