by Ann Smith

As world violence closes in, tightening the ring of hatred and war, a pearl is forming. The media, in focusing on war and bloodshed, are blind to the momentum and power of women. In kitchens and living rooms, school cafeterias and offices, Sunday school rooms and synagogue basements, gathering at the well and walking to market, a profound movement is taking place. Thousands upon thousands of women are creating the foundational origins of peace.

Peace X Peace (pronounced "Peace by Peace") is a three–year–old organization that helps women organize and connect across cultural and religious divides via the Internet. Founded on the belief that achieving sustainable peace requires women to come into their full potential as leaders alongside men, it is dedicated to creating a world where women are powerful and effective decision makers in building peace for all. Peace X Peace fulfills this mission primarily through its Internet–based Global Network that connects circles of women in the United States, one–on–one, in supported communication with circles of women outside this country.

Each sister circle may be faith–based or secular, formal or informal. Some examples of circles in the United States include church circles, sewing circles, book clubs, and extended families. Outside the United States, circles often include women striving to make changes in their country and the world — building democracy, caring for people with AIDS, providing financial means through micro–financing, serving faith–based orphanages, and more.

The outcomes of connections made by sister circles are many. Women exchange information, collaborate, serve as mentors, bond with, and educate one another to diminish cultural divides, biases, and misconceptions. Through such exchanges, women learn about each other, embrace their differences, and identify their commonalities.

Strangers become family; compassion replaces fear; and peace is expanded.

Using modern technology, Peace X Peace connects women and provides the tools needed to strengthen their connection. Women move out of isolation and into a global network of mutual empowerment. In war–torn countries like Iraq and Burundi, women’s voices, once silenced, are now heard. Stories and struggles are shared between circles, whose members, in turn, tell friends and family, creating an ever-widening, compassionate audience.

Circle stories
East Lansing, Michigan, and Baghdad, Iraq
Barbara Thibeault of East Lansing, Michigan, formed a circle of college friends and colleagues that connected to a sister circle in Baghdad called "New Horizons for Women." After exchanging e–mails for a few months, women from both circles began sharing on a more personal level. They fasted together during one day of Ramadan and discovered ways to support the work of New Horizons in empowering young Iraqi women. Barbara’s experience, presented in her own words, reveals how being in the Peace X Peace Global Network closed the gap that existed between the circles, caused by geographical distance, different languages and religions, separate cultures, and political systems.

"Months after forming and connecting my circle, I am still in awe of this up–close–and–personal witnessing of the Iraq war in contrast to the faceless war portrayed on our nightly news. Circle sisters from Toronto, California, and Michigan share the privilege of learning from our Iraqi sister circle about how war is part of their daily life, invading the refuge of their homes. These Iraqi sisters see first-hand the sad human faces and hurting hearts that result from death and destruction.

"I’m a member of the sandwich generation, caring for my ailing mother and my family, while working at a meaningful job. In addition to this juggling act, I feel it is important to be involved, aware, and informed about the world and to share what I know and feel with others. Enter Lola, an 83–year–old friend of my mother’s. She and three other of my mother’s high school circle of girlfriends have met regularly for more than 60 years. Recently, the four of them called to plan a visit to see my mother. As we chatted, I longed to strengthen my connection to my mother’s peers, and I found myself blurting out that I, too, am part of a circle. I described my relationship with my sister circle in Iraq, fully aware of the risk of rumors that I had indeed gone over the line and was communicating with terrorists. I shared details of the last e–mail I received from one sister in Baghdad about a nearby explosion causing all the glass in her home to shatter. She told about how she spent days cleaning glass out of her furniture and gardens. She also described how the heavy military vehicles stir up so much dust it is impossible to keep her home clean.

"Lola reacted with understanding and alarm. She has friends with diabetes, and one sliver of glass in the foot could cause severe medical problems. What about grandchildren or friends with asthma? How could they breathe? The frustration of never having a clean house! Then Lola asked if I could send her the letter so she could share it with her circle of high school friends. Our Iraqi sister had assured us that we could share whatever would be helpful in our peace work and thus began the gentle ripple effect of activism.

"Yesterday, our Iraqi sister’s e–mail described listening to the bulbul songbirds in her yard while she sipped Turkish coffee and tried to hold on to hope, despite constant power outages and the danger that made her favorite leisurely autumn drives impossible. I can’t wait to call Lola and share with her this new message and the feeling of connectedness I have with all my Iraqi sisters. Women’s compassion knows no geographic, generational, or political boundaries. We are making and connecting circles of compassion. Without compassion, there can be no enduring peace."

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Rose Lord went home to Pittsburgh after meeting a Peace X Peace staff person at the Gather the Women International Congress held in October 2004 in Dallas and immediately registered her peace circle in the Global Network.

In Nigeria, Pastor Amos Wheagar found Peace X Peace on the Internet, filled out the interest form stating he worked with Liberian refugee women in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and wanted to form a circle. There were many divisions at the refugee camp and Pastor Wheagar wanted to bring the women together in a way that would help them better understand and accept one another despite their different faiths and traditions. After receiving information from Peace X Peace via e-mail, 70 women (representing Christian, Muslim, and other faiths) began meeting once a week in a circle, and Pastor Wheager helped them connect with Rose’s circle in Pittsburgh.

Communication between the two circles became difficult when fighting broke out in the Ivory Coast in 2004. During lapses in circle communications, the Pittsburgh circle members educated themselves about the conditions and struggles of refugee women in the Ivory Coast. They learned that women in Ivory Coast refugee camps are often targets of violence and prayed for the safety of their sisters in Abidjan. Today, their sister circle’s stories are heard around the globe, and both groups agree these connections help them maintain their faith and hope for a peaceful world.

Durham, North Carolina, and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
The Rev. John Muhiana is a member of an organization called Peacemaker, located in the small town of Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He contacted Peace X Peace seeking assistance for his orphanage and to register a group of orphans between the ages of 10 and 27.

In Durham, North Carolina, a Presbyterian women’s peace circle facilitated by Lynette Williams wanted to connect to a circle in need, and the Peacemaker circle was a good match. Additionally, the youth group director at Williams’s church is exploring the possibility of connecting members of the youth group to the orphans.

Change agents for peace
These circle stories affirm that we are all interconnected and that what happens to women and children in Lubumbashi, Baghdad, or a refugee camp anywhere in the world affects us all. All connected circles share the spiritual commitment of active engagement: The Holy Spirit connects each member to God and to one another. Women within connected circles are God’s change agents for peace.

Ultimately, Peace X Peace believes the multiplying number of connected circles will reach a critical mass that one day will tip the scales to usher in a new era of harmony and well–being where all people not only survive, but flourish as we love and nurture each other.

All women are invited to become members of the Peace X Peace Global Network, to help shift the perception of women’s roles in building peace and healing cultural and personal wounds. It is time for women to come forward and the Global Network is a powerful way to multiply women’s voices and bring a feminine perspective to the world.

Get involved
Peace X Peace’s Global Network connects your circle with a circle from around the world so that you can further empower one another’s work as peacemakers in your communities. As a part of the Global Network, circles in the United States are connected to sister circles outside the United States through the Internet to share stories, support and mentor each member, and build bridges across cultural and religious divides and misunderstandings. Many circle resources are available from Peace X Peace, including "Peace X Peace: The Power of Circles," a 16–minute video that reveals the power of collaboration, the benefits of new experiences, and the peace-building qualities of connection. Peace X Peace also provides a step-by-step guide for establishing a circle, inspiring members, and joining the global network of women committed to making peace a reality. To learn more, write Peace X Peace, 2086 Hunters Crest Way, Vienna, VA 22181, call 703–391–8932, visit http://www.peacexpeace.org/, or e-mail globalnetwork@peacexpeace.org