Two women. Two communities. One shared determination for peace.
It’s Giving Tuesday—and we want you to meet two women who embody what holding hope really means.
Life in Palestine and Israel is not easy—conflict shapes daily existence, grief lingers, and peace feels impossibly far. Yet even in these shadows, hope takes root.
Meet Siham, who leads our Palestinian team from Jericho. When asked why she continues this work despite everything, she says it plainly:
“What we try to do is not in spite of the circumstances, but precisely because of the circumstances. If not this, what?”
Meet Maya, her Israeli counterpart working from Tel Aviv. Together, they’re proving that even when politics stall, communities can move. Maya shared:
“I’m hopeful. Cautiously hopeful. But hopeful. It seems like there’s more oxygen in the air. For a few days, we’ve been seeing visuals of mothers and fathers reuniting with their sons, children reuniting with their fathers, with siblings, with lovers, seeing each other again.
And on the other side, I just spoke with a friend in Gaza who said to me, her voice cracked, ‘It’s the first time it’s quiet. We haven’t heard quiet for two years.’”
Supported by Search for Common Ground, Maya and Siham have built networks of women and young people across villages, refugee camps, and cities—listening to voices too often left out, and amplifying grassroots visions for the future.
Your Giving Tuesday gift helps their work reach even further. Every donation will be matched up to $40,000, multiplying the power of connection and courage across divides.
Their work is not easy. It means countering despair with dialogue, isolation with connection, and fear with persistence. But it is the only way forward.
This is what holding hope looks like: two women, from two sides, refusing to give up on the possibility of peace.
Your gift today keeps that hope alive. With your support, we can:
- Train and equip grassroots leaders in Israel and Palestine
- Amplify young people’s and women’s voices for peace
- Strengthen local networks that keep communities connected even in the hardest times
Your gift today will be doubled and join thousands of others around the world choosing generosity and hope. Together, we can make sure peacebuilders like Siham and Maya have the resources they need to continue their vital work.
Hope is not naïve. It is necessary. And together, we can make sure it endures.
