Windows for Peace (UK)

Windows for Peace (UK) is an independent, registered charity established in 2004 (charity number 1108358). It has two objectives; raising money to support the work of Windows - Channels for Communication (Windows CfC) in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and promoting dialogue and understanding amongst the Jewish, Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities in the UK. Windows for Peace (UK) is not aligned to any political group or cause. We are managed by a board of trustees currently numbering seven. The trustees are: Jude Bloomfield; Judith Emanuel, Xen Hassan, Ros Raizada, Penny Roberts and Ken Singer.  The trustees meet regularly and can be contacted via email at Contact@WindowsforPeaceUK.org

The charity was established following a visit to the UK by the director of Windows CfC, Rutie Atsmon and a Palestinian colleague, Fahmi Manasra. We identified three major roles: the first and most important to provide financial support for the work in Israel and the Palestinian territories by the established charity - Windows CfC. We take the view that whilst in some specific areas we may have expertise to offer, the driving force behind the work has to be those people directly involved in the region. The second area has been to encourage and facilitate visits, both to assist where we can and to better inform ourselves of the situation. Finally, we aspire to use the ideas and techniques pioneered by Windows CfC to work with young people from the Jewish, Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities in the UK.

We are a completely volunteer-run charity with extremely low running costs. Approximately 95% of all money raised is applied to the charitable causes.  

Since our start we have raised over £85,000 to support the work of Windows in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Crucially, we provide infrastructure funding which is very difficult to obtain from other project grant-awarding bodies. We have also made significant grants towards equipment for video work and computer communications. We have also raised £36,000 to pay for a summer school for young people from Israel and the Palestinian Occupied Territories (to be held in Edinburgh in July 2008).  We have supported projects in a number of UK schools and have recently started a Manchester City Council and National Lottery funded programme working with Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Jewish teenagers (for which we have raised over £10,000).

We raise our funds by a variety of means:  from individuals making donations (of any size!) mainly by Standing Order ; from other charitable trusts; by donations from synagogues, mosques and churches; by donations from other charitable organisations (e.g. Rotary Clubs); by holding cultural and social events; by individual small fund-raising initiatives (often in their own home), and by the sale of Windows greetings cards and CDs.

We currently have three 'hubs', in Manchester, London and West Cheshire/Merseyside. A new hub is being started in Newcastle upon Tyne. We would like to create more and if you are interested, please contact us.

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