Laguna Beach, California (U.S.) and Gaza Strip
An exchange that began slowly blossoms and grows

Although the connection between these two Sister Circles began with a few stops and starts, they stuck with it - checking in and reaching out as often as they could. A year later, both groups experienced a strengthened bond within their own Circles and a growing sense of connectedness, friendship, and compassion with their Sister Circle on the other side of the globe.

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Chevy Chase, Maryland (U.S.) and Lagos, Nigeria
Building Trust, Building Leadership

The Oneness Family Peace Circle began in 2005 with an email from an airplane. Kate Ebner read about Peace X Peace in O Magazine and sent an excited message to a few good friends. They started meeting in Circle and registered to be matched. Soon they were connected with a waiting Circle of young Nigerian educators - "very savvy, very passionate activists" - in Lagos. It's the third most densely populated city in the world, they have since learned, and considerably larger than New York City.

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Michigan (U.S.), California (U.S.), Massachusetts (U.S.), Toronto, Canada and Baghdad, Iraq
Two Circles become one, impacting many

In 2004, a Circle of several women from across North America and a Circle of women from Baghdad, Iraq were connected through the Peace X Peace Global Network. Like many connected sister Circles, they began by emailing their questions, experiences, and insights about family, life, and the war in Iraq. Over time, these two Circles reinvented themselves as one collective Circle named The Beads.

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Detroit, Michigan (U.S.) and Bamako, Mali
Michigan Meets Mali, and the Earth Shakes

In 2004 Patricia Smith Melton and other staff members came to Detroit to show the documentary Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines and introduce Peace X Peace. Two of Mary Cordes' friends were there and told her, "We have to see this video together." Inspired, they formed a Circle, registered into the Global Network, and were matched with a Circle of young women in Mali.

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (U.S.) And Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Shining a ray of hope on refugee women in the Ivory Coast

Rose Lord went to her home in Pittsburgh after meeting a Peace X Peace staff person at the Gather The Women International Congress and immediately registered her peace Circle into the Global Network.

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Sanoma County, California (U.S.) and Kabul, Afghanistan

The Sonoma County Women's Council (U.S.) and Peace Circle (Afghanistan), connected through email in 2002, were Peace X Peace's first sister Circle match. Their success story speaks to how incremental changes can produce monumental transformations.

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Mt. Shasta, California (U.S.) and Mubende,Uganda
Together We Grow

Our group, St. Tereza's Women Circle, started in November 2004. The name was chosen in recognition of Mother Teresa, an Indian nun who used to look after the poor. We, a group of African mothers in Uganda, came together to help and support one another. Our main goal: to ensure that our children and grandchildren were educated to break the poverty cycle so common in our town of Mubende. Looking at our talents, we discovered that making crafts like baskets, woven rugs, and pottery, in addition to our small jobs, could contribute towards the school fees of our family members.

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Why Circles?

When a group commits to using Circle principles as the foundation of all their interactions and communications, something magical happens. Every member of the Circle is an equal peer. Previously silenced voices can be heard; dominating personalities are kept in check. Inclusivity, honest communication, and deep democracy guide the Circle, bringing about the most creative and sustainable actions and results.

The real magic of Circles goes beyond the immediate group of women gathered together. The interpersonal and communication principles practiced in Circle ripple out across each member's web of relationships, bringing about peace at all levels, from the family to the state. Circles linked together, then, are the most powerful force for positive change and peacebuilding on earth.

Learn more about Circles. Share your Circle’s story. To learn more about our programs, contact Program Director Willow Darsie: willow@peacexpeace.org and 202.684-2073.