Creating Friendships for Peace Inc.

Our Mission

Creating Friendships for Peace, Inc. is a volunteer grassroots organization whose mission is to promote and strengthen friendships between teens from divided communities and extend those friendships to their families and friends. The friendships are developed through homestays with American families. Each family hosts two teens – one from each side of a conflict. The teen pair shares a bedroom and learns about each other, understanding their different perspectives and realizing that friendships can develop despite significant political and cultural differences. With friendship, an atmosphere is created that allows for mutual respect and understanding – a key ingredient for peace. CFP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in the United States. Our volunteers were active in Northern Ireland from 1987 until 2007. We are currently active in Cyprus since 2009 and in Israel/Palestine since 2018. In our efforts to maintain neutrality, we do not accept government funding and rely solely on gifts from individuals, charitable foundations, and businesses who wish to make a difference for peace in the world. Creating Friendships for Peace believes in self-determination and peaceful conflict resolution for all cultures and nations. “I know if everyone had a sister/brother/sibling on the other side that they felt close to as much as I did to my pair, we would all be so much closer to peace.” Summer ’22 CFP Teen