SATYAM - Peace Center in the Middle East

The events happening since the 7th of October have deeply challenged the peace community in the Middle East. The deep pain and the growing polarization have had a dramatic impact for peace activists in the region. Despite the indescribable grief in the terrible situation, we still believe community building and non-violent resistance are a powerful answer to working towards ending the violence and oppression and to achieving justice and freedom for all.

As an antidote to the increasing fragmentation and polarization in the region, we understood it's time to open a safe home and a physical space to support this important work. Since March, SATYAM has become a place that hosts events for the existing and ever-emerging peace community of this land to continue to come together, (re)establish connection, (re)build trust, and continue to create a present where change is possible.

SATYAM serves as a critical community space where peace activists and community members come together to learn, heal, and grow. We offer retreats and workshops, including trauma work and grief circles, designed to support and uplift those affected by conflict. Our center is more than a refuge; it is a dynamic environment where we co-create, learn from each other, and strive towards a shared vision of peace.
Satyam is a new home, still in its becoming, established to provide a safe, sane place, for peace activists to be together, rest, resource, support and inspire each other to continue doing their important work, especially now, in times of war.

Where are we located?

SATYAM is located in the occupied West Bank/Palestine and we are choosing to keep its specific location private. The fact that we can not share our location publicly, gives you a glimpse into why our project is so crucially needed.
If you want to visit, please get in touch with us. We really invite you to come.

SATYAM is a continuation of a peace center named EcoMe, held by our community from 2010-2018, located in the occupied West Bank near Jericho. A community of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists and social entrepreneurs who dared to meet life together rather than apart; to discover how to work towards dignity, safety and freedom for everyone in this land.

EcoMe hosted regular events like non-violent communication seminars, non-violent resistance actions, social- and system change trainings, yoga, meditation, language exchange, courses in permaculture, art, and many more.
The center was open daily for friends and visitors, welcoming anyone regardless of faith and/or political stance, who was seeking to walk in peace, meet in dialogue, and learn more about each other. Over the years, EcoMe became a living example and a source of hope; a resource for many initiatives and projects working towards a peaceful and just reality in the land. Described by the community, EcoMe served as an “island of sanity” in an ocean of separation, injustice, and violence.

Here is a trailer of a movie that is yet to be finished and released about EcoMe and this is an intro video of the project back in 2015, where you can get a taste of the spirit of the place and the community!

After 8 years running, we decided to close EcoMe for a variety of reasons. Yet, its spirit has stayed alive in hundreds of people whose lives were transformed by it, and has continued to live through their projects and initiatives.

We, Palestinian community leaders and activists, supported by Israelis and the international community, are the ones to lay the foundations of the Satyam Center, which provides a safe place to host gatherings, workshops and meetings for the existing and emerging peace community in the land. These are Palestinian, Israeli and international individuals of all ages who long to find ways to imagine a different reality to the one they've been born into, while also acquiring new tools and skills that can transform our today's dreams into tomorrow's reality.

SATYAM is currently the ONLY place in the region where Palestinians and Israelis can attend workshops, retreats or trainings (e.g in Non Violent Communication) without requiring any entry permits. Both Israeli citizens and residents of the occupied West Bank can access the space, meet and go through a process together.

If you are hurting for the situation in this region and wishing to contribute to an initiative that is aiming for community building, healing and regenerative transformation. If you are longing to meet hope in the midst of these dark times, standing for life and holding a prayer for dignity, safety and belonging for all - that is what we are committed to.

In times of war and grave injustice, a community space like SATYAM becomes essential; a place where hope and connection can thrive amidst division and brutality; where we can unite in our commitment to non-violence and mutual understanding; where we can transform our collective pain into hope and where we build a foundation for a future where everyone can live in freedom, dignity and safety.

It’s becoming hard to imagine that a different world is possible.
It's not just here, in our land. It's not only this conflict.
All around this world there’s people fighting, starving, struggling.
What can we do? How can we make a difference?
SATYAM is becoming an answer to that and a place to continue asking these questions.
We want to close our eyes and believe. Open our eyes and know - We matter. We make the difference.

The two aims of the campaign are:

1) Financially sustain SATYAM for its first two years, March 2024 - March 2026
- Rent for the house and garden: 1800€ monthly
- Running costs: water, gas & electricity bills: 500€ monthly
- Financial Compensation for the two main Palestinian holders of SATYAM: 2500€ monthly

2) Provide access to spaces for trust building, healing, networking and non-violent activism to participants who currently and generally don't have funds for such offerings.*
- Financial support for Palestinian participation in our programs: 1000€ monthly

For that, we are collecting 150,000€ (incl.StartNext campaign-fee).

* The economic situation in Palestine, especially since October 2023, is extremely precarious and challenging. All workshops and events offered in the space are free of cost for Palestinians. In addition to offering full scholarships for lodging and participation, in some cases we also need to finance the travel costs of activists who are facing challenging financial situations.

Since we opened SATYAM on March 7th this year, we’ve hosted several community days and open door events, held two retreats “coming together in times of war” for our local community, as well as provided a space for allied organisations to meet and do their important peace-work in our facilities, invited several facilitators from abroad to teach embodiment, de-colonial practices and other tools to the local community, hosted and provided a safe space for bereaved mothers from Gaza, planted a garden together, and much more.
With your support, we will continue to host events in the realm of collective transformation and systemic change, as well as personal healing and empowerment.

If you have contacts or insights for long-term funding, please contact us to know more about the project: [email protected]