Palestine - South Africa Solidarity Pilgrimage

PALESTINIAN - SOUTH AFRICAN "EMERGING CHRISTIAN LEADERS" SOLIDARITY PILGRIMAGE

March 19th - April 3rd, 2024

Amid the backdrop of the continuing occupation and genocide in Gaza, Iziko Lamaqabane & Bethlehem Bible Collage are forging a new partnership to cultivate opportunities for young leaders in both contexts to partake in "Liberation Learning Pilgrimages" to and from our respective sites of struggle.

Together, we believe the current moment in which the hypocrisy and outright refusal of many Western Church's to even recognise our Palestinian siblings experience is a critical one for the Church of the global south and all Christians of conscious to stand together. It's particularly important for young christian leaders in this moment to deepen solidarity, clarity, mutual learning, collective theological reflection and the pursuit of positive peace and healing justice together.

To this end, Iziko & BBC are hosting a "pilot pilgrimage" March 19th - April 3rd with ten young Palestinian Christian Leaders who will spend two weeks in a dialogical reflective journey alongside their South African counterparts traveling from Palestine to Johannesburg to Cape Town. Thereafter, in May, a reciprocal pilgrimage to the West Bank will take place.

Our prayer is that these initial journeys will lay the foundation for a flourishing partnership and consistent opportunities for many young Palestinians and South Africans to cultivate deep relational and organisational solidarity for the collective pursuit of healing justice and peacebuilding in both contexts.

We are currently seeking funding to cover the on the ground costs (flights have already been purchased ) for the initial pilgrimage in March in the amount of $10,000. All additional funds raised will go towards a bursary fund for future solidarity pilgrimages.

We invite you to prayerfully consider supporting our work financially so many may walk the pilgrims road of peace & justice and so that Palestinian and South African partnership can deepen.

For more information visit us at -

izikolamaqabane.org

Steve Schallert

Director of International Solidarity izikolamaqabane.org