The Sumud Story House is located near the Bethlehem-Jerusalem checkpoint and the Separation Wall around Rachel’s Tomb in north-Bethlehem. Rachel’s Tomb is a holy place annexed to Israel and walled-off, made inaccessible for Palestinians.
At the House, several women groups including a choir (the Bethlehem Sumud Choir) come together for their weekly meetings and training sessions dealing with a wide range of social, cultural, psychological and inter-religious topics. The women groups have a mixed Moslem-Christian composition, and focus on community building and developing voices and personal stories on justice and peace. A Wall Information Center provides information about the Wall and organizes Wall posters (Wall Museum) and the annual Sumud Festival. During the summer, the women follow an intensive program.
The women of the House are often linking up with women in the countryside of the Bethlehem area and Hebron area, including downtown Hebron. Lately, AEI has become active in the Hebron area including H2 – the area where Israeli settlements are located, and where the occupation forces greatly reduce the freedom of movement. In a project developed in cooperation with UN Women and aimed at reducing conflicts, AEI works with groups of women who volunteer in an innovative Early Warming and Response System.