ANNUAL REPORT

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Initiatives of Change (IofC) has a simple approach: the starting point of personal transformation is an honest look at one’s own motives and behaviour, applying moral standards we wish to see in society in our own personal life, and seeking inner wisdom. Listening to others, in an open spirit, enables honest conversations to take place that build trust and increase our ability to work together across boundaries on areas of common interest. These partner-ships increase our impact and effectiveness as agents of change in our communities and in the wider world. At its core, IofC is about an idea and an experience lived out each day by many people around the world.

The following pages celebrate the local and regional sto-ries and collaborative international actions of this extraor-dinary world-wide network during 2013. The geographical spread is striking, as is the range and diversity of initiatives involving younger people.

The convergence of action, initiatives and partnerships around our focus areas of Trustbuilding, Ethical Leadership and Sustainable Living are more tangible and visible. There are some glimpses of transformative impact on individual people, as well as potential for long-term impact through the good governance foundations and peace-building initia-tives that have been laid and the partnerships that continue to be forged.

The report demonstrates that IofC continues to promote a constructive collaborative approach across divides to bring lasting change in society. Change in the world ripples out from changes in each one of us – that is good reason for hope and faith as we work with others to create the future we wish to see.

DR OMNIA MARZOUK President, IofC International

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Ethical Leadership Pg 3Trustbuilding Pg 6Sustainable Living Pg 11Partnerships Pg 14About IofC/ Finances Pg 15

CONTENTS

Initiatives of Change is a worldwide movement, active in over 60 countries. One of its core strengths is its capacity to gener-ate grassroots initiatives by passionate individuals. This report brings highlights of this global work. Initiatives of Change International serves this wider grassroots movement as well as the 34 national and programme bodies which comprise its formal membership.

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BUILDING ETHICAL LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTUREIofC programmes from across the world, aimed at developing ethical leadership, engaged with thousands of children, youth and those working with them.

SOUTHEAST ASIA LIFE MATTERS COURSE, VIETNAMThe second Southeast Asia Life Matters Course, hosted in Dalat, Vietnam in June brought together 29 participants from eight countries and an equally diverse group of cross-cultural helpers from around the Asia-Pacific region. The course took participants on a journey from issues of identity and personal transformation to looking at how to find meaning and inner direction for their lives and community development on a long-term basis. It also offered an opportunity to strengthen the network of young change-makers that IofC has been developing in the region.

EASTERN AFRICA YOUTH FORUM, RWANDAThe third Eastern Africa Youth Forum (EAYF) was hosted in Kigali, Rwanda in February on the theme Moral Values: The Key to a Brighter Future.

The forum brought together 87 participants from 12 coun-tries. The delegates heard inspiring stories of Rwanda’s rise from the ashes of genocide. To appreciate the Rwandan expe-rience, delegates took part in Umuganda, a monthly national

clean-up exercise. The forum has continued to experience immense growth even as it seeks to inspire youth to respond to the most pressing challenges of their time.

ASIA PACIFIC YOUTH CONFERENCE, SOUTH KOREAThe 19th Asia Pacific Youth Conference took place in South Korea in August, near the Demilitarized Zone: an apt setting when considering the importance of working on relation-ships between people and countries based on honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. Sixty-one participants from 14 nations took part in the conference.

I undertook to really listen to others and express my point of view. ~ a participant ”

ETHICAL LEADERSHIP

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CAUX SCHOLARS PROGRAMThe 2013 batch was a great success. There was an invigorating mix of 24 youth lead-ers from 19 countries representing a vast array of experiences and perspectives. Besides learning from each other through individual presenta-tions of Conflict Where I Come From, and from renowned international speak-

ers, the scholars also participated in hosting and organizing the Healing History session of the main Caux conference.

The Caux Scholars launched an initiative for post-programme internships. Scholars are already taking the Caux vision to their own countries by contributing to peace, providing sup-port to IofC initiatives and developing new projects.

CHILDREN AS ACTORS IN TRANSFORMING SOCIETY (CATS)As a first conference of its kind, the CATS 2013 confer-ence at Caux, Switzerland, was well received, with over 30 nationalities represented. The location was a perfect setting for deep reflection and community integration.

The participants reflected on adults’ and children’s con-tribution to enhancing democratic participation and new opportunities for children in civil society and communal en-vironments. It provided modules for participants to acquire practical tools and skills to build capacities as empowered civil society actors both for children and adults working with/for children.

EDUCATION À LA PAIX (EDUCATION FOR PEACE), FRANCEEducation for Peace conducted workshops and extra-curric-ular activities in 22 establishments for 1,770 young people in France. Four training sessions for 40 professionals who work with children and in education were also conducted. The programmes were based on mutual learning which makes everyone an actor in building their social skills.

ETHICAL GOVERNANCE IN INDIAAround 2,500 individuals participated in various programmes at Asia Plateau, and many more at outreaches in the country. There were several different types of programmes for employees of public and private corporations at different levels of management, youth from schools and colleges, government servants and administrators, teachers and more.

TRAINING FOR GOVERNMENT SERVANTSIn March, a group of facilitators visited five states in the North East of India, conducting seven one-day IofC sessions for over 200 government servants in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Meghalaya; a half-day interaction with 12 secretaries of differ-ent ministries and a half-day with 28 directors in Mizoram.

Programmes for the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) on Ethics in Public Governance were conducted in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Pune, Srinagar, Hyderabad, and Bhopal.

The response seems to show that the workshops had fairly substantial impact. At least 20 wrote of decisions to make apologies. At a follow-up meeting many shared examples of restorative action and resolved to pay greater heed to their own inner governance to enable better outer governance.

In Bhopal, a team of nine facilitators conducted three one-day workshops on ethics. This outreach was a direct result of the impact that a programme at Asia Plateau, the IofC centre in India, had on an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Two workshops were conducted for government

servants including police officers, educationalists, media rep-resentatives, and environmentalists.

TRAINING FOR GRASSROOTS-LEVEL GOVERNANCEAsia Plateau, in partnership with IC Centre for Governance, conducted a series of programmes on Ethical Urban Governance for the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). From October 2012 to March 2013, 318 senior officers of MCGM attended a week-long programme in eight batches at Asia Plateau.

The programmes had three modules: urban governance, in-ner governance and larger issues. The officers gave a very high rating to the workshops. The second phase of training for selected officers at the next level began in October 2013, when 99 officers, mostly assistant engineers, attended.

In Meghalaya, around 550 gram sevaks and sevikas (village servers) were trained in ethical governance.

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DIALOGUE ON MAKING DEMOCRACY REAL

In response to the recent developments that brought chal-lenges to both the emerging and the established democ-racies, the second dialogue on Making Democracy Real was held at Asia Plateau, India, in February. The endeav-our was to bring together leaders and active citizens, from the world over, to discuss the challenges and opportuni-ties they face. Through its format of plenary and breakout sessions, the dialogue gave delegates a deeper understand-ing of world issues and an opportunity to collectively seek solutions and ideas to strengthen democracy.

Rather than aiming for a written resolution or statement, the conference concluded with an open space when people were invited to share their own personal resolutions and conclusions. Around 120 participants from 32 countries participated.

ETHICS IN BUSINESSTRUST AND INTEGRITY IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY (CAUX AND UK)Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, was a keynote speaker at the sixth annual conference on Trust and integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE), held in Caux, Switzerland in July. ‘One is never too young to become a leader,’ he said during his wide-ranging talk. Joe Garner, former head of HSBC Bank UK, gave the opening address. Other keynote speakers came from the corporate and grass roots levels. The TIGE conferences focus on ways to pro-mote ethical decision-making, economic and environmental sustainability, and justice.

The TIGERoadshows were held at Liverpool Hope University’s Department of Business in March and at Sheffield Business School in September. The Roadshows aim to equip participants with an ethical framework, and practical tools, for use in their places of work. Keynote speakers included the renowned business author Margaret Heffernan; Tony Bradley, Director of the SEED Centre (Social and Ethical Enterprise Development), Liverpool; Peter Lewis, CEO of Principled Consulting; and Rikki Griffiths, HSBC Liverpool regional development manager.

A businessman from Moldova, who came to Caux for the first time, was very inspired and has decided to invest 100% of his profits into social projects.

CAUX INITIATIVES FOR BUSINESS, INDIAOver 200 participants from 19 countries took part in the bi-ennial Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB) Asia conference, at Asia Plateau, the IofC centre in Panchgani, India, in November. The five-day event, titled Economic Growth: Possibilities Amidst Challenges in Making it Sustainable and Humane, was jointly hosted by IofC India and IofC Japan. Plenary sessions and panel discussions explored obstacles to growth and sus-tainability, the true purpose of corporate social responsibility, and the business role in inclusive development.

Apart from the conference, CIB activities included a class for the Business Administration students of Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, North Germany, on Personal Ethics, CIB Programme and Culture by Luis Gomes of CIB India.

HEART OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP, INDIAIofC India’s training programme for business leaders, Heart of Effective Leadership, was delivered nine times in India and during the Caux TIGE conference.

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WOMEN ACROSS THE WORLD AS CREATORS OF PEACENational Coordinators for Creators of Peace (CoP) have now stepped forward in more than 40 countries. They are all volunteers and are mostly trained as facilitators of Creators of Peace Circles, the trust-building tool that continues to heal relationships and bring personal transformation to women wanting to be peace agents in their communities. During 2013 the Circles and facilitation training were newly conducted in Nigeria, New Zealand, South Sudan and in French in Cameroun and Burundi.

The Syrian Coordinator continues to bring women and students together across the divides in Damascus, building for the future in Syria. She took a group of women into

Lebanon to interact with people of other faiths and denominations and to hear others’ experiences of reconciliation. In South Sudan five Circles and facilitation training were conducted before the outbreak of violence in December.

Teams in the Netherlands and Australia are working with the women and families of the South Sudanese diaspora communities. Peace Circles were also organized in Brazil and Argentina in partnership with the Colombian team.

Portia Mosia, a coordinator of CoP, made several visits to the Tiger Kloof Educational Institution in South Africa to meet with and counsel senior girls. Many of these girls come from dysfunctional family backgrounds, which affect their performance at school. Deep discussions on many issues took place.

Creators of Peace introduced a new governance model in 2013 with nine newly elected International Coordinators. Each one has a portfolio team working with them.

CoP International President, Daphrose Ntarataze, resigned from her university position in Geneva to spread Peace Circles throughout her country of origin, Burundi, during 2013. The fragile peace there, after years of conflict, is being strengthened through women who are encouraged to take leadership in healing and reconciliation with perpetrators and victims alike.

TRUSTBUILDING

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DIALOGUES ACROSS EUROPE

FOUNDATIONS FOR FREEDOM, EASTERN EUROPEDialogue was used to improve understanding and devel-op trustbuilding at the Foundations for Freedom (F4F) Regional Meeting, which took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, in December. Around 60 participants from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Romania, Germany, Poland and Latvia participated.

Since December 2013, dialogues under the general name Today’s Situation in Ukraine: Searching for Mutual Understanding have been taking place in Kyiv, Simferopol (Crimea), Kharkiv and Lviv. The meetings were organized in response to the turmoil in Ukrainian society and are aimed at the search for understanding amongst Ukrainians.

Another initiative is Ukrainian Action: Healing the Past which aims to foster the development of a free and just society through encouraging healing of the past and rec-onciliation at the levels of individuals, communities and nations in Eastern Europe. Live History of Generations is a new project of this initiative in Crimea, run in partner-ship with Club for Young Leaders and the Ethnographic Museum of Crimea. Other activities in 2013 included a series of seminars for youth and training for trainers on ethical leadership.

INITIATIVE DIALOGUE, FRANCEInitiative Dialogue has contributed more than 10 years of service so far, by opening the debate on common values and the expectations people have for the future relating to culture and dialogue exchange which will unite the national community.

The main objective is to support participants to become agents of change in their own social circles. At the heart of a dialogue space (24 dialogue spaces in 2013) or a conference

debate (five public meetings in 2013) are citizens from dif-ferent origins, cultural practices and generations.

These meeting and dialogue opportunities also allow trust to be built so that together they can build an inclusive soci-ety based on a common citizenship.

SOMALIS ADDRESS THE GENERATION GAP IN BRITISH SOCIETY, UKIn August a new phenomenon took place in North London: Somalis helping British society improve communication between the older and young generations.

Somali refugees in Britain have suffered from communica-tion breakdown between the generations. Parents who escaped from the civil war in the early 1990s were reluc-tant to accept a future life in Britain. Their children, on the other hand, were out at school, adopting British ways – not always what their parents would have wished. So Somali Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy (SIDD) organized inter-generational dialogue workshops for the community, entitled Peace Begins at Home.

Then in the summer of 2011, riots broke out in London not far from the home of one of the younger SIDD members, for whom it brought back painful memories of violence in her native Somalia. It occurred to her that a lack of com-munication between the generations could be one of the causes of the riots, and that Somalis could offer their expe-rience to the wider community. So began a pilot project in areas where the rioting began. Meg Hillier MP observed in one of the workshops that an intriguing by-product of the focus on family relationships was that it brought together people of different cultural backgrounds.

EUROPEAN YOUTH IN DIALOGUE, GERMANYA seminar on the theme Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries was organized in Gantikow, Germany by Initiative Mittel und Osteuropa (InMOE), Foundations for Freedom and IofC Germany. People from nine nationali-ties came together for a spiritual journey on the theme of trustbuilding as a means for people to initiate change within society, starting with themselves. For an entire week, the 30 participants had the possibility of discovering trust in all its diversity. They discovered and explored theories on dialogue forms and discussion, conflict resolution, group dynamics and commitment in civil society; and practised esteem, compassion, tolerance, attentive listening, honest conversations and an active confrontation with values.

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MOBILIZING PEACEMAKERS IN SOUTH SUDANThough South Sudan has since regressed into tragic politi-cal and ethnic conflict, a bold attempt was made in ear-ly 2013 to put national reconciliation as a priority on the new nation’s agenda. Co-ordinated through the Peace and Reconciliation Commission under the Office of President, the intention was to hold a national reconciliation confer-ence which, in the words of the then Vice-President, would ‘try to heal the mental wounds’ left by decades of civil war. The government earmarked US$2.6 million for the project. IofC International with its local IofC counterpart were invited as partners, with funding granted by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

An international project team of 30, including volunteers from IofC’s Workshop for Africa programme, went to Juba to support the organizing committee. A further 33 international speakers and facilitators, with valid experi-ence of reconciliation initiatives, agreed to contribute to the planned conference and campaign. IofC International designed and delivered a one-month intensive training for 200 Peace and Reconciliation Mobilizers drawn from each state, from civil society and faith groups.

In April, however, because of severe austerity measures and rising political tensions, the President suspended the con-ference and named a new Committee for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, led by prominent churchmen. IofC International has continued to work with this commit-tee, supporting Youth in Solidarity workshop in September followed by a demonstration for the International Day of Peace held for the first time in Juba. Even after conflict exploded once again in December, provisional plans are being made for training further Peace Mobilizers after fight-ing stops and the reconciliation agenda, for which all par-ties are calling, is reconstructed.

WORKSHOP FOR AFRICA (WfA)WfA was set up to address issues of good governance and accountability in political, business and civic institutions on the continent. WfA interacted with about 3,000 people through workshops, meetings and presentations in South Africa, Kenya and South Sudan.

Eleven people from seven African countries started with six weeks training and preparation in South Africa in January-February 2013. Eight of this group were part of the IofC team that provided training to nearly 200 Peace Mobilizers in South Sudan in April 2013. Two outreaches in Kenya later in the year and a second trip to South Sudan in September to take part in the Youth in Solidarity Forum resulted in the WfA team identifying a group of at least 58 young peo-ple who are keen to continue building a culture of ethical leadership and accountability in their communities.

About US$95,000 was raised from IofC sources in Africa and Europe to establish WfA as a Pan-African thrust to promote good governance in Africa.

PEACE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN AFRICAN GREAT LAKES

In Burundi, the Peace and Good Governance programme seeks to promote an inclusive dialogue between all political groups and to promote a peaceful electoral process leading up to the 2015 elections. An action has been launched, in particular aiming at reducing the acts of violence commit-ted by young partisans.

In the DR of Congo, two seminars were organized in North and South Kivu in May and June in order to establish an intercommunity reconciliation dialogue and to educate those who are concerned about the peaceful resolution of conflicts. At stake is the need to reduce the instability in the eastern DRC, a source of insecurity for the entire region. This programme is financed by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, apart from the seminars in Kivu which were financed by two Swiss Foundations, Pro Victimis and Fonds Mécénat SIG.

I have had four enemies in my life and one of them is a major-general in the Army. I have already asked him to forgive me. ~ one of the participant mobilizers“

ACTIONS IN AFRICA

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LEARNING TO LIVE IN A MULTI-CULTURAL WORLDThe conference, held in August, put a special emphasis on inter-generational trust. Keynote speeches were abandoned and the conference built mainly on the knowledge and exchange of the participants. This left room for many group discussions, dialogues and inter-active exercises aimed at building trust across cultures, communities and generations, and at empowering par-ticipants for action.

REFLECTING ON THE MEMORIES OF SLAVERY, THE NETHERLANDSMarking the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, the IofC team there orga-nized a discussion evening on the theme Why Should We Commemorate Slavery? at their Hague centre. A multi-ethnic public participated.

Descendants of people who had been made slaves spoke movingly of how this still effects them today. The history of colonialism and slavery has been written by those in power. It is time for another perspective. Only when there is a wholehearted acknowledgement of past wrongs, can black and white live together in peace. Some of the participants later took part in the Healing History conference.

CAUX INITIATIVES FOR HUMAN SECURITYHEALING HISTORYIn partnership with the W K Kellogg Foundation, IofC USA convened a conference in Caux, Switzerland, that brought together 225 people from 34 countries to address issues of ‘overcoming racism, seeking equity, building community.’ The purpose of this conference was to explore the history and legacies of racism and how communities can work together to build trust, heal wounded memory, and create cultures of inclusion and economies that work for all. While mostly focus-ing on inequalities related to race and class in English-speaking countries, this conference also addressed issues such as dis-crimination against the Roma in Kosovo, relations between India and Pakistan, and the aftermath of the civil war in Chad.

This theme was carried forward in November at a forum in Richmond, USA, hosted by Hope in the Cities and attended by 300 community leaders. It marked the 20th anniversary of the launching of a national movement for honest conversation on race, reconciliation, and responsibility.

JUST GOVERNANCEThe conference, described as a ‘gathering of changemakers’ by one of its organizers, was attended by politicians, government officials, academics and others from over 30 nations.

Dr Inderjit Bhogal, leader of Northern Ireland’s Corrymeela Community, pointed out that ‘reconciliation is harder work than peace,’ telling of the Community’s commitment to ‘cre-ating space where people can meet and hold difficult conver-sations.’ A school principal from the Democratic Republic of Congo told of her fight for a corruption-free school in a coun-try where education is riddled with bribery. A civic activist from Ukraine told how she and her colleagues decided that, rather than criticizing their leaders, they should offer leader-ship. Their work resulted in the city council developing a new strategy for their city. These experiences, and many others, opened up vigorous discussion on ways which are effective in bringing change.

A workshop on overcoming the ‘resource curse’ was led by Dr Ekuru Aukot, Director of the Committee of Experts which developed the 2010 Kenyan constitution. He told of his battle to ensure that the oil discovered in Northern Kenya is extract-ed in a way that benefits the people of the region. The head of Nigeria’s Human Rights Commission responded by telling how they had persuaded their Government to agree that, where minerals are discovered, the local people will be included in the negotiations on their extraction.

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FLTfilmsIn 2013, FLTfilms collaborated with Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye, the protago-nists of The Imam and the Pastor (2006) and An African Answer (2010). FLTfilms also worked on developing and managing educational projects to maximise the impact of its films.

TRUSTBUILDING IN KENYA AND CHADIn Kenya, the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) sup-ported-project ‘to transfer the methodologies depicted in An African Answer’ moved into a fieldwork phase. Three teams of peace practitioners were formed to work in diverse conflict contexts.

In Eldoret, the epicentre of communal clashes in 2008, an inter-ethnic team mobilized a ‘peace caravan’ that moved into the high-density suburbs of the city, including former ‘no-go’ areas, advocating the celebration and consolidation of peace.

In Mombasa, a team of Muslim and Christian women col-laborated to organize training for women leaders and youth based on the methodologies in the film An African Answer. The youth identified ‘substance abuse, people with HIV/AIDS, youths in business and youths in leadership’ as areas they could influence as ‘ambassadors of change’.

In Baringo, infamous for deadly cattle raids between pas-toralists, a team of community leaders organized a series of meetings to foster reconciliation. They brought tribal elders, women and youth leaders together, screened An African Answer and explored how to end the scourge of cattle rustling. The team also piloted a project to foster

peaceful coexistence amongst pastoralists. The team, in partnership with a charity which trains communities to build sand dams, enabled two prominent community lead-ers from opposing tribes to be trained in the use and con-struction of sand dams.

The Baringo project team, as a direct consequence of the IofC-fostered training, was selected by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of Kenya to serve as independent observer of national elections in March.

To address the strained relations between ethnic Somalis and other Kenyans, Imam Ashafa and Pastor Wuye met with a group of senior imams in a Nairobi suburb dominat-ed by ethnic Somalis. FLTfilms presented the host organiza-tion with The Imam and the Pastor which led to a request for closer collaboration to foster trust-building within the Somali communities in Kenya and in Somalia itself.

IofC FILMSIn 2013 Initiatives of Change produced and released Beyond Forgiving, a docu-mentary depicting the journey of two South Africans to bring healing and rec-onciliation to their country and beyond.

The film was launched in Zurich in the presence of one of the protagonists Ginn Fourie, and Director Imad Karam. It has been shown since at many gatherings around the world and has won accolades at several interna-tional film festivals.

With its powerful yet non-prescriptive exploration of forgiveness, it is anticipated that Beyond Forgiving will be a major focus of IofC’s work in future.

Your clear ways of describing your work helped all of us see the power for dialogue and reconciliation in divided communities.... Several people came by to give thanks for presenting something so needed. ~ An official’s note to Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa

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I have worked with many organizations in conflict issues and peacebuilding, within my faith and my society, but never as inter-faith. I would love if this initiative can go on, for it can do a lot to our youth and our community.~ ZuhuraJuma, co-leader from the Muslim side

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BUILDING TRUST THROUGH STORYTELLINGIofC’s tradition of influencing change through storytelling continues with the documentaries produced by For the Love of Tomorrow Films (FLTfilms). The films have served as a key ingredient of programmes and consultations, and as a way for IofC to connect with external organizations. Most of all, they have made a tangible impact in conflict prone regions, most notably in East Africa.

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The Caux Dialogue on Land and Security (4-11 July) brought together people with a concern for land restoration as a means to improve the environment, combat poverty, avoid violent conflicts and mitigate the effects of climate change. Adopting a unique approach, the conference focused on the link between land degradation and peace. In addition, workshops looked at the successes and failures of initiatives aiming to preserve land and build trust. The conference was convened by Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Mohamed Sahnoun, Chair of the Caux Forum for Human Security.

Participants included some of the world’s leading scientists in the land restoration field, activists, diplomats, business people and government officials, including a strong delega-tion from the Sahel region of Africa who hosted a special Sahel Round Table. One of them put the link between land degradation and the region’s security problems per-fectly when he said, ‘It is the disappearance of arable land that makes enemies of us.’ Nineteen workshops were

delivered by leaders from 26 NGOs, academic institutes and international agencies. A strategic cooperation agree-ment was signed at Caux between UNCCD and IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature), the world’s largest membership organization to protect the environment.

Tony Rinaudo (Australia) of World Vision, gave a first-hand account of how in Niger an ‘underground forest’ was dis-covered as ‘an answer to prayer’. It has resulted in refor-estation of 5 million hectares of severely degraded land, which now feed an extra 2.5 million people.

INITIATIVES FOR LAND, LIVES AND PEACE

Through ingenuity and cooperation we can still restore degraded lands and ecosystems… The

Caux Dialogue has become an important global platform to make this happen.

~ Adam Koniuszewski, COO Green Cross Intl

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SUSTAINABLE LIVING

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It was awe-inspiring to see 300 villagers arriving for the Gram Parivartini award at Grampari, the rural and ecol-ogy centre of IofC India. Grampari has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Arghyam to work on the protection and development of springs in the Western Ghats. The year-long School Hand Wash with Soap Programme has resulted in behavioural change in 60% of the 2,300 children who were part of the programme. Four one-month residential programmes targeting 75 young vil-lage boys and girls provided intensive training courses in sewing, mobile repair, solar lantern assembly, computers and English Speaking. This motivated group have put right broken relationships and decided to be honest about their corrupt deeds to tackle corruption in society. Some of them are now engaged in developing their village. The gov-ernance programme is committed to strengthening grass- roots democracy through training sessions in Grampari

and the village. The villagers are trained to understand the implementation of government schemes for village devel-opment through women and youth participation.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES: OUR COMMON FUTURE, UKDuring November 2013, an exercise was conducted for the team of My Story. This project provides a safe place for young people, from all walks of life in inner city areas of St Ann’s and Radford in Nottingham, to make life choices. The project reaches about 50 young people.

Outcomes: Through an application, an external donor has pledged £5,700 for its work during 2014, with the possibil-ity of extending the same support in 2015 and 2016. A proj-ect proposal submitted to the Nottingham City Council has brought in £1,500.

SCHOOL FOR CHANGEMAKERS, UKAn enlightening four-day residential programme was held at Liverpool Hope University in June, bringing people together to inspire positive change in their lives. Now in its fourth year, School for Changemakers has a growing multicultural, multigenerational alumni, all of whom are eager to investigate the power of change from a variety of perspectives.

CAMBODIAIofC Cambodia carried out two food programmes in which IofC friends collect donations and then come together to cook food for the poorer people in Phnom Penh. After cooking the food the friends went around the city on motorbikes to give food to people living and working on the streets. There were also two book distribution pro-grammes where money was raised and educational material bought for children in poor rural schools: 650 students with teachers and community members received books, pack-ages of clothing and a snack.

Courses were also offered on Conflict Resolution for stu-dents and children in orphanages, Practicing Tolerance in

GOVERNANCE, LIVELIHOOD AND SUSTAINABILITY IN RURAL INDIA

COMING TOGETHER AND WORKING IN COMMUNITIESPeople coming together for fellowship, initiatives and inspiration.

I met some amazing people who broke many prejudices and misconceptions I had. Hearing about their experiences was a humbling yet thought-provoking experience on how we can implement our own change on the world.~ Vinay Raniga,19, from Watford

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Diversity for people from different faith groups and ‘How to understand yourself for young adults.

CASTLE-MEETING IN GERMANY The fourth annual Castle-Meeting was held in October near Berlin. The theme Experiencing Community – Discovering Friends was looked at from different angles: what does it mean in theory? And how can we actually act and live it? While discussing the topic it was striking to see how strongly each of the participants prioritized close relation-ships within the family and how much they are a resource and inspiration for everyday life.

LATIN AMERICAIn Brazil several meetings with youth, taxi drivers and community leaders took place, and the team reconnect-ed with some businessmen in São Paulo on the topic of Ethical Leadership. This year IofC Argentina joined IofC International as an associate member and an inter-genera-tional team began working on different projects. In Mexico, a team of young professionals is looking at how the IofC model can work in their country. In addition, the team in Colombia participated in two meetings with Victims of Armed Conflict, organized by Agape for Colombia.

CHANGE IN PROGRESS, SOUTH AFRICAIn November a consultation on the way forward for young people was held outside Johannesburg. Its mission was to explore servant leadership, relationships, nature and inner development. The consultation theme was Relationships and Calling. Parents were engaged to help the teenagers in facilitating nation-building discussions in their communities and help alleviate the culture of violence.

CAUX ARTISTS PROGRAMSince 2011 the Caux Artists Program (CAP) has welcomed to Caux over 40 performing artists from all over the world. In keeping with the international and multi-cultural ‘spirit of Caux’, the CAP has had artists, faculty and mentors from Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, India, Nigeria, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UK and the USA.

SEEDS OF INSPIRATIONThe Seeds of inspiration event in August at Caux offered participants an opportunity to share their experiences and the sources of their inspiration. The aim of the event was to expand people’s horizons, to refresh their commitment and to renew themselves. The format was very participative and concentrated on interactions between people.

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THE UNITED NATIONS AND OTHERS IN GENEVAThe IofC International office in Geneva continued to build its relationships with the NGOs, international organiza-tions, UN missions, and the larger UN system in Geneva. In January it organized a private meeting between IofC President Dr Omnia Marzouk and the then Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Various UN bodies, such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) also actively took part in the Caux conferences.

Furthermore, UNCCD also deepened their relationship by signing a 5-year Memorandum of Understanding for collab-oration with IofC International. IofC’s UN representative, Rainer Gude presented IofC and some of its case studies to a gathering organized by the UNDP in New York.

SWISS FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (SFDFA)The longstanding partnership of the SFDFA with IofC con-tinued in 2013 with their support for activities in Burundi, the Great Lakes region and the first phase of an initiative launched by South Sudanese for a reconciliation campaign (see page 8). The SFDFA also helped sponsor 17 confer-ence participants from Africa and in organizing some spe-cial trainings for them.

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE: INGO DIALOGUE TOOLKIT In March, the Initiative Dialogue team in France hosted training for facilitators and professionals in Paris. The International NGO (INGO) Dialogue Toolkit, which is coordinated by the IofC Delegate, formed the content. One participant wrote afterwards: ‘The Dialogue Toolkit has methodological and practical keys to bring young and old, regardless of where in the world, to a fruitful dialogue.’

In October the INGO Dialogue Hub was approached from Cyprus to partner in a submission for an island-wide proj-ect, which is now pending with the Norwegian funders. In November a CoE mission to Moldova and Transnistria included the Dialogue Toolkit in its materials.

GENTE Que AVANZA IN LATIN AMERICASince 1999, when a large delegation of Gente Que Avanza (GqA) attended the Caux conferences, many efforts have been made by both organizations to support each other in carrying out their mission, emphasizing not only its out-reach but also caring for the teams.

In recent years, a group of young people from the GqA programme has worked alongside IofC Brazil with young students, reaching over 1,000 people. The same happened in Argentina, where both organizations worked in Santiago del Estero and also with students and teachers from Buenos Aires. They work in partnership in Colombia and from August 2013 started to prepare a meeting in 2014 of IofC in Americas.

PARTNERSHIPSIofC successfully collaborates with a number of organizations and individuals to build a network of changemakers and expand our outreach.

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ABOUT IofC INTERNATIONAL IofC International is an association with 34 national and programme Member bodies. Each Member operates autonomously on projects addressing specific local needs.

These are Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States; and the international programmes Creators of Peace, Foundations for Freedom, Grands Lacs Association and International Farmers’ Dialogue.

IofC International has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) and Participatory Status at the Council of Europe.

FINANCESIofC International is financed by a combination of individual contributions, member contributions and foundation and government grants.

The financial report (see left) reflects the budget of IofC International, a central hub that serves IofC’s global network and local projects. Much of the work described in this Annual Report is done by local teams with separate budgets.

IofC seeks to ensure the optimal use of all funds in the context of an organization that is both global and evolving. We are continually reviewing our income generation strategy to adapt to new conditions and deliver on our mission.

CENTRESIofC maintains two main international centres at the service of the global work of IofC. They are located at Caux, near Montreux in Switzerland, and Asia Plateau, Panchgani, in India.

Provisional Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 Dec 2013

2013 %

INCOME (CHF)

Membership Fees 38,059 4.1%

Donations from IofC/MRA Bodies

461,968 49.4%

Fees for Web services 10,420 1.1%

Other Donations Received 118,380 12.7%

Donation of Office Space 14,853 1.6%

Income from Transnational Projects

279,632 29.9%

Other income 12,272 1.3%

TOTAL 935,584 100%

EXPENDITURE

Transnational Projects 363,693 40.9%

Partnerships with International Organizations

120,499 13.5%

International Website and Communications Projects*

179,966 20.2%

President's Budget and International Council

44,794 5.0%

Operations, administration and coordination

175,965 19.8%

Interest and exchange differences

4,783 0.5%

TOTAL 889,700 100%

Surplus from Operations 45,884

All the figures are rounded up to the nearest Swiss Franc. * These projects serve all Members of the Association and are not just communications projects for IofC International.

INITIATIVES OF CHANGE is a world-wide movement of people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motives and behaviour, starting with their own.

VISIONA just, peaceful and sustainable world to which everyone, responding to the call of conscience, makes their unique contribution.

MISSIONTo inspire, equip and connect people to address world needs, starting with themselves.

FOCUS AREAS Trustbuilding: Peace and social cohesion by building trust and reconcilia-tion across divides.

Ethical Leadership: Good governance at every level by developing a lead-ership culture based on moral integrity, compassion and selfless service.

Sustainable living: Economic justice and environmental sustainability by inspiring transformation of motives and behaviour.

APPROACHIofC focuses on the link between personal change and global change. Its approach involves:

Starting with oneself: An honest look at one’s own motives and behav-iour is often the starting point for personal transformation.

Listening to others: With its intergenerational, multicultural and inter-religious diversity, IofC enables honest conversations in an open spirit, building bridges of trust and community between people of similar, differ-ent, and even antagonistic, backgrounds.

Taking focused action: IofC’s people and programmes work for peace and social cohesion by building trust and reconciliation across divides; for good governance at every level by developing a leadership culture based on moral integrity, compassion and selfless service; and for economic justice and environmental sustainability by inspiring transformation of motives and behaviour.

Recognizing that it will take more than human reason and ability to solve the problems of the world, IofC places the search for inner wisdom at the heart of its approach. When people listen to what is deepest in their hearts, insights often come which lead in unexpected directions. While some understand this experience as divine guidance and others see it as the leading of conscience, many find that the regular practice of silence can give access to a source of truth, renewal, inspiration and empowerment.

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Initiatives of Change International

Registered Address: Mountain House, CH-1824 Caux, Switzerland

Secretariat: Rue de Varembe 1, CH-1202 Geneva 20, Switzerland

Email: ia-secretariat@iofc.org

Tel: +41.22.749.1620

Photo Credits include: Pontus Wallsten, Mirjam Beeler, Christoph Kaufmann, Naike Bochatay, Laura Graafen, Charlotte Sawyer, Alline Serpa, Mbindyo Kimanthi, Aris Huang, Mohammed Ghabriss, Aarzu Sadana and Adriana Borra.