A battery production business in a sub-Saharan African country was saved from closure, thanks to the intervention of a well-established NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). The battery company was owned by a multinational, which was keen to offload it. The batteries were for agricultural and industrial use but, with economic decline in the country, the company was not doing well.

The current reality is generational transfer of present and past unhealed traumas, lack of parenting skills, broken families and a search for identity and belonging, among young people in particular. Thus, the focus of the Trustbuilding project that is on inner healing, justice, and trustbuilding between parent/guardian and child - rebuilding trust and broken structures in the family as a foundation for a more just and peaceful society.

The Project aims at healing the wounds and addressing the psycho-social, economic and political consequences of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and slave history. The focus is on creating pathways towards mutual recovery and cultural and institutional transformation. It is supported by a number of partners, and guided by an Advisory Board consisting of multi-disciplinary experts.

Olivienhoutbosch, south-west of Pretoria, is a community that has many orphans, single parents and fatherless children – people who have come from other provinces and countries to seek work and to further their studies. Gender based violence, depression and anger are prevalent. Yet the commitment of these groups were commendable as each morning they came with an open heart and an inquisitive mind, saying, ‘I am looking forward to learning more today’.

I find the notion of life can often be to understand the pattern you are being given. During times when the path ahead has been unclear, the most helpful advice I’ve received is, ‘Dig where you stand’ and ‘To thine own self be true’ ‘solving for pattern’ useful in personal discernment, too. A key to discerning the next step in.

Initiatives of Change (IofC) has been ‘building trust across the world’s divides’ for over 80 years and to this day, a number of IofC national bodies have trustbuilding projects that are making a difference to the communities where they work. The Trustbuilding Program is a chance to leverage our knowledge, skills, experience and contacts, to streamline our efforts and bring our global trustbuilding initiatives together in a clear, coherent and strategic way

Ethical Leadership Retreat 2021, Lagos, Nigeria

2021 Message from the International Council
This year we will celebrate 75 years of Caux as a global centre promoting the values which the world needs. Asia Plateau is beginning to resume its year-round programme of conferences and training sessions. The Trustbuilding Program will expand to Australia, Indonesia, Nepal, and South Africa. On every continent, people inspired by IofC are taking action to build values of honesty, purity, unselfishness and love into their societies and governing policies.

A new year welcome to our four new trustbuilding teams.

The Trustbuilding Program started in September 2019 with three teams in Canada, France, and Kenya. They adapted their projects in the face of the pandemic, and officially celebrated delivering their first-year implementation plan at the end of December 2020. It is now time for four more trustbuilding teams to join the program. Welcome Australia, Indonesia, Nepal and South Africa!

As issues related to trust and conflict are location specific, each team has adapted the core principles of the Program to their local context. Below are the main focus areas of the participating teams.

Creators of Peace bringing on board Cape Town Facilitators , through two collaborating organisations, Initiatives of Change and Gravitree, by delivering a training of facilitators and the first Creators of Peace (CoP) Circle in Cape Town from 30th November to 11th December. The purpose of this initiative is to grow and strengthen the Creators of Peace programme in South Africa – the aim being to help build foundations for a healed nation. Cleo Mohlaodi and Mantwa Mabe conducted a seven-day CoP facilitation training for four passionate community workers with an academic background in Social and Health work. Three of the trainees are from Gugulethu, and one from Khayelitsha, communities in Cape Town. with a huge success and action plan for 202.