Moral Re-Armament/Initiatives of Change (MRA/IofC) Zimbabwe held a second national youth conference in Gweru at the Baptist Seminary Conference centre from 7 to 12 December 2017. The aim was 'Change – from Personal to Global'. A conference earlier in the year ran under the theme ‘From a Group to a Team’ and has seen MRA/IofC Zimbabwe establish two youth groups in Harare and Gweru which meet once every week as well as active involvement in local communities. Thirty young people between ages of 15-27 and representing five cities came together to learn more about ‘Change - from Personal to Global’ and ‘Changes start with you and me; be the change you want to see; take the initiative’.

We wish you a festive holiday season and a very happy New Year!

Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa, of the Interfaith Mediation Centre in Nigeria, were among five recipients of this year’s prestigious 2017 ‘Intercultural Innovation Award’, conferred by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and BMW. The award ceremony took place at UN Headquarters in New York on 29th November.

In order to run the Forum 2018 successfully, we are currently looking for leadership personalities and are offering a range of temporary positions within the Caux Palace Hospitality Team.

Caux Peace and Leadership Programme 2018: Seize the opportunity to take part in an inspiring and life-changing programme this summer!

Creators of Peace Kenya will be celebrating 10 years this November and we are fundraising to support the next stage of their programme outreach for fostering peace. Mediatrix Masava, National Co-ordinator Kenya, shares more about how Creators of Peace Circles provide powerful spaces for healing and reconciliation and explains how your support through our Global Giving crowdfunding campaign will make a difference in providing further training to 200 women leaders.

Creators of Peace Kenya continues to make a mark in the Baringo area as people's openness becomes evident - the young people began with a few accusations of where they felt their leaders had failed and the leaders present, including two chiefs and the district officer, were happy to respond and answer accordingly. Everybody was able to realize their responsibility in peace creation and sustenance.

When some of our team first visited Asia Plateau in 1966 it was a bare hillside which is now covered in trees and a source of much wildlife. Later, in 2002, some of our colleagues from East Africa came to Asia Plateau to attend an International Farmers’ Dialogue followed by visits to Indian farms, and they were so inspired by what they had seen and heard that they decided to work together to hold similar events in their countries. This programme has since then expanded to involve Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Mayotte and is reaching out to Southern Sudan and Burundi.

This is a report of the Creators of Peace Circle that was conducted for FIDA, Uganda on the 7th and 8th September, 2017. The two-day Peace Circle was the very first one to be facilitated by Creators of Peace, Uganda through its project, ‘Living Peace’, Uganda.FIDA is an association of women lawyers operating in a number of districts in Uganda, whose main focus is to provide legal services and advice to vulnerable women and girls. The Peace Circle was conducted at the FIDA headquarters in Kampala and was attended by 12 women, mostly FIDA lawyers and staff and a few representatives of their sister organizations.

In the “What Destroys Peace” session, lack of respect for other’s space and human life was one thing they talked about for a long time. They said that if the tribe that chased them away from their homes and burnt their properties, respected them and had value for human life then they would still be in their homes doing their businesses as usual. Creators of Peace has been asked to go to this tribe and hold meetings like this so that peace can begin from respecting ourselves, then our family, next our neighbour and neighbouring communities. We can’t live if we subtract respect from the topic of peace.