INITIATIVES OF CHANGE INTERNATIONAL
Initiatives of Change International is a non-profit organisation registered in Switzerland, serving the wider lofC movement. Thirty-six national bodies and programmes comprise its formal membership. Each member operates autonomously with a focus on addressing specific local needs.
What is Initiatives of Change?
Initiatives of Change (IofC) International is a non-profit organization registered in Switzerland, existing to serve a global community. The 36 national teams and international programmes which comprise its formal membership each operate autonomously, but work together in the areas of Trustbuilding, Ethical Leadership and Sustainable Living.
Our starting point is that creative social change depends on personal change. Everyone can examine their lives and align their actions with their values, thus ‘being the change’ they want to see in the world.
What Drives Us Forward
The Vision: a just, peaceful and sustainable world to which everyone, responding to the call of conscience, makes their unique contribution.
The Mission: to inspire, equip and connect people to address world needs, starting with themselves. We work worldwide on many initiatives through a network of individuals, groups and organizations.
Our Areas of Focus
Trustbuilding
Peace and social cohesion through trust and reconciliation.
Ethical Leadership
Leadership based on integrity, compassion and selfless service.
Sustainable Living
Economic justice and environmental sustainability.
A Brief History
IofC began as a spiritual and social movement more than 80 years ago, drawing on the ideas of founder Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister. Buchman’s work began with university students in the US and the UK and spread out to people in all walks of life and in all parts of the world. He believed that by applying guiding values of absolute honesty, unselfishness, purity and love in daily life, and being open to the divine spark within, anyone could help create a better society.
As Europe prepared for war in the 1930s, Buchman called for ‘moral and spiritual re-armament’ to build ‘a hate and greed-free world’. Following World War II, Moral Re-Armament (MRA), as it became known, promoted trustbuilding and reconciliation among former enemies, based on changes in individual motivation and character.
Over the years his work expanded to include people of different religions and none, and in 2001 MRA changed its name to Initiatives of Change.
International Council
The International Council is an elected board that provides leadership in line with the goals of Initiatives of Change International and the decisions of the annual Global Assembly.
International Council Members:
Suresh Vazirani (India) President
Mounir Beltaifa (Tunisia/France)Vice President
Bill Hamilton (USA) Treasurer
Barry Hart (USA)
Yeonyuk Jeong (South Korea)
Steven Kimaru (Kenya)
Roweida Saleh (Lebanon)
Mayur Shah (India)
Cecilia (Thembi) Silundika (Zimbabwe/Canada)
Wimarshana Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka)
