On 23 February 2023, the Human Rights Caravan traveled to the Nutshuis in The Hague for its second gathering! About 60 participants visited Human Security Collective, Justice & Peace, and Netherlands Helsinki Committee to learn more about these extraordinary human rights organizations. Afterward, the participants entered into a dialogue facilitated by Dialoog in Den Haag. What do we do every day to safeguard human rights, with and for each other?

Last week was the sad anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The 24th of February 2022 did not only shake Ukraine. It was a wake-up call for the rest of us in Europe.

‘How have women influenced the rights for nature movement?’ On a cold and rainy Friday afternoon, environmental lawyer Jessica den Outer explored this question during a gathering for Women Connect, an Initiatives of Change Netherlands (IofC) initiative for and by women. At IofC, we’ve been following Jessica’s important work for years and at this particular gathering, we asked her to share (her) stories from a woman’s perspective.

On February 28, 2023, we kicked off the Human Rights Caravan 2023 in The Hague at the beautiful synagogue of the Jewish Liberal Community. In collaboration with Dialoog in Den Haag, Initiatives of Change Netherlands will visit various philosophical and religious institutions in search of the core of human rights. What does the term 'human rights' mean today? And how do we shed a light on human rights issues close to home and close to ourselves?

The Human Rights Festival on 8 December 2022 at The Hague University marked a significant moment in Faith in Human Rights, an initiative by Initiatives of Change Netherlands (IofC).

Together with his IofC friends, Willem Jansen visited Islamic schools, spoke with Islamic teachers and mystical leaders, and participated in compelling conversations between Muslims and Christians, with whom he visited Hindu and Buddhist temples and monasteries. How does IofC Indonesia bring these typically divided religious groups together?

Is growing income inequality really the result of cold wars turned hot? Or is it really the age-old war between the classes, between the 1 and 99 percent? And if so, what does that reveal about our seemingly stable democracy?

How does the Indo-Dutch colonial history affect the contemporary relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands? How does it make itself felt in private and public spaces? And are Indonesian young adults waiting for an apology from the Netherlands after 77 years of independence?

From 6 August to 2 September, Willem Jansen, program coordinator at IofC The Netherlands, visited Initiatives of Change Indonesia. This visit aimed to strengthen the connection and friendship between the two teams, with a focus on IofC Indonesia’s contribution to the international Trustbuilding Program (TPB). How does this team build trust between groups? And who is on the receiving end of their trustbuilding efforts?

On July 8 2022, friends and family said their goodbyes to Wilhelmina Johanna ter Kulve-van Os, also known as Joty or Ibu Joty, during a well-attended memorial service in the Kievietkerk in Wassenaar in the Netherlands.