Digna loved flowers, it said on the funeral announcement. And flowers loved her. The choir of the Kievitkerk in Wassenaar, where her farewell service was held on February 16, was completely covered with flower arrangements, while the sun shone through the windows of a packed church. The whole service was marked with tremendous gratitude for Digna's adventurous life, but there was also the sense of disbelief that so suddenly she was no longer there. During the musical intervals photos were projected of a joyous and lively Digna, amidst family and friends.

‘We want to help 25,000 people with disabilities by 2021’, said Merel Rumping, who spoke to a captivated audience on Tuesday 20 February, at the London centre of Initiatives of Change. The focus of her talk was about founding LegBank, a social enterprise providing life-saving prosthetics to land mine victims in Colombia.

With growing activities in Switzerland, and as part of the Initiatives of Change (IofC) global movement, 'the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation' seized the opportunity of the global IofC brand refresh, to change their name to 'Initiatives of Change Switzerland'.

The 2017 edition of CATS (Children as Actors for Transforming Society), part of the Caux Forum, saw the launch of the 90 Day Challenge. The idea was simple: CATS participants thoroughly explored their ideas for a range of topics including the environment, education and peace whilst at Caux. Once home, from 20 August 2017, they had 90 days to put their ideas into action. The aim was to provide the participants with the necessary drive and motivation to dive in and to make a start on a project despite not having to necessarily produce results.

Initiatives of Change (IofC) is pleased to announce the launch of their refreshed brand. In 2017, IofC’s global community guided by the international communications team looked how to best take the organization’s heritage into the future by refreshing the brand with the help of design agency ACW. The refreshed brand was launched on January 17, 2018, during the 50th anniversary celebration of Initiatives of Change’s centre in India: Asia Plateau in Panchgani.

Initiatives of Change is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of their refreshed brand. In 2017, IofC’s global community looked at how best to take the organization’s heritage into the future by refreshing the brand. Our refreshed brand will be launched next week during the 50th anniversary celebration of Initiatives of Change’s centre in India: Asia Plateau in Panchgani.

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.

Which borders do we experience, personally and in society, and how can we cross them? Around 150 people from different nationalities and beliefs – from Bahai, Hindu and Buddhist to the three monotheistic faiths – gathered to discuss these questions during the annual Interfaith Conference at the International Institute of Social Studies in the Hague on the 18th of November. The conference, that carried the theme Crossing borders, building bridges, was organised in collaboration with Initiatives of Change Netherlands and the student chaplaincy of The Hague Haastu.

Two young Dutch Muslims cycled all the way from the Netherlands to Mecca on a wooden bike, to raise awareness about sustainability within the Islam. It was the result of a close friendship that started six years before at the international conference centre of Initiatives of Change in Caux. ‘With our trip we hope to inspire young Muslims in a practical and personal way.’

At the age of 78 Kees Scheijgrond died in his hometown Gouda on 21 February. From 1995 until 2010 he was Chairman of the Dutch Foundation of Initiatives of Change (IofC-NL). He was the most 'active' chair IofC-NL has had. He took numerous initiatives, both in the Netherlands and further afield, to bring about the changes he wanted to see in the world.