Helping the Next Generation

EnablingCollaboration

PreparingLeaders

Tony Blair speaks at the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee

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This year, we have honed our methods of formal evaluation throughout all our work, and are committed to refining and adjusting our operational models so they remain effective in increasingly challenging and urgent settings.

In November, we were pleased that our Patron, Tony Blair, was given the opportunity to convey our focus and approach to the international community when he was invited to brief UN Member States. The level of support for our work was extremely encouraging and we look forward to working further with international governments during 2014.

Our mission is a work in progress. Our Impact Report highlights how we are making a tangible difference, by emboldening those who embrace diversity and difference to defeat the close-minded. The imperative to succeed is overwhelming. Thank you for your interest and your support.

Charlotte KeenanChief Executive

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The mission of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation is to provide practical support to help prevent religious conflict and extremism.

We are aware of just how ambitious our mission is. The challenge is highly complex. As we look around the world, violence in the name of religion continues to reach new heights, with extremism in many cases providing the fuel to further ignite the bloodshed. We believe that a coordinated, international effort to puncture the ideology and activities of religious extremists is absolutely crucial for sustainable impact to be achieved. Only by working together can we reduce the hostilities and equip citizens with greater understanding of religion and alternative ways of interacting with each other.

Our approach has been developed to reflect this sentiment. Our focus is on being a catalyst for change. We devise and develop programmes that incubate different ideas for countering religious tensions and extremist narratives. We demonstrate the evidence of our impact to governments and global institutions wherever they operate, so they can see the merit of adopting our programmes and take them to scale.

Letter from the Chief Executive

Investing in the Future: Training Future Leaders

Global Network of UniversitiesOur global network of universities continues to thrive and we are proud to be working as a hub for 22 universities in some of the most challenging areas of the world. Their role is to teach and research faith and globalisation, deliver detailed analysis and inform and engage with policy makers. The programme has been running for five years and has involved approximately 3,000 students. As it develops, it will help to create a generation of leaders who will have a far more practical, working knowledge of the impact of religion in the world.

We are delighted that alumni are already in positions of leadership in their professional lives, and are able to impart their knowledge in a practical way.

“I actually think it’s essential whether students are religious or not to be armed with an understanding of how all of these forces interact. Because I think we can either put religion to one side and not allow it to affect us, and say we are not going to ask these critical questions or we can engage with it.” – MICHAEL SHELDRICK, FAITH AND GLOBALISATION

ALUMNI

Project HighlightsStudents Taught – 3,000

Universities Teaching – 22

Practical Support: Working with Current and Future Leaders

There is no shortcut to fully understanding the impact of religion in the world. Our Faith and Globalisation initiative focuses on providing this knowledge in local, regional and national contexts, and specifically in areas of religious conflict. By encouraging academic study in this field, and providing executive education, we are determined to achieve our aim of encouraging leaders in all walks of life to engage more constructively with religion.

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cited the knowledge he had gained as being fundamental to his work:

“Faith and Globalisation was a mind opening experience because it helped me conceive of the world more holistically and helped me better understand the complex nexus between local forces and global pressures.”

Training Current Leaders

Establishing Mutual Understanding and a Path to Peace: NigeriaWe recognise the importance of religious leaders as interlocutors in situations of tension and violence, particularly where talks have broken down between political leaders and where there is a need to reinforce the processes of peace building. We believe that where there is conflict with a religious dimension, intra- or inter-faith practical work is vital to peace-building and sustainable co-existence.

We have continued to focus our efforts in this area on assisting religious leaders in Nigeria to build resilience, networks and practical resources to counter violence and extremism in the name of religion. We look forward to the work continuing during 2014.

C A S E S T U D Y

Garentina Kraja

Garentina Kraja, a graduate of Faith and Globalisation at Yale University, is now a security and political advisor to the President of Kosovo. She was a teenage war correspondent and refugee during the civil war; ten years on, she became a student of the Faith and Globalisation course at Yale University. Her recent decision to co-teach the first faith and globalisation course at American University in Kosovo was shaped by her time at Yale, and the influence it had on her views on the role of religion in the public sphere.

She said of lessons learned from the ethnic conflict in former Yugoslavia:

“Religion didn’t cause the war, it was about territory. But destroying a mosque or a church became a way of destroying a community’s identity. Religion had become part of the process of prosecution and reprisals; it was a way of one community demonising the other.”

C A S E S T U D Y

Akram Azimi

In January 2013, Afghan-born Akram Azimi was named Young Australian of the Year for his work with disadvantaged remote indigenous communities. A former fellow of Faith and Globalisation at the University of Western Australia, he

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Intensive Training Courses

This year, we continued our programme of intensive training courses as part of our focus on engaging with current and future leaders. The presence of increasing numbers of diplomats and other key professionals, as well as students, was evident and their participation was invaluable. Through a combined theoretical and practical approach, the courses equipped participants with critical understanding of the practical intersection of religion and foreign policy.

Investigating Religious Minorities and Human RightsThe course, held in partnership with McGill University, examined issues related to religious freedom and the rights of religious minorities in international relations. Participants also analysed a range of case studies, including Myanmar and Nigeria. We were pleased that so many representatives from the diplomatic community were able to join the course as guest speakers. These included Robert Seiple, former US Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom; Andrew Bennet, Canadian Ambassador for Religious Freedom; and Ambassador Ojo Maduekwe, former Nigerian Foreign Minister.

“The class dynamic was excellent and the teaching team was wonderful. The “beaming in” of international professionals was also a fascinating process.”– COURSE PARTICIPANT

D E C A N M O N A S T E R Y , K O S O V O

Students and professionals attend a lecture investigating the role of religion in conflict and post-conflict societies.

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“The best thing about the course was the inclusion of so many different case studies, which gave me practical insight and a very enriching experience.” – COURSE PARTICIPANT

“Religion is such an important aspect of an individual’s identity, so why are countries ignoring it when they make foreign policy? The course fundamentally changed my thought process and was invaluable.” – COURSE PARTICIPANT

Investigating the Role of Religion in Conflict and Post-Conflict SocietiesThe course, organised in partnership with the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Prishtina, provided a practical as well as theoretical assessment of religion, identity and the state building process.

Over 60% of the participants were from professional backgrounds ranging from the United Nations to the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.

This year, we were keen to invite external speakers from the political and policy world who had first-hand experience of issues relating to religious minorities in their own countries. Among them were Ambassador Zamir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Office in Geneva; Ambassador Daniel Taub, Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom; and Petrit Selimi, Kosovo Deputy Foreign Minister.

“It was absolutely fantastic to hear practical perspectives on how conflict resolution initiatives amongst religious groups are implemented on the ground.” – COURSE PARTICIPANT

“The course has cemented my belief that religion has played, is playing and will play a central role in global events and must be addressed.” – COURSE PARTICIPANT

Understanding Religion and Conflict

An Up-to-Date Analysis of Religion and ConflictWe believe that both current and future leaders would benefit from a greater level of understanding of the religious dimension of various current conflicts. These include policy makers, diplomats, business leaders, NGOs, the media and academia. During 2013, we were delighted to begin development of a new website for this purpose. The website will go live in the Spring of 2014.

The website will bring together leading academics and policy experts from across the world to provide compelling, informative and timely analysis and information. The aim over time is to equip people with the resources to make informed decisions in this field.

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Faiths Act in Sierra Leone

A Common Cause: Tackling MalariaIn Sierra Leone, Faiths Act tackles malaria – the biggest threat to children under five and pregnant women. Since its inception, Faiths Act has reached over 1.7 million people in Sierra Leone – just under 30% of the population – disseminating life-saving messages about malaria prevention. 1.4 million have received household visits, conducted by over 12,000 interfaith community volunteers, trained and supported by over 500 faith leaders.

Disseminating the Message: Saving LivesDuring 2013 alone, Faiths Act reached 1,017,073 people. 251 faith leaders were trained as Malaria Faith Ambassadors (MFAs) to spearhead malaria prevention messaging in their communities. The cascading model meant that the MFAs trained 6,823 community, interfaith volunteers.

The success of this year’s work resulted in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone and Roll Back Malaria partners recognising Faith leaders in Sierra Leone as vital health promotion and behavioural change agents.

Faiths Act Sierra Leone has been asked to partner with the National Malaria Programme during their nationwide distribution of insecticide treated nets in 2014. The Programme has asked for the assistance of the faith

Project HighlightsPopulation Reached (Total) – 1,700,000

Households Visited (2013) – 118,846

Faith Leaders Trained (2013) – 251

Interfaith Community Volunteers Trained (2013) – 6,823

Practical Support: Demonstrating the Power of Collaboration

Faiths Act is a programme that mobilises faith communities to collaborate on a cause that resonates with them collectively. The nature of the model is compelling. Working together and training together, often in each other’s places of worship, faith communities are uniquely placed to bring their wide networks together to tackle a common challenge. In doing so, the opportunity for dialogue and understanding between the communities increases exponentially.

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communities involved in Faiths Act to ensure that treated net utilisation is sustained in the long term.

We also provided advice to Catholic Relief Services in Sierra Leone during the cholera outbreak, which enabled them to incorporate messages about cholera prevention into sermons and khutbtahs in affected areas.

“The First Lady is a strong believer in involving traditional and religious leaders in all of our programmes. Simply because traditional and religious leaders are change makers and they can effectively reach people that we cannot reach.” – POLICY ADVISOR TO THE FIRST LADY OF SIERRA LEONE

K A M B I A , S I E R R A L E O N E

Malaria Faith Ambassador trains Malaria Faith Champions to deliver malaria prevention messages.

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H O U S E H O L D S V I S I T E D ( 2 0 1 3 )

Households receiving malaria prevention messages

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“The champions mingle together and work together… When it comes to saving lives, it doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian or Muslim. When the infection comes, it spreads all over. When the Champions go to the houses, they do not choose the house based on the faith of those who live there. They go to save lives.” – PASTOR SANKOH, FROM PORT LOKO

DISTRICT

An Opportunity to CollaborateDuring 2013, we introduced a new measure to ensure dialogue and exposure were occurring between faith communities. The measure tracked the number of volunteers whose training took place alongside those of another faith.

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Sessions that trained Christian and Muslims together (Cumulative)

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K A M B I A , S I E R R A L E O N E

A Malaria Faith Champion talks to a community about how to use and take care of their treated nets.

H O U S E H O L D V I S I T S B Y L O C A T I O N

2012 versus 2013

Expansion in Hard to Reach AreasAnother focus during 2013 was to expand the programme beyond urban centres, such as Freetown, ensuring malaria prevention messages reached more remote areas in the north such as Kambia, Koinadugu, Port Loko and Tonkolili.

Kumbra was visited by Malaria Faith Champions in her village, Kambia, in September 2013 to share the knowledge

of malaria prevention with her family. Before the Champions came to visit Kumbra she had thought that malaria was caused by witchcraft and was reluctant to accept medication or use a bednet. After listening and learning from the Champions, she turned their advice into action because “they come from the church and I believe that what they are saying is true”.

2012

= 10,000 household visits

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96,206visits to districts

outside of Freetown

115,161 household visits 2013 118,846 household visits

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K A M B I A , S I E R R A L E O N E

A Malaria Faith Champion visits a family to discuss the five key messages of malaria prevention.

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Sustainable Funding

We also agreed a partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to provide funding to allow the delivery of Faiths Act Sierra Leone until 2015, when the programme will have reached at least 80% of the population.

GSK and the Faith Foundation will also work together to develop further opportunities to work effectively with faith communities to deliver positive and sustainable health outcomes in Sierra Leone and elsewhere.

“Faiths Act offers an innovative solution to the challenge of tackling malaria in Sierra Leone. Faith communities are able to use their networks to disseminate messages for reducing childhood deaths, one of our key aims. It is a project that can be taken to scale in a sustainable way and can be replicated in some of the world’s poorest countries to improve health outcomes.”

– SIR ANDREW WIT T Y, CEO OF GLAXOSMITHKLINE

The Power of the Model

The Importance of Local Ownership2013 was a seminal year for Faiths Act Sierra Leone. This year we achieved our plan to hand the programme over to in-country organisations so that it can run in a sustainable way in the long term and create real and transformative change, driven by Sierra Leoneans themselves. From 1st July 2013, we engaged Christian Health Association of Sierra Leone (CHASL) as the local partner to continue project implementation. To ensure a smooth transition, three experienced and highly motivated Sierra Leoneans from different faith backgrounds were recruited to work alongside two international staff to build capacity and transfer skills.

Lasting and Cost Effective ChangeCost effectiveness lies at the heart of the Faiths Act programme. Faith community volunteers who undertake the household visits are not just part of a process for distributing

bed nets. They ensure that messages about the use of the bed nets, and other malaria prevention

measures, are fully understood. With this in mind, it is even more compelling that in 2013, the cost per person reached was only 30p.*

* Based on direct project costs in-country.

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Costs just

30pper person

Growth of Face to Faith

Over 1,000 schools are registered; over 50,000 students have been taught the programme and over 20,000 students are registered on the moderated online community. The programme continues to receive accreditation by the International GCSE and is recognised by the International Baccalaureate. We support teachers to run the programme in four different ways – teacher workshops, online resources, professional development videoconferences and team and country coordinator support.

Measuring ImpactThis year, we have introduced a four level metric system to monitor participation and output of schools and students. The scale moves from registration (level one) through to teaching and learning in the classroom; direct engagement through videoconferences and social gatherings; and finally to social action through community engagement with people of other faith traditions (level four). The goal is to ensure that by working with the schools, the programme is a catalyst for genuine behavioural and attitudinal change, rather than simply an educational tool.

VideoconferencesThe use of regular videoconferences is a powerful tool, enabling a classroom to speak to and see other classrooms across the world, including in intra- and inter-conflict zones. Videoconferences are often the culmination of extensive

Project HighlightsStudents Taught (Total) – Over 50,000

Students on Online Learning Community (Total) – Over 20,000

Registered Schools (2013) – 1,076

Videoconference (2013) – 463

Practical Support: Working with the Next Generation

Education remains by far the most powerful tool to fight extremism. The impact on a school child of educating them and exposing them to the concept of diversity, difference and mutual respect cannot be underestimated. Since its inception, our Face to Faith schools programme has connected tens of thousands of young people in over 20 countries to different faiths, cultures and beliefs. Many of them are experiencing religious conflict in their own communities. Using digital technology and facilitated videoconferences, students gain knowledge and understanding about one another, about religion, and about how to be resolute in the face of negative influence. These are the practical tools that will allow the next generation to deal with the enormity of what it means to live side by side with people who are different.

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classwork, bringing to life the theoretical in a profound way. Students are given the opportunity for deeper engagement and genuine dialogue, with an understanding that similarities and differences should be welcomed in equal measure.

“Before the programme I had a lot of misconceptions about other religions, about even my own religion. The programme enabled me to discover similarities between my religion Islam and other religions such as Christianity and Judaism…it helped change my attitude and the way I communicate with people.” – STUDENT FROM JORDAN

L E B A N O N

Students cooperate in classroom exercises to prepare them for dialogue in an upcoming videoconference.

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463videoconferences

in 2013

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2012 versus 2013

Working Towards Peace

C A S E S T U D Y

Indonesia

There is a proud history of religious tolerance in Indonesia, although in recent years, extremist groups have attempted to destabilise community relations and increase violence towards minority groups.

Against this backdrop, we are pleased with the progress being made by Face to Faith in Indonesia where the programme is proving very popular with students and teachers. We now have 111 Indonesian schools registered in Face to Faith and in total over 70 schools have taught the programme in their classrooms since 2009. Over 1,300 Indonesian students have engaged with the programme and over 100 videoconferences have taken place, giving students the opportunity to learn with, about and from students in a range of countries including: Australia, India, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Philippines, UK, USA, Ukraine and the UAE. 120 Indonesian students are also actively engaged in active dialogue online through team blogging.

We are encouraged by the positive comments from senior education officials in Indonesia about the work of Face to Faith and we are continuing to talk to them about expanding the programme exponentially during 2014.

P H I L I P P I N E S

Students in the Philippines ask questions of their peers during a videoconference.

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111 schools registered

in Indonesia

Long-Term Sustainability

“Education must have values and ethics at its heart. People from different backgrounds need to find ways of getting on with each other and indeed ways of thriving in relationship to each other, of making a virtue out of difference and diversity. That’s a value, that’s an ethical position. It’s not inevitable.” – SIR MICHAEL BARBER , CHIEF EDUCATION ADVISOR AT

PEARSON

Our plan is to connect at least 2,000 schools globally over the next 3 years, although our ambition goes beyond this. Increasingly we are working with national and state governments to advise them on how to incorporate the values and principles of the programme into their country’s teaching resources and curricula.

C A S E S T U D Y

Embedding Face to Faith values in Italy

In 2011 we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian Government and we have been working with the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research of the Italian Republic (MIUR) to pilot the programme in Italian Schools. The creation of the Italian Dialogue Network has enabled the Italian Government to work on developing a uniquely Italian approach to our schools programme. To date, 67 videoconferences have taken place and over 1,300 Italian students are active on an online community, joined by over 160 teachers.

“As Principal and a teacher of an Islamic School, I was seeking a programme that can contribute to peace education in my school. Face to Faith has greatly enhanced the communication and understanding between my students and their peers of different faith and culture.” – FENDRA KUSNURYADI,

IND ONESIA

C A S E S T U D Y

Philippines

In the backdrop of a stalemate in peace negotiations between the government and a secessionist Muslim group based in the south, multiple schools across the country connected via videoconferences. They spoke about peace, what it means to them and the impact it would have on their communities. These videoconferences took place amidst ongoing violence and political stalemate. They inspired the schools to take part in a social action campaign involving signature gathering in support of a resumption of the peace negotiations and a last-ing settlement.

“We thank the Tony Blair Faith Foundation for the opportunity for peace to take root in hearts and minds...by developing their skills at peace-building and engagement across different faiths. Many social, ethnic and cultural conflicts are born out of mistrust which is fuelled by wrong or incomplete information or outright falsehood against a certain race, faith or ethnicity.” – BROTHER ARMIN LUISTRO,

PHILIPPINES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

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“Of course politics plays its part in fuelling this extremism... But the soil in which they plant the seeds of hate, is the soil of ignorance, of warped thinking producing warped minds and in particular of a distorted and false view of religion. We will not deal with the root causes of terrorism unless we confront this fact. That is why in the 21st Century education is a security issue and not any education but education specifically that opens young minds to “the other”, those who are culturally and religiously different; and shows them how the only future that works is one in which people are respected as equals whatever their faith or culture.

…I would like to see the UN and its security council recognise this. I advocate Governments taking seriously their responsibility to educate young people to cultural acceptance and respect between people of different faiths and cultures. I would ask that each Government establishes at least a pilot programme in such inter-cultural understanding. Experiment with it. Experience it…Let the young people in your country experience first-hand an opportunity to learn about the world and to form a relationship with someone far away who may not look like them, but for whom, once they have been schooled in cross-cultural education, they may see themselves in.”

N E W Y O R K , U S A

Tony Blair speaking at the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council.

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On 21 November 2013, Rt Hon Tony Blair was invited to appear before the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council at the United Nations – the first time as Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

The Committee was keen to understand more about our expertise of using our Face to Faith schools programme as a vital tool to combat extremism.

The session was attended by over 300 representatives from international governments. There were a significant number of interventions, questions and voices of support for our approach, including from the UK, Pakistan, France and Togo. “We equally think that the issues of education in this respect have an extremely important role to play and my country is particularly interested by the initiative of your Foundation” – FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE, COUNTER-TERRORISM

COMMIT TEE OF THE SECURIT Y COUNCIL

“We are both working on the same track, to create a more tolerant and respectful world irrespective of religion and ethnicity. So can we work together on this issue to create a mind-set of tolerance and thus promote a longer lasting peace?” – BANGLADESH AMBASSAD OR AND PERMANENT

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UN

Following the session, we were pleased to receive endorsement of our approach from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon. He echoed Mr Blair’s assertions and reinforced his own view that education is the basic foundation “through which we can not only educate the people, but also strengthen their understanding of other cultures and traditions and raise their level of tolerance”.

During 2014, we will continue to work closely with governments who have expressed an interest in piloting the schools programme in their country, with the aim of taking the programme to scale.

Education is a Security Issue: Tony Blair at the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council

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The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, and managed day to day by our Chief Executive. The Rt Hon Tony Blair is the Founder and Patron of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and assists in our development and achievements. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales with the number 1123243. We are a company limited

by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 06198959. Our registered office is 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LH. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation US has been determined by the IRS to be a publicly-supported 501 (c) 3 organisation which can receive tax-deductible contributions from US donors. As an independent US tax-exempt organisation, TBFF US shares

the goals of, and provides support to, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation based in London.

Find out more about how you can get involved at:

www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org

tonyblair_TBFF