The recent terrorist attack in Nairobi poses the same riddle as 9/11: what did the terrorists want to achieve? No positive answer comes to mind. Antoine Jaulmes writes about the futility of violence and challenges policy makers to look at better ways of investing in security.

Creators of Peace have continued to spread and transform women and their families and friends in Kenya. In the months of June and July three workshops were facilitated and 50 women and seven men had the opportunity to go the through the ‘simple but transformative’ Creators of Peace Circles process. Every workshop runs for three full days.

A letter of condolence for the attack on the shopping mall in Nairobi was sent yesterday to the President of Kenya by Somali Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy, a partner organisation of IofC-UK. The letter was signed by Osman Jama Ali, former Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia and Ambassador Mohamed Sharif Mohamud, former Somali and Arab League ambassador, Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.

IofC South Sudan brought together young people from all 10 states and the capital, Juba, to build on the Peace Mobilisation training that was done by IofC trainers and Workshop for Africa for 200 participants from across the country during March and April this year. It was a happy reunion among the participants and facilitators, who took time to share what they have been doing since their last encounter. The participants were lodged at the White Nile Lodge in Juba where the training was taking place.

At the international conference centre in Caux, Switzerland, Mathilde Kayitesi, Executive Secretary of Umuhuza, a local NGO and board member IofC Great Lakes Initiative, met with Nombulelo Khanyile (South African) and Amina Dikedi-Ajakaiye (Nigerian) to discuss some thoughts she had about Rwanda, and how the African Co-ordination Group (ACG) could assist with the work they were doing with women and the youth. Little did they know that in less than two months they would be in Rwanda.

16 September was a great day for IofC South Sudan as volunteers in its Youth in Solidarity programme started a five day mini-forum under the theme ‘Initiating Solidarity and Trust in South Sudan’.

Launched in January, 2013 with six weeks of intensive training for 11 people from seven African countries, the Workshop for Africa (WfA) group spent two months in South Sudan to assist with the training of 200 Peace Mobilisers. After a period of evaluation of the programme and further training, the group is now active in Kenya.

A national conference for Christian leaders brought together over 1,000 Chadians in N'Djamena from 24-28 June. One of the two main themes of the conference was interfaith dialogue. This was addressed by Chawkat Moucarry, director for inter-faith relations at World Vision, who showed the film The Imam and the Pastor (made by Initiatives of Change's FLTfilms) to the 1,000 participants.

The second part of a two-phase Training of Trainers (TOT) run by MRA/IofC Nigeria concluded on Saturday, June 22 at the IofC centre in Lagos. The workshops are designed to equip leaders to run Initiatives of Change training events to inspire, connect and equip change makers.

The Workshop for Africa (WfA) team, led by Anthony Duigan, joined the Kenyan team of Initiatives of Change for a refreshing retreat held at St Mary’s Pastoral Centre, Nakuru on 6-7 July 2013.