Trustbuilding Program to Welcome New Projects in 2025

Initiatives of Change International is proud to announce the expansion of its award-winning Trustbuilding Program (TBP) with two new projects launching in 2025. This expansion will bring the total number of participating countries to 15 and introduce the program’s first regionally-focused initiative, starting in Uruguay and Brazil. Additionally, the TBP will launch a national project in Lebanon to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Lebanese Civil War on 13 April, 1975.

The TBP is dedicated to building trust and lasting peace in communities affected by conflict. Since its inception, the program has reached over 16,000 people and, in 2021, was honored with the prestigious United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award.

The newly established Regional Trustbuilding Program (RTBP) in the Americas will address the growing mistrust and exclusion between migrant groups and local communities, which have contributed to social, economic and cultural tensions. The program aims to create inclusive spaces that foster trust among individuals of diverse nationalities—whether refugees, political asylum seekers, or voluntary migrants—and the local populations in the host countries.

The RTBP will be implemented in phases, beginning in Brazil and Uruguay, with plans to expand to other countries in the region, such as Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico.

In Lebanon, communities have faced devastating challenges in recent years, including a refugee crisis from the Syrian civil war, the Beirut port blast in 2020 and an economic crisis that has tripled the poverty rate. These challenges further stoke a long history of mutual doubt and accumulated prejudices. In 2025 the TBP will work within education systems to train parents and teachers in trustbuilding methodologies, with the goal of addressing deep-seated religious divides among Muslims, Druze and Christians. This initiative is a collaboration with Initiatives of Change Lebanon and Teachers as Agents of Social Change (TASC), the Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon will be key partners as they are  leading efforts toward a National Reconciliation.

The teams have just started working with the TBP and are currently focused on teambuilding, capacity building and strategy development. More details will be announced soon.

To learn more about the TBP, visit the program page and subscribe to receive email updates.