Very interesting and constructive meeting with the American Friends Service Committee — AFSC in our office. The meeting was attended by Mrs Kerri Kenney-Jean Gervais, Associate General Secretary for the International Programme, and the Union Manager, Mrs Federiga Bindi, together with our Founder and Executive Director, Fabio Bargiacchi, and the President of ECES, Monica Frassoni.
The AFSC is a religious society of Quakers that fights for social justice, peace, reconciliation between peoples, and human rights. Their efforts are focused on some of the most pressing issues of our time, such as Global Peace, Migration and immigrant Rights, and Economic Justice. Their work has a global scope, and in Africa, they are currently working to support youth, Women, and transitional justice in several countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, South Sudan and Zimbabwe, among others.
The AFSC was founded in 1917 in Washington, D.C., USA, to assist the civilian victims of the First World War. In 1947, the AFSC received the Nobel Peace Prize together with the British Friends Service Council, now called Quaker Peace and Social Witness, for “their pioneering work in the international peace movement and compassionate efforts to relieve human suffering, thereby promoting fraternity between nations”.
We are happy for the outcomes of this meeting and to have been able to speak with the AFSC and discuss possible collaborations on the African continent and globally.
