Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell and Fr. Patrick Devine, both past recipients of the International Caring Award.
Shalom’s founder, Fr. Patrick Devine, returned to Kenya this week after a three-week visit to the U.S. that included meetings with major civil society organizations, including the United Nations and Clinton Global Initiative.
With the creation of Shalom’s U.S. 501c3 foundation last fall, the organization is now extending its network of partners and supporters in the U.S. Fr. Devine took part in a series of meetings with leading philanthropists and major organizations in New York, Cleveland, and the southwest during his visit, and met former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, President Clinton’s special envoy to of the Northern Ireland peace process. In New York, Fr. Devine attended a special group meeting of philanthropists and NGOs organized by Will Kennedy, senior programme officer at the UN Office for Partnerships.
“We very much operate on a partnership model, so that by creating new connections Shalom is extending our mission and building a lasting and sustainable model for peace and reconciliation,” said Fr. Devine. “By and large, I find that Americans are very interested and concerned with peace and reconciliation in eastern Africa, and of course their generosity and philanthropic spirit are so strong.”
With a five-year track record and model for impact backed by research and analysis, Shalom’s outreach efforts include briefings for major organizations like the UN, CGI and other NGOs. “We are open to collaboration – indeed, we know that collaboration is the only way to pursue real peace and reconciliation,” said Fr. Devine.
Fr. Patrick Devine at the United Nations.
