2015
From Spiritual Vision to Global Healing

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Aryae Coopersmith

First Speaker

Kay Sandberg is founder & executive director of Global Force for Healing.

The vision for the Global Force for Healing came as a transmission from the spirit of Mother Teresa while Kay was at the House of John of God, a spiritual healing center in rural Brazil, in 2001. Though not raised as a Catholic or identifying with any religion, she deeply resonated with the energy and purpose of the center.

One day while meditating, she felt a presence come very close to her right ear. The voice announced itself as the essence or consciousness of Mother Teresa. Kay says, “To this day I can feel that presence, which anchors my commitment to nurture and sustain our organization, to fulfill my soul’s calling, and hopefully, to inspire others.”

Mother Teresa’s message: “You will found the Global … [Force] for Healing. You don’t have to know how to do this or to emulate my lifestyle. Just study and learn from my teachings and you will be guided in what to do.”

Today, the Global Force for Healing, through its Healthy Compassionate Birthing Project, connects grassroots projects involving hundreds of volunteers around the world — in countries including Cameroon, Ecuador, Haiti, Indonesia/Bali, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Uganda — to address maternal & infant mortality, share solutions — and save lives — in underserved areas where there is no doctor.

First Speaker’s Story

Part 1: Starting on the Path

Part 2: Initiating Global Force for Healing

Part 3: Birthkeepers’ Summit in Berkeley, CA

Part 4: Global Summit in Chennai, India

Part 5: A Lesson Learned

Community Response

Kay’s Question to the Group

Wendy Berk

Bonita Banducci

Barbara Zilber

Libby Traubman

Len Traubman

Dinesh Chandra

Aryae Coopersmith

Offuh James Offuh

Please share any additional reflections you have in the Comment section below.

Urgent: Supporting a Peace Initiative

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Aryae Coopersmith

From Len & Libby Traubman

traubman

June 9, 2015

Aryae:

You have asked for succinct information to ground a trustworthy request to OWL participants and others to financially help Offuh James Offuh gather for reconciliation traumatized adversaries of recent severe violence in Cote d’Ivoire near Offuh.

OFFUH’S CITIZEN-DRIVEN INITIATIVE was to immediately respond to the May 27-28 Christian-Muslim youth brutality in nearby Brand Bassam and Dabou. Fourteen citizens including an Imam were slaughtered, many more were maimed, and a mosque and a church were burned down.

Offuh wrote: “To look for remedy to the situation, i travelled to the cities yesterday and meet with victims and consol them. Upon my visit i proposed to the two rival faith traditions for direct dialogue. which they appreciated, in view of thiis situation i invited to them urgently, the different Religious leaders representative today at 16h.00 GMT for a Dialogue meeting in Abidjan today.”

Responding to Offuh’s vision and recent successes, community citizen-leaders eagerly accepted Offuh’s proposals for a two Youth Interfaith Seminars, one of 100 participants in each town.
The dates will be Saturdays — June 20th and July 11th.

This kind of reconciliation is not something in that governments or large institutions have the inclination, vision, or skill to enact.

You can see Offuh’s bravery and genius to bring people together recently — http://ufpacidialogue.net/en/ and http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeriaivorycoast.htm

OFFUH’S NEED in the days just ahead is $6,000 to facilitate this potentially-historic reconciliation of 200 Muslims and Christians, and to document on film. The detailed budget is attached. The OWL community could seize this moment to help fuel this real-life illustration of how citizens create and lead into our future together.

Here is the way we responsibly transfer money to Offuh:

OWL participants and others can see responsible documentation of Offuh’s extraordinary courage, know-how, and recent success story at http://traubman.igc.org/vidnigeriaivorycoast.htm and http://ufpacidialogue.net/en/
Tax-deductible gifts would be to the Living Room Dialogue’s fiscal sponsor 501(c)(3) non-profit Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) — Middle East Dialogue.– http://pcrcweb.org
Checks can be mailed to our home — L. Traubman, 1448 Cedarwood Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403
Online donations also work well, but that mechanism costs 10% of the donation if made at http://traubman.igc.org/donate.htm</li>
After seeing and approving of a project’s budget, money to Offuh is wired from our personal bank account to his in Abidjan.
Upon receiving Offuh’s expense receipts after a project concludes, PCRC reimburses the Traubmans for the money we wired from our personal account.
PCRC charges 10% of such an outgoing check, which is subtracted from the Dialogue’s account with them.

We are pleased to help transfer funds in this way for OWL people who are moved to help Offuh succeed.
Please tell us if you need more information.

Libby and Len
LTraubman@igc.org
20 Years of Palestinian-Jewish
Living Room Dialogue (1992-2012)

June 9 OWL Global Wisdom Circle: Sulha Peace Project

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Aryae Coopersmith

Israelis and Palestinians Saying “Yes” to Peace

First Speaker:

Yoav Peck, Co-Director of the Sulha Peace Project.

Yoav is an American-born Israeli psychologist who moved to Israel in 1973 and joined the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) reserves. In 1979 he joined the Israeli peace movement, protesting the establishment of settlements in the occupied West Bank. In 1982 he participated in the first Lebanon War and then demonstrated against the war he was fighting. Today he is Co-Director of the Sulha Peace Project. More about Yoav at his OWL Profile.

Sulha Peace Project:

Videos of the Wisdom Circle conversation will be available soon.

Further reflections and comments? Please offer them below.

Breaking News: Peacemaking in the Ivory Coast

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Aryae Coopersmith

Offuh James Offuh from Ivory Coast
Founder of United for Peace Against Conflict International (UFPACI)

Offuh’s OWL Profile

Offuh speaking at the February 10 OWL Global Wisdom Circle

May 30, 2015 — 3:59 AM
Dear Aryae

greetings!!!

On wenesday been the 27th may 2015 and thursday been the 28th may 2015, I was informed about a horrible mass Human slaughter in Dabou city about 40 km, Bassam 45km a near by province to Abidjan.

In brief, the voilent conflict took almost 4 to 6 hours at the mentioned cities between muslim youths and christain youths, to the point a musque and a church was burnt down and 14 poeple killed including an IMAM, also a church was burnt down including the members of the church about 10 poeple was killed. The Government are yet to allow the press to publish this incident.

This have caused political and social tention in the abidjan city , Dabou and bassam city., To look for remedy to the situation, i travelled to the cities yesterday and meet with victims and consol them. upon my visit i proposed to the two rival faith traditions for direct dialogue. which they appreciated, in view of this situation i invited them urgently, the different Religious leaders representative today at 16h.00 gmt for a Dialogue meeting in abidjan today.

I will send to you more details after the meeting today. maybe if the allow snaps in the dialogue meeting as the situation is still fragile.

Remain blessed and God bless you.

Yours

OFFUH James

May 31, 2015 — 8:42 AM
Dear Aryae

please see few attached photo of yesterday during the interfaith dialogue encounter.

The muslim of Dabou and Grand-Bassam was represented, Catholic protestant church, Buddist community was represented also.

It was so challenging and complicated but the spirit of Dialogue created mutual understanding in the room.

The Religious leaders representive suggested, if UFPACI will come and sensitize the two communities in Dabou and Grand-Bassam. I promise them, UFPACI will come in the month of JUNE 2015 for Dabou and Grand-Bassam.

The situation is very delicate and fragile, I pledge to stand in the gap for the two communities to wage this conflicts from getting worst because of FEAR AND IGNORANT of the OTHER.

Looking forwards learning from your advise!

NB: They watched few UFPACI past Leaps of Faith dialogue projects.

Yours

OFFUH

OWL Global Wisdom Circle – 4/14/2015
Listening to the Enemy

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Aryae Coopersmith

First Speakers

Len & Libby Traubman are co-founders of the 22-year-old Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue of San Mateo, now preparing for its 276th meeting. For 30 years they’ve brought enemies together around the world, facilitating face-to-face community building dialogue from personal experience with Soviets and Americans, Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Jews and Palestinians, and most recently Muslim and Christian Nigerians. Recently they’ve facilitated dialogue via Skype and Zoom between diverse citizens of Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Myanmar. You can find out more about the Traubmans and their work at their OWL profiles.