100 € for 100 years
The donation campaign has ended,
thank you to everyone who donated!
- 76.4%
15,270 €
Raised
47
Donations
20,000
Goal
My name is Tom Ryder and I’m asking you to support the SCI 100 Euro for 100 years Appeal. I have been active in SCI for over 45 years and have become friends with a great number of activists all over the world. They never cease to inspire me with their continuing dedication to working for a better world.
Dear Friends of SCI,
Happy 100th Birthday – Service Civil International.
As you will know, SCI is 100 years old this year. What an achievement! And what a story!
From humble beginnings, we have grown as a movement from the first workcamp in the former battlefield of Verdun in France in 1920, when SCI was founded with a vision of creating a culture of peace through deeds. The aim was to reconstruct a damaged village and make it habitable again. An international group of French and German volunteers worked together as a sign of reconciliation between France and Germany led by our founder Pierre Cérésole from Switzerland.
One hundred years later, we have 42 branches and groups and a growing number of partners around the world.
We have taken part in many of the defining moments in history in Europe, Asia and Africa. We don’t have to list them here as many of you are the ones who were there, that did the work, changed the world. SCI has continued to adapt, identify need and work for peace and social justice. As the world disappointingly has not learned from history, there is still much for SCI to-do. The world is becoming more unsafe, more intolerant and there is more need for Peace Education and promoting a peaceful way of life.
And look at the challenge we have faced this year, and what did SCI do? It embraced that we are SCI, that SCI is about doing what is needed. For 100 years we have adapted to global challenges, and supported and helped communities. This year, SCI has again shown its innovative nature and has embraced technology to join the movement together to find ways to help people, to keep true to our principles, and to be active in a lockdown.
SCI branches and activists have shared ideas, decision -making and actions, and found alternative ways to operate in a pandemic.
The pandemic has shown humanity in many people and this is the humanity SCI knows to exist and seeks to nurture. SCI now has a role to facilitate the growth of this compassion.
It makes us rather proud of our organisation when we witness our core beliefs uniting us in a difficult time. Now, it’s time again for SCI to change to yet another new reality.
Many of us have benefitted greatly from our participation in SCI activities at a local, national and international level through workcamps, exchanges, training events and international meetings and have enjoyed the many international friendships that have ensued.
SCI was facing difficult and challenging times, and then came Covid-19. We are reaching out to you our friends around the world who want to see SCI bloom as a centenarian. We would be really grateful if you could donate to this appeal. And help us further by sending this on to friends in the SCI family or friends who simply believe in a more peaceful society.
We appeal to you to donate to SCI International €100 for 100 years 2020 (or any amount you can). We hope to reach a first target of €10,000 and then more – you can watch the target counter grow!
For all the ways to donate, please see below.
We thank you for your support and look forward to many more years of SCI.
Amities,
I’m Kerry Hargadon. I spent one year volunteering at the International Secretariat of SCI in Belgium, but the opportunities it gave me went so far beyond that! Wonderful friends, the chance to spend time in new places and experience them in new ways, being part of projects that I believe in and expanding my understanding of peace and peace work. I am now truly a member of the SCI family, and I am very grateful for that.
