At Sharing Sacred Spaces, we use a community-building structure focusing on the vehicles of architecture and space to bring people together in a compelling, non-threatening way.​We use space as a community-building tool because space includes both built forms and their contexts. Every space contains within it some kind of belief system, some kind of value system, and some kind of communal story. Space is also physical, and one responds to being invited in, received, and welcomed with hospitality. This is a visceral phenomenon that generates lasting emotional memories of belonging. ​We include “sacred” in our name because sacred means ironically both “full of presence” and “forbidden.” When we enter the world of another, we enter into different territory, and herein lies the possibility to open our eyes and see things anew. ​The effectiveness of our process has convinced us to enter into new contexts. You will find us, in 2021, building the next generation of inclusive leaders through inter-high school cohorts and branching out into workplaces that want enhanced and sustainable results for their diversity and inclusion efforts. I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings.My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that Source in you. Let us work together for unity and peace.Gandhisacretspaces_142-297-116_edited.jpgOur MissionWe use the vehicles of architecture, education, dialogue, and hospitality to bring people together across the spectrum of differenceinto model communities of caring, trust,friendship, and action.Our VisionAll people experience belonging and the power to make a difference across the shared space of our planet.dsc_1166-edit-edit_edited_edited_edited.Our ValuesWe dare to do things creatively and differentlyWe trust in the goodness and power of people

Manufacturing biodegradable utensils.Market Opportunity: The global disposable cutlery market is projected to reach USD 20.3 billion by 2033, with a growing demand for eco-friendly products. Halidom targets a SOM of 1% of the plastic utensils market, translating to $18.4 million in annual sales.Competitive Advantage: Halidom's innovative use of recycled wood for biodegradable utensils offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to plastic, aligning with ESG criteria and meeting the demand for eco-friendly products.Environmental Impact: Investing in Halidom contributes to environmental conservation by reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable practices, aligning with ESG criteria and enhancing the company's environmental credentials.

I'm a proud member of the Tufts university's Fletcher school board.

The Voices of Smart Power:I have given over 400 speeches on key topics.Topics:* The power of Corporate social Responsibility for a community * How to use failure to build success* How to raise start up capital for your venture; be it an NGO or For Profit* Keys to successful fundraising* The walk from vision to building a successful business* Business principles that lead to successful implementation on mission* How I started The Global Soap Project: Soap and Refugees* How I became a CNN Top Ten HERO

In 2009 I founded an innovative NGO that takes partially used bars of soap from hotels and recycles them into new bars of soap which are then redistributed to vulnerable populations (refugees, orphans, internally displaced, et al) around the world. The Hotel Industrial complex throws away eight hundred million bars of soap every year into our land fields and this is an environmental quagmire that the Global Soap Project (currently merged with Clean the World https://cleantheworld.org) has turned into a focus area. In juxtaposition there are 2.4 million children that die globally due to lack of hygiene and sanitation. The Center for Disease Control states that this casualty rate can be mitigated by 47% if soap was made available to them. To that end I built this organization to address the environmental and health issues on both ends of the spectrum.Accomplishments:• Built a soap-recycling factory from scratch. • From one thousand bars of soap a week to manufacturing one million bars of soap a year.• Recruited board which includes among others the UPS Corporation, Hilton Corporation, and Center for Disease • Because of my innovative work I was named among the top ten CNN HEROS awardees 2012. http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive11/derreck.kayongo.html• Raised $2million dollars to build the organization, $1.3 million of which was from the Hilton Corporation. http://hiltonworldwide.com/corporate-responsibility/partnerships/global-soap-project/ Currently named by US Chamber of Commerce as one among Five awardees of Corporate –NGO partnerships for their corporate responsibility award. http://bclc.uschamber.com/citizens2012/best-partnership-finalists-hilton-worldwide-global-soap-project• Global Soap Project has partnered with the Center for Disease Control to distribute soap in all the hot humanitarian spots. Recently we sent over one hundred thirty thousand bars of soap to Malawi.

My role as CEO will be to help elevate the visibility of the CENTER globally and show case some of the most incredible stories ever told about abusers of both Civil and Human Rights and in juxtaposition depict the victims of that abuse through the heroic actions to reverse these abuses through Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Ms. Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela and many others.The Center will be a convener of voices and opinion in order to bring equilibrium and justice to those that are marginalized. I will have managerial responsibility and most important of all raise money to keep the work of the CENTER at the heart of everyone willing and able to help us preserve that work.

Advanced CARE's advocacy agenda by growing a diverse and active constituency by mobilizing volunteers to help educate policymakers on issues. Generate an outreach strategy for CARE’s advocacy department with the goal of cultivating membership supportAccomplishments:• Created CARE's Leadership Council made up of retired Members of Congress (RMOC) to help advocate on behalf of CARE’s policy agenda. Members of the Council includ Sen. Olympia Snowe, Sen. Bill Frist, Rep. Brad Miller, Rep. Lyn Woolsey et al.o Developed orientation materials; trained the RMOC; worked with GR Staff to draft legislative messaging; used RMOCs to recruit other RMOCs and Donors.o Worked to get legislation passed on key issues like Child Marriage bill, Education for All, Farm Bill, International Affairs budget and the Micro-finance bill.• Helped CARE’s Government Relations unit develop legislation favoring CARE’s advocacy work in the area of food security, Micro-finance, Education and Child policy especially Child marriage• Initiated and cultivated partnerships with like-minded organizations that led to the formation of coalition policy campaigns. Examples include my work with the ONE Campaign, Results, UNA, USGLC on the International Affairs Budget, Bread for the world, World Vision, etc.• As member of the issues team (Food security, Education and Climate Change) I helped register the largest number of CARE advocates in the Southeast.• As lead recruiter for the CARE National Conference, I brought over 500 advocates to Washington DC• As Senior Coordinator I managed the field coordinator team.• Worked with fundraisers to raise funds for the Advocacy programs in particular raised over a million dollars for key programs i.e. the learning tour, food security, education and Micro-finance.• Identified, recruited MOCs and worked with Congressional staff on Codels and Learning tours where I took Members of Congress to Africa. Sen. Isakson of GA.

Taught and mentored Urban Development students.

Regional Director,As Regional Director l managed and coordinated AIUSA membership development and servicing operations for the South. This included translating human rights strategies into regional organizing plans, designing annual membership strategies, setting and achieving membership growth and development goals, and supervising a regional staff office. Lastly I was in charge of running the regional office which included: budget monitoring, internal and external reporting, staff supervision and served as regional spokesperson through media outlets on key issues.Accomplishments• Conducted election monitoring with the CARTER Center as lead Human Rights observer in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.• Direct day-to-day operations, including supervising staff and volunteers, partly managed a half a million-dollar budget, and coordinating ongoing regional work with the national office. Other duties included: Public Speaking, Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Hiring etc.• Organizing and planning annual regional and leadership conference with 400 members attending.• Material mobilization and development for volunteer training. This also included locating and developing a database of facilitators and trainers.• Visiting and attending local group meetings all over the south. I developed a yearly calendar for the visitation and during this time attended to members needs and also managed conflicts between volunteers• Over saw the case work on political prisoners • Designed workshop trainings on several subjects including: Refugees Resettlement and Rights, how to put together a political campaign message and so on.• Responsible for staff hiring, training, motivating, performance evaluations and career mentoring especially for interns.

American Friends Service Committee, Atlanta GA, 1995-2000Program Director,Directed the Southern Africa Peace Education Program focusing on mass education, grass roots organizing, community outreach, mobilization, and action coordination. Lead strategic planning, development, and implementation of educational programs that highlight the political, economic and social processes of change in Southern Africa e.g. Alternative to Violence Programs (AVP) and Conflict Transformation. Accomplishments• Lead a team to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda to evaluate, monitor and recommend possible formation of conflict resolution mechanisms or processes in the region using Quaker strategies and methodologies. We focused on refugee communities from Rwanda, and Uganda. • Managed the UMTATA Project in Mozambique. Responsible for program monitoring and evaluation process• Worked in partnership with civil society organizations like Amnesty International, Carter Center, United Nations Association, United Nations Children’s Educational Fund, Concerned Black Clergy, CARE International, World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, Labor Unions, and local initiatives.• Coordinating workshops, conferences, forums and campaigns on Southern African issues like Debt crisis (Jubilee 2000) Landmines, Child soldiers and War Veterans, Female circumcision (FGM), Corruption, Genocide, Poverty, Hunger etc.Worked as Campaign manager for Hon. Tom Kayongo (Retired Member of Parliament Uganda) 1993-1994• Developed campaign positions• Put together media messages• Helped raise campaign funds

Coordinated information meetings between CEO and high-ranking Members of Congress to educate the Members on the importance of US involvement in Rwanda and the impending refugee deluge in the Great Lake region.Responsible for coordinating briefings on US-Africa policy analysis used by the Center to critic or advise Congressman Tony Hall on his approach to Africa. This followed his visit to Africa.Analyzed key policy issues including: US policy on Rwanda and the genocide; hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa particularly Horn of Africa; US foreign Aid to development agencies.Developed grant proposals to foundations and other donor agencies for the Congressional Hunger Center.