In 2004, leaders of Christian INGOs imagined how by collaborating they could have greater reach and impact for people in need. Now, in 2024, 21 INGOs from 14 countries unite as Integral.
Fiona Boshoff, Integral’s CEO says, “It was wonderful to mark our 20th anniversary at our annual face-to-face meetings in the Netherlands. Our spiritual theme for our time together was ‘New Things’ based on a verse that inspired us at the start of Integral – ‘Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them’” (Isaiah 42:9).
Fiona continues: “We were delighted to welcome founders and former Board members to join the Integral Board, Company Members, Programme and Marketing Groups to mark this special occasion. We are so grateful for all those who had the vision to found Integral 20 years ago and continue to share their firm conviction that we are stronger together.”
Dr Chung Chan, former CEO of Cedar Fund in Hong Kong and former Integral Board member, gave the keynote address. He inspired us to look forward with hope to the next twenty years of Integral. He said, “My feeling is that Members coming here together are energising each other. We are facing very similar situations, and although our cultures may be different, there is a strong spirit of togetherness. When we get back home, we are still facing the same challenges, but we know there is a big family here who are willing to support one another.”
Fiona says, “Looking to the future, our vision is to see greater reach, greater impact and more funding opportunities for our Members. We champion, encourage and facilitate collaboration across Integral and we unite in order to enable more people flourish as God intended. In a world that is often cynical fragmented and hostile we are Christians who continue to believe that disaster and suffering are not the end of the story.”
Integral is an alliance of 21 Christian agencies from 14 countries, working across 85 nations to alleviate suffering and restore hope in many fragile settings.
