Tony Blair Faith Foundation

Two Tony Blair Faith Foundation Faiths Act Fellows, Sumayya Daghar and Lorne Anderson, arrived last week and were warmly welcomed into the Ve’ahavta family. In my absence (in Guyana on Ve’ahavta business), Melanie Lindayen, our International Projects Coordinator, took charge of their orientation. Sumayya and Lorne did a round of the office, meeting with the various departments and their respective staffs throughout that first week. I returned in time to invite them to my home for Friday evening Shabbat dinner.

This week sees the start of the month long residential training course for the 2011/2012 Faiths Act Fellows. The month will be jam-packed with over a hundred training sessions run by Tony Blair Faith Foundation staff, external trainers and some exciting special guests!

Harsha Sharma, a Hindu, is a Faiths Acts Fellow of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation based at Health Poverty Action in London. She works with partner Fellow – Catherine Mansoor, a Jew. Prior to starting the Faiths Act Fellowship, Catherine and I knew we were in for a special year and now that it’s started – we’re more excited than ever. It’s only the end of our first week, but thanks to the time and effort put in by all the staff we feel well and truly a part of the team. Health Poverty Action’s work in global health is invaluable.

Australia is a very long way from London. After more than twenty-four hours spent on planes and in airports, I can vouch for this as reality. But the immense geographic divide that separates the TBFF offices in London from our Faith & Globalisation Initiative lead university partner, the University of Western Australia, belies the incredibly close and productive relationship we have developed over the last year.