Tony Blair Faith Foundation

  The Roman Catholic Loreto Sisters took the decision, a few years ago, that every one of their provinces should start a new community outside their own country.  That is how one of them, and English nun, Sister Imelda Poole ended up in Tirana, Albania.  Her work brought her into contact with the Roma – there were 60,000 in Tirana alone - who suffered social hostility and violence.  They lived mainly in camps without running water or electricity, often earning their living by begging on the streets.   Recently they have been given free school registration.&

  Sophie Hayes told her story of being trafficked to Italy in the Palazzo San Callisto in Trastevere. It was the first time she had done so in a large formal gathering of Church leaders and workers, NGOs and senior law enforcement officers. By chance I was sitting next to her. Though she had written a book about her horrific experiences, relating them in this setting brought her to tears. She was being interviewed by Julie Etchingham, the UK's ITN presenter on News at Ten, with gentleness and sensivity.

This article orginally appeared on the Huffington Post. The Alpha Leadership conference taking place today in London is a reminder that despite all the negative news about religion, a different face of faith is visible and real the world over. The Alpha course on leadership, which was begun under Nicky Gumbel of the Holy Trinity Church in London, has been taken by 18 million people world-wide and is all about spreading a gospel of compassion and service to others.

Today, Face to Faith is hosting special video conferences on Human Trafficking. When Sophie Hayes, a British girl who has escaped trafficking, heard about our video conferences, she wanted to contribute. Sophie believes that educating young people through programmes like Face to Faith is incredibly important for keeping children safe from human trafficking.

Emma from Broughton Business and Enterprise College, United Kingdom, was one of a number of students from our Face to Faith programme who took part in My Friend of a Different Faith writing their own stories of how they have lived with and learned from their friend of a different faith. This story was one of our prize winners. You can find the work of other prize winning Face to Faith students on the My Friend of a Different Faith resource page in company with others like  Eboo Patel, Joel Edwards, and many more. Alison. That's what I'll call my friend.

Of those who visit London from overseas, many are eager to visit the Royal sites such as Buckingham Palace in the vain hope that they might catch a glimpse of members of the royal family. I often have to explain to my friends who visit that the chances of actually seeing royalty up close are fairly slim!

In the Holy Quran Allah says “Not equal are those who know and those who do not”. This verse is emphasizes knowledge as a powerful tool to address any given situation.

Crazy, true fact: The entire 5.6 million population of Sierra Leone is currently at high risk for malaria. There are only 102 doctors in the entire country -- that's one doctor for every 56,000 people.

Alexia from Bennion Junior High, Utah, USA, was one of a number of students from our Face to Faith programme who took part in My Friend of a Different Faith writing their own stories of how they have lived with and learned from their friend of a different faith. This story was one of our prize winners.

Sikhs across the world will celebrate Vaisakhi, a day of historical significance that paved a way for the future. It was on this day in 1699 that Guru Gobind Singh ji, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, established the Khalsa comprised of Sikh men and women initiated into the faith. On this day Sikhs received an external identity to bind them with the principles and discipline of Sikhism.