Friends of the Environment (FoE) was established in 2023 by a dedicated team based in Kabwe, Zambia,. The organization primarily operates across the Central and Southern provinces of Zambia. It was born out of a shared desire to address the pressing challenges facing their local community, especially around issues of peacebuilding, environmental sustainability, and interfaith cooperation. It began with conversations among a small group of individuals from different religious backgrounds—Baha’is, Christians, Muslims, and Indigenous practitioners—who were already engaged in their respective faith communities. Despite coming from different traditions, members discovered that they shared many common values, such as a commitment to justice, compassion, and protecting the Earth.
The idea of coming together as a more formal group took shape after a series of informal meetings and community events. During these gatherings, they began to realize the power of their collective voices and the strength of their diverse perspectives. Friends of the Environment was inspired by the possibility of creating a space where they could not only deepen their own spiritual practices but also collaborate on social and environmental issues that affect them all, regardless of their religious backgrounds. What brought them together was the recognition that the world’s most pressing challenges—conflict, environmental degradation, and social injustice—require cooperative action and mutual respect across faiths. Members experienced that working together, grounded in their diverse faith traditions, could bring a unique perspective to these global problems, creating solutions rooted in shared humanity and common purpose. Recently, some members of the group participated in an online training on peace-building through earth restoration, organized by the United Religions Initiative (URI). This training provided valuable insights and practical tools to enhance their efforts in addressing both environmental and social challenges, particularly in the areas of peace-building, ecological sustainability, and community resilience