New D.C. Digs to Promote Peace Worldwide
The U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) is pressing ahead with its ambitious plans to build a new headquarters at the corner of 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue, NW — just north of the Lincoln Memorial and close to the State Department — which is also meant to stand as a striking symbol of the U.S. government’s commitment to building a more peaceful world.
 Construction of the state-of-the art, five-story facility, which broke ground in June, is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2010. Designed to highlight the challenges of contemporary international conflicts, the headquarters will consist of a training center for professional conflict managers, conference and office space, as well as a massive Public Education Center expected to host more than 500,000 visitors each year.
Congress has appropriated $100 million toward the project, and USIP is looking to raise another $80 to $85 million in private funding.
To that end, Esther Coopersmith — former U.S. representative to the United Nations under Bill Clinton — hosted an intimate dinner Sept. 22 at her Kalorama residence to launch a campaign to raise funds for a segment of the building that will be dedicated to Samuel W. Lewis, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and president of USIP from 1987 to 1993.
 In addition to Lewis, among the dignitaries in attendance were Jordanian Ambassador Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, numerous former U.S. ambassadors, and prominent Middle East scholars such as Martin Indyk of the Brookings Institution, Marvin Kalb of the Harvard Kennedy School, Wendy Chamberlin of the Middle East Institute, and Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland.
All of the guests praised the even-handed, practical political work of the institute, which prides itself on its nonpartisan, independent approach to conflict resolution, whether it’s offering a directory on the rule of law in former Soviet republics to on-the-ground workshops and mediations in hotspots from Iraq to Colombia.
In fact, USIP has branched out to more than 120 countries since its inception in 1984. Among its accomplishments over the past two decades, USIP has:
* Sponsored unofficial dialogues between Iranians and Americans on issues from religious extremism to nuclear and human rights.
* Developed an online database of more than 4,000 pages of al-Qaeda manuscripts, including training manuals, fatwas and other documents.
* Evaluated the constitution-building efforts of 18 countries from Afghanistan to Rwanda.
* Compiled a groundbreaking collection of law and justice documents that have been used in the creation of truth commissions, war crimes trials and compensation regimes from the Balkans to Guatemala to Sri Lanka.
* Engaged local tribal leaders in Sudan on conflict resolution, a number of whom contributed in the negotiations that produced the Darfur Peace Agreement in 2006.
* Brought together disparate parties, from interfaith workshops for various religious leaders to strengthening relations between military and civil officials involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
* And provided widely recognized policy analyses and working groups, including the much-lauded Iraq Study Group and Task Force on the United Nations.
Today, USIP employs more than 70 specialists from the government, military, NGOs, academia and private sector, in addition to bolstering an extensive network of partners through its grant-making program, which has invested $58 million in more 1,700 peace-building projects in 76 countries around the world.
Quite an impressive run for an institute that met with congressional skepticism across party lines from the very government body that was supposed to fund it.
 Congress did eventually decide to establish USIP in 1984, but it took a number of years after that to dispel lingering doubts over the creation of a national peace academy — something Lewis was credited with during his six-year tenure as USIP president at Esther Coopersmith’s dinner.
Current USIP President Richard H. Solomon described Lewis as a “nurturer” who “took a baby that had been born in Congress, that frankly more than one congressman and some others were not anxious to see survive, but Sam … really nurtured this baby and brought it to a life that was self-sustaining.
“And in the late 1980s, when there were at least three attempts to zero out the budget at the institute in its first couple of years, Sam was able to draw on the remarkable contacts he had with Congress” to keep USIP alive, added Solomon, who succeeded Lewis in 1993, noting that the former ambassador to Israel also used his diplomatic skills to bring together USIP’s politically divided board of directors in its early years.
“There is no more essential diplomat than Sam Lewis. His eight years in Israel set a mighty precedent for American diplomacy there, in particular his role in helping to negotiate the Israeli peace treaty with Egypt,” said Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and a former U.S. ambassador to Israel himself. “They say the essence of diplomacy is to be able to tell people to go to hell and make them feel like they want to go there. Sam practiced this principle on a regular basis in Israel, and yet managed to emerge with a giant reputation.”
Lewis, calling USIP “a baby about to be thrown out with the bath water” in those early days of congressional opposition and political wrangling, paralleled the institute’s journey with that of Lewis and Clark, the famed 19th-century North American explorers.
Lewis himself, in fact, is a distant descendant of Meriwether Lewis. “I founded an institution winding its way through the kind of hostile territory my forbearers navigated,” Lewis said, noting that the two explorers, who encountered bands of hostile tribes that they had very little chance of defeating during their trek across North America, “had to pacify themselves somehow, restrain themselves from provocations to make it across and back.”
Likewise, USIP came to fruition rather serendipitously — attached initially as an amendment in a defense authorization bill that was never voted on per se, Lewis recalled. “So that’s how we came about — amid thousands of years, thousands of miles of opposition. But there was always a few brave people in the Senate and House who believed that peace wasn’t a bad word, some Republican, some Democratic.”
Progressing from a baby, Lewis said he guided USIP into adolescence, handing it off to Solomon, who “turned it into a really exciting institution. The ideas, some of them were already there, the dreams were certainly there, and we did get a solid basis, but we still had not come close to realizing the potential.”
Today, however, USIP will soon have more than 150,000 square feet of high-tech space in a coveted location by the National Mall to realize that potential, as it continues its nonpartisan approach to international conflict resolution.
In fact, at the groundbreaking ceremony earlier this June, political leaders of all stripes turned out to honor USIP — a far cry from the partisan bickering it encountered in its early days. Here, President George W. Bush, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and former Secretary of State George P. Shultz joined 500 other guests to celebrate USIP’s new home.
As President Solomon put it at the groundbreaking: “A quarter century after our establishment by Congress, we find ourselves entering a new era in international affairs…. Such high-level, bipartisan representation underscores America’s resolve to pursue nonviolent conflict management in this new era.”
Middle photo from left, U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) President Richard Solomon, former U.S. Representative to the U.N. Esther Coopersmith, and former USIP President Samuel Lewis attend a dinner at Coopersmith’s residence in honor of Lewis and the construction of a new headquarters for USIP, which will be located at the corner of 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue and will feature a 20,000-square-foot Public Education Center and a George Shultz Great Hall, above, with views of the Lincoln Memorial.
Photos: Lauren E. Sucher / USIP
Honoring Late South African Deputy Chief of Mission
South Africa supporters came out to a recent wine tasting not only to toast a good cause — the Ithemba Foundation — but to toast a fellow diplomat and friend: Derrick Moyo, the deputy chief of mission for the South African Embassy in Washington, who died suddenly just days before the Sept. 13 fundraiser.
 Moyo, who would have celebrated his 46th birthday during the Ithemba Foundation’s fourth annual Taste of South Africa fundraiser, fell ill while on leave in South Africa and died at the Louis Pasteur Hospital in Pretoria on Sept. 10.
After spending years in exile supporting the African National Congress, Moyo was appointed to the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1995. He became deputy chief of mission of the embassy in Washington in March 2005, having previously served at South African missions in Canada and Brazil.
The Ithemba Foundation decided to go ahead with its annual fundraiser as a tribute to Moyo, who was an important advocate for the D.C.-based nonprofit group, which empowers underprivileged youth in South Africa with programs ranging from martial arts and leadership camps to providing computer training and school meals.
“This year’s event is even more important because we will honor the man responsible for Ithemba’s Taste of South Africa. With his support over the years, and the help of our supporters, we have been able to afford scores of children opportunities to be exposed to the arts,” said Ithemba Foundation Executive Director Laurie Scott, who joined South African Ambassador Welile Nhlapo along with nearly 200 guests for this year’s fundraiser in honor of Moyo.
In fact, Moyo was instrumental in helping the young nonprofit’s fundraiser get off the ground several years ago, personally hosting the event at his home. This year, the South African Embassy opened its doors for the wine tasting, which featured Cape Classics’ sommelier Zingo Munger leading the demonstrations, along with music by the Mahala Township Jazz Band. The event raised $10,000 for Ithemba’s programs and drew a record audience — despite the Indian summer heat of 90-degree temperatures that weekend.
 “There’s so many grave issues these kids deal with — famine, disease, broken families — we feel it is important to incorporate enriching extracurricular activities in the lives of these South African youths,” said Scott, who added that the annual fundraiser “imparts the importance of instilling hope, or Ithemba, to the country’s youth, who are in dire need of empowering educational activities.”
Indeed, 14 years after apartheid ended, South Africa, once a beacon of national unity, has been beset by political, economic and social turmoil. The ruling African National Congress recently deposed of the country’s president, Thabo Mbeki, setting the stage for his controversial successor, Jacob Zuma. Economic growth has slowed, brutal xenophobic riots have broken out in recent months, and the country has one of the worst crime rates in the world.
Scott founded Ithemba six years ago after conducting his master’s thesis field research in Cape Town, where he witnessed firsthand the rampant poverty and social demoralization in post-apartheid South Africa. A former naval civil engineer, he has participated in humanitarian and engineering missions around the world, including Iraq, Japan and the Philippines.
In his three years as deputy chief of mission in Washington, Derrick Moyo worked directly with the U.N. General Assembly and Security Council, as well as the Inter-Departmental Committee, helping to draft the paper “South Africa’s Participation in Peace Support Operations.” He completed courses in diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Howard University in Washington in 1994, in addition to studying at India’s Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi in 1996.
A memorial service for Moyo (Sept. 13, 1962-Sept. 10, 2008) was held at the South African Embassy in Washington on Sept. 14, and he was laid to rest in Pretoria on Sept. 20. Described as a highly principled man and a loving father, Moyo is survived by two sons, his parents, a brother and a sister.
For more information on Ithemba’s work, visit www.ithembafoundation.org.
Top photo, South African Ambassador Welile Nhlapo, left, and Executive Director of the Ithemba Foundation Laurie Scott attend Ithemba’s annual fundraiser, which this year honored South African Deputy Chief of Mission and Ithemba supporter Derrick Moyo, who died days before the event. Called A Taste of South Africa, the fundraiser featured wine tastings led by Cape Classics’ sommelier Zingo Munger, above, raising $10,000 for Ithemba’s programs and drawing a record audience to honor Moyo and the nonprofit group that helps disadvantaged South African youth.
Photos: Thomas Coleman
Nyumbani Continues Pioneering Work for HIV Orphans in Kenya
Special to the Diplomatic Pouch contributed by Larry Luxner
On Sept. 26, about 400 people braved an early evening downpour, passing up the chance to watch the widely anticipated vice presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin for something they considered far more important: helping HIV-positive kids halfway around the world.
 The Nyumbani 15th Annual USA Benefit Dinner — a lavish affair hosted at the Italian Embassy — raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Children of God Relief Fund, Inc. This nonprofit organization supports Nyumbani, a facility located just outside Nairobi, Kenya, for children infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
“It was probably one of the most memorable fundraising events we’ve ever held,” said Nyumbani supporter Lawrence Dunham, former U.S. deputy chief of protocol. “The response we got from other board members was highly favorable.”
Attendees feasted on roasted baby beets stuffed with goat cheese brulée, prosciutto-wrapped chicken roulade, sweet potato, spinach gratin and spiced pecan brittle, among other delicacies. In a fitting tribute to the two countries involved, dinner was topped off by gourmet Kenyan coffee and tea service, along with a choice of red and white Italian wines.
Luxury was also evident among the items offered during the evening’s live and silent auction. Among them: a glittering cross pendant with 11 diamonds on a 16-inch chain, worn by Nyumbani’s executive director, Sister Mary Owens, when she was blessed by the pope (retail value: $2,000). Also up for bidding were a pair of ladies’ white gold and amethyst diamond earrings (retail value: $1,600), a one-week stay at the Lookout Cove Villa in Negril, Jamaica (retail value: $5,000), and at least 50 other goodies ranging from restaurant gift certificates to Yves St. Laurent handbags to dog-grooming services.
The glitz — albeit for a good cause — contrasted with the desperate poverty that plagues most victims of the AIDS epidemic sweeping Africa. An estimated 22 million sub-Saharan Africans are currently living with HIV, with 1.9 million new cases reported in 2007 alone. More than 11 million African children have been orphaned by AIDS.
Sister Mary, an Irish Catholic born in Dublin, has lived in Kenya for the last 40 years. She and the late Rev. Angelo D’Agostino — a Jesuit priest and psychologist, affectionately known as Father D’Ag — established Nyumbani in 1992 to address the needs of such children (see also “Nyumbani’s Children, Vision Live On” in the Oct. 18, 2007, Diplomatic Pouch: www.washdiplomat.com/DPouch/2007/October/101807index.html)
“After the government of Kenya declared AIDS was a national catastrophe, we could be much more open about it. With the growth in awareness and the promotion of HIV testing, prevention strategies kicked in,” Sister Mary told the Diplomatic Pouch during the dinner. “HIV incidence is now 7.8 per 100, down from over 14 per 100.”
 After Father D’Ag died of a sudden heart attack in November 2006, Sister Mary took over leadership of Nyumbani, which is currently home to 105 children.
“Padre Agostino was an example through his life, and his ability to follow his faith according to the Roman Catholic Church,” said Stefano Beltrame, first counselor and commercial attaché at the Italian Embassy. He officiated in the absence of Italian Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta, who was attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Sister Mary said that Nyumbani, which means “home” in Swahili, offers a warm, loving home to kids who would otherwise be abandoned by society.
“These children feel stigmatized, and that’s the injustice of the whole thing. They know that people see them as different. Some have been rejected by their parents, and others were abandoned on the roadside,” she said. “And some were rejected by the extended family after their parents died.”
In 2004, Nyumbani won a landmark court case to get HIV-infected children admitted into Kenya’s public schools. Since then, the charity organization has been featured by mainstream media, including the New York Times, Reuters, CNN and BBC-TV.
“Today, there is knowledge about HIV in Kenya. People know they can’t get it by drinking out of the same cup as an HIV-positive person, or by living with a person who is HIV-positive,” Sister Mary explained. “When there’s knowledge, people are less fearful and less inclined to stigmatize.”
In addition to the village itself, the Lea Toto Community Outreach program helps 2,500 HIV-positive children with food, clothing and medical care through satellite clinics in six Nairobi slum communities. And in 2005, the 1,000-acre Nyumbani Village in the southern province of Kitui was opened, allowing HIV-infected orphans to live with their grandparents and other caregivers.
Sister Mary said that until very recently, it cost $250 per month per child to run Nyumbani. But with the devaluation of the dollar against Kenya’s shilling, that’s gone up to $300 per month.
“It’s expensive to run this program,” she told the Pouch, noting that Nyumbani’s board of directors provides $12,000 a month. The village itself is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development, meaning that overall, the U.S. government finances about 70 percent of Nyumbani’s budget.
The kids at Nyumbani live in a family cottage setting, which Sister Mary says is very important to their emotional health. As for their physical health, anti-retroviral medicines mean HIV-positive children can now live relatively normal lives — which wasn’t the case just a few years ago.
“Thanks to the medication, they’re not suffering,” she said. “The majority of our kids are healthy, happy and going to school. It’s no different than any other medical condition.”
Nyumbani receives anti-retroviral drugs for free, thanks to the Bush administration’s fund for emergency relief, which Sister Mary calls “a tremendous gift from the American people.”
For more information on Nyumbani and its projects, visit www.nyumbani.org.
Hundreds of people came out to the Italian Embassy on Sept. 26 for the annual dinner to benefit Nyumbani, which was founded in 1992 to help HIV-positive children in Kenya and is led by Sister Mary Owens, above.
Photos: Larry Luxner
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