What is BUILD

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BUILD is a network of national and international organisations united around a common purpose: namely to realise the potential of people to bring peace, prosperity and justice through twinning partnerships between communities across the globe.

Barriers of misunderstanding can only be broken down when we engage with each other and create partnerships and friendships at grass-roots level

 

BUILD’s goal is to bring these partnerships into the mainstream in the UK to the point that no one can escape life without at some time being touched by an international, cross-cultural partnership whether at school, higher education, through their local authority, town or village, corporate organisations, hospital, social, arts or sports clubs, faith institutions etc.

Colonialism did nothing for our self confidence and we are still trapped in low self esteem. True community partnerships can help to give us the confidence we need for our own development.
We want to be there when things happen, when decisions are made, when policy is developed. We want a genuine dialogue and saying 'No' is as much a part of dialogue as saying 'Yes'.
The most important thing is that the South is recognised as having a contribution to make to the North.
Whose agenda is it? Who's setting the priorities? There needs to be listening, there isn't enough.
A school link is about developing our curriculum, not developing our partners.
We are talking about a partnership of equals. In development as in linking, if inequality is inherent or apparent in the relationship then we should not call is a partnership.
Let us share who we are before we share what we have.
Learn from the people/ Plan with the people/ Begin with what they have/ Build on what they know/ Of the best leaders/ when their task is accomplished/ The people will remark/ \"We have done it ourselves\"
A person who ties a parcel alone ends up wasting or using a lot of string.
The shaping of our common future is much too important to be left to governments and experts alone.
I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
Colonialism did nothing for our self confidence and we are still trapped in low self esteem. True community partnerships can help to give us the confidence we need for our own development.African participant, UKOWLA conference 2001
01/12 
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Build believes: international community-based partnerships make a real difference to the lives and development of people in those communities and ultimately to world peace.

Many of BUILD's members are directly involved in School, Health, Local Authority, Diaspora, Faith, Youth and Community partnerships.  BUILD supports its membership in developing these partnerships and encourages the widening of the links to involve the broader community for sustainability and social cohesion.

Sustained community partnerships for mutual learning between people across the world based on respect, trust and humility will create:-

  • greater understanding, justice and peace
  • greater social cohesion in the communities involved
  • opportunities to address millennium development goals