by Tim Sullivan, Board President

As 2025 comes to an end, I thought it might be appropriate to share some reflections on peace. The first thing I did was ask AI to give me some quotes from famous people on peace. As you can imagine there were lots of them, really good ones, comments on how to find inner peace, how to create world peace, and on what peace really is. In the end, it felt like I needed to share something from deep within my own experience.

I began to reflect on the world realities, and by any measure 2025 has been a difficult year when it comes to peace. Between wars, gun violence, injustice and environmental destruction this quickly became a very dark paragraph. Once again, it was a place where I didn't care to stay.

And then something remarkable happened. I received a WhatsApp message from Francisco, who is the Servas International Co-Peace Secretary. It was a message of hope and action from a young person who is working hard to build peace. He introduced me with a photo to his new niece and his father. This is some of what he said:

“Hi Dear Tim,

I'd like to introduce you to my niece and my dad. She's the youngest member and he's the oldest member of Servas in Mexico. They are my greatest inspiration and motivation for contributing and doing my best as a volunteer for Servas through peace building, prompt hospitality and kind actions. These are my main ways to promote peace.”

Wow, as I reflected on Francisco's message, it brought a tear to my eye, and I realized my reflection on peace also needed to be one of hope and action.

I'm at a stage of life where I know all my hopes and dreams for peace in the world will not happen in my lifetime. Once I heard a scientist say, “If you expect to complete the work you're doing in your lifetime, you are thinking too small.” In most cases, I believe this to be true. So, I'm okay with not seeing my dreams of peace coming to complete fruition before I die. I trust that somehow all is well in the universe and humanity will eventually get its act together. 

••  If you expect to complete the work you're doing in your lifetime, you are thinking too small ••

An example is my practice of planting acorns from our native oak trees. If you plant a walnut, it grows like a weed, but an oak is a lot slower. When that walnut tree is six feet tall, the oak tree you planted at the same time, is maybe one foot tall… if you are lucky. This work is definitely for the next generation, and I love it.

Each of us can only do our own small part. My work is in many different areas, it is kind of like the saying, “A jack of all trades and a master of none.” I try to live lightly on the land and not be complicit in violence of any sort. But I recognize that many times I fail. In general, I'm not a person to be in your face with my viewpoint, rather I attempt to share my perspective by the way I live my life. A wisdom teacher of mine often says “Rather than complaining, we to try to teach by practicing the better.” I think that's very much in line with what we do at Servas. We are practicing a form of travel that is lighter on the planet and attempting to transform hearts, minds, and so lives with cultural exchange and our hospitality.

One thing I do know is transformation of hearts is necessary and only happens with a deep experience of the other. One of my most intimate experiences was living in a migrant shelter on the border in El Paso. When you get up in the morning to brush your teeth and you share a sink with an indigenous woman from Guatemala (who certainly does not know English and maybe not even Spanish) and her two small children, you begin to see we are all one with the same desires and hopes for our children.

As members of Servas, this is what we do. In our own small way by traveling and hosting, we are attempting to transform not only others but our own hearts.

Practicing non-violence and peace building is something like meditation. In attempting to empty my mind during meditation, I must continually repeat the process when my mind strays. This is true of trying to live in the moment which is critical to living a non-violent and peaceful existence. I constantly have to bring myself back to that peace-filled place.

•• by traveling and hosting, we are attempting to transform not only others but our own hearts ••

One of our practices at our home in Western Iowa is to restore native tall grass prairie. An image I often use to start my day focuses on the Big Bluestem grass. It is a grass native to the Midwestern prairies. It first grows roots that can go down 16’ deep and then grows tall. It provides seed for birds, deer, and the next generation of Big Bluestem as well as winter shelter for many small animals. In addition, Big Bluestem sequesters a significant amount of CO2 as it gives off O2.

I reflect on my desire to live in the Spirit of the Big Bluestem, with a deep foundation in the Earth (or if you prefer Divine Love). My desire is to be fruitful on this particular day; with the people that I meet, the next generation, and for the entire planet.  Finally, I think about my desire to respond calmly and with kindness in the face of adversity as the Big Bluestem responds to wind, storms or fire; always returning upright and simply doing what Big Bluestem was created to do. What would it mean for humans to just do what humans were created to do? Could it be to create a community of love and peace? It seems that is exactly what Servas is all about. Thank you all for your peace building efforts through Servas!

My new year wish for Servas members and all of humanity is a life lived in the ‘Spirit of the Big Bluestem’!

by Karen Morian (with thanks to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation)

The problem (and the solution) starts with design

For too many products that we consume, there is no onward path after they are used. Take a potato chip package, for example. These multi-material flexible plastic packages cannot be reused, recycled, or composted, and so end up as waste. For products like these, waste is built in.

Although it sometimes feels like waste is inevitable, waste is actually the result of design choices. There is no waste in nature; it is a concept humans have introduced. Our 21st century economy is filled with things that have been designed without asking the crucial question: What happens to this product at the end of its life?

From linear to circular

By changing our way of thinking about production, we can address waste as a design flaw. In a circular economy, a requirement for any design is that any remaining materials re-enter the economy at the end of the product’s use. By doing this, we take the linear take-make-waste system and make it circular (true re-cycling).

Many products could be recirculated by being maintained, shared, reused, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, and, as a last resort, recycled. Food and other biological materials that are safe to return to nature can regenerate the land, fueling the production of new food. With a focus on design, we can eliminate the very idea of “waste.”

The first principle of the circular economy is to eliminate waste and pollution. Currently, our economy works as a take-make-waste system. We take raw materials from the Earth, we make products from them, and eventually we throw them away as waste. Much of it ends up in landfills or incinerators and is lost. This system cannot work in the long term because the resources on our planet are finite See 3 min. video  

The second principle of the circular economy is to circulate products and materials at their highest value. This means keeping materials in use, either as a product or, when that can no longer be used, as components or raw materials. This way, nothing becomes waste, and the intrinsic value of products and materials is retained. See 3 min. video  

The third principle of the circular economy is to regenerate nature. By moving from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, we support natural processes and leave more room for nature to thrive. See 3-min. video:  

Although thinking in circles is a waste, circular thinking might just keep our planet from spiraling into a wasteland.

By Karen Morian

Servas members know that traveling changes the way we see the world. Volunteering abroad can deepen the ways we interact with other people, improve our perspective on global issues, and maybe even rewrite what’s important in our own lives. We can experience all this while changing the lives of others for the better. Try volunteering to connect with other international volunteers and work alongside local community members to strengthen their communities.

Servas International is currently working to increase volunteering opportunities for members to travel AND to make a difference. In the meantime, consider volunteering with a well-established organization like Volunteers for Peace.

• Volunteers for Peace is a Vermont-based nonprofit offering:
• Meaningful, Cross-Cultural & Affordable Volunteer Opportunities
• Sustainable, Community-led Projects
• The Most Projects in the Most Countries for as little as $495 per project!

With nearly 3,000 projects offered annually all over the world, Volunteers For Peace has an array of options for you to choose from. Whether you already have a set of skills you’d like to further develop, or you’d like to explore a new area of interest, VFP can help you find the type of hands-on volunteer opportunity you’re looking for.

Types of projects include: working with people (children, elderly, refugees), physical labor (archaeology, agricultural or environmental projects), or language, social, or cultural projects.

In March, VFP has the largest number of volunteering opportunities available for the coming summer. Some are international and some may be near you but may include volunteers from around the world.

Volunteering abroad is an amazing opportunity no matter your age, background, or experience.  All volunteers bring their own unique skill sets and are welcomed with open arms by the local communities in which they serve. Whether you are a College Student, Recent Graduate or Adult Volunteer, VFP has a project for you.

Alternatively, you can list your local project with VFP to attract international volunteers. Your community benefits, and your neighbors have the opportunity to interact with folks from around the world, without leaving home.VFP has been Creating Peace Through Global Volunteering for Over 30 Years.

For more information, visit VFP.org

You can search by the country or countries you would like to travel to, or Search by Project Types and discover the best fit for you.

There are also Group Opportunities and Teens Only Projects.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 

25 November -10 December 2025 

UNITE TO END DIGITAL VIOLENCE 

AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS

https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/theme

https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite

https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/take-action-10-ways-you-can-help-end-violence-against-women

It is growing. Join us.

By Karen Morian

This year Servas International rebooted its environmental and climate work. Beginning with a webinar in January and continuing with sustainable travel and living suggestions (featured in Open Doors from June and July), and, most recently, well-received presentations at SICOGA, we have been building for the future.

To best represent our membership, we are soliciting your input. Please share your thoughts and ideas with us on the Servas Environment Survey.

As an officially recognized team within Servas International, we are building out our structure. This will include a leadership team and two Servas representatives from each of six continents. If you are interested in joining us, please send an email to servasenvironment@servas.org

If you do not want to be a representative but would like to help with the ongoing work of our Team, including Eco Camps and Schools, climate content creation for Peace and Youth Camps, joint projects with external partners, and collaborations with local projects, please reach out as well with some information on your interests and your background.

servasenvironment@servas.org

Also, don’t forget to offset your travel this year (at LEAST your flights) by contributing to the US Servas tree-planting drive. For your own edification you can use the Sustainable Travel International website to Calculate your Carbon Footprint.

By Paige LaCombe

We are looking ahead to next spring when the 70th Conference On the Status of Women (CSW70) will be held at the UN. In preparation for that event I am focusing on the empowerment and peace building commitments of Servas women. My workshop will include the topics noted below.

Part one: Servas and Empowerment: How many of you are in Servas International as a traveler or host? Do you plan on going to a different country, staying with families and sharing a meal… what countries do you want to visit?

This leads to a very important question, How does this empower you as an individual? How do you grow when you travel? What do you learn?

Travel is not just about seeing new places—it’s about discovering new parts of ourselves. For most people, especially in today’s world, travel is a profound act of empowerment.

When we step outside of our daily routines and comfort zones, we challenge the stories that society has written for us. Traveling gives us the courage to write our own. Each journey—whether across the ocean or across town—reminds us of our independence, our resilience, and our strength.

Travel teaches us adaptability. From navigating unfamiliar streets to learning new languages, we grow more confident with every step. We realize that our voices matter, our perspectives are valuable, and our ability to connect across cultures is limitless.

It also reminds us of our shared humanity. Meeting people from other parts of the world—men and women with dreams, families, and challenges of their own—creates bonds that transcend borders. These connections are powerful; they remind us that we are never alone in our journey toward equality, opportunity, and respect.

For many people, travel is not only a privilege but also a declaration: I belong everywhere. I am free to explore. I am capable of leading my own path. 

In a world that sometimes underestimates us, traveling becomes proof of our courage, our curiosity, and our determination. Travel empowers us to rise, to connect, and to inspire. And in doing so, we empower the world around us.

Part 2: Servas and our Peace Building mission: building knowledge, support and community

Not everything is perfect or easy: Travelers may face many dangers especially when traveling alone. Women have different freedoms in various countries. Cultures are a part of the experience you will have when traveling.

• In some countries, laws or customs restrict women’s freedom of dress, movement, or interaction with men… 
• Harassment and Assault- unwanted attention
• Safety issues when traveling alone
• Lack of access to safe healthcare in emergencies
• and more…

Despite these risks, people can travel safely and confidently by preparing carefully—choosing safe accommodations, learning local customs, staying connected with trusted contacts, and trusting their instincts.

This leads us to the reason you may have signed up for a membership in Servas.  We recognize this, and we want to grow Servas because it is a safer way for people to travel.  Also, added benefits are that Servas people want to host visitors and can often look out for your safety.

Servas Women believes that by empowering people you can connect cultures and build peace.

At the heart of it, our purpose is peace. We believe that true peace is not only the absence of war, but the presence of justice, equality, and safety for every person. By standing against violence, discrimination, and exclusion, we are helping to shape a world where men and women everywhere are free to learn, to travel, to lead, and to thrive.

This is who we are. This is what Servas Women stands for.

We also believe strongly that there is strength in a united voice. When men and women network and create international projects, something powerful happens: our voices grow louder, our ideas grow stronger, and our impact reaches farther. Together, we share knowledge across cultures, break the isolation that so many women face, and transform individual struggles into collective action. We support each other, mentor each other, and inspire the next generation of leaders. And because these projects cross borders, they carry weight—demanding attention, attracting resources, and creating lasting change. This is the true power of women and men coming together: turning personal empowerment into collective power, and collective power into a more equal, peaceful world.

Part 3: What can we do for global peace? Attending an international event at the United Nations: Commission on the Status of Women and participating in peace building activities on a global level

Our purpose is simple, yet powerful. We work to advance gender equality and protect the human rights of women and girls everywhere. We do this in many ways:

• By raising our voices at the United Nations, especially during the annual Commission on the Status of Women, where we bring Servas values to the global stage.
  
  
• By supporting women in local communities—helping mothers, promoting girls’ education, and ensuring that women can travel safely and confidently.
  
  
• By building connections among ourselves, sharing knowledge, needs, and experiences across generations and cultures; so that young women bring energy and innovation, while experienced women bring wisdom and perspective.

Servas Women is more than a group—it is a platform. A platform where women can speak about their struggles, share their dreams, and find solidarity across borders.

Part 4: Commission on the Status of Women (A conference for women to share the status in their country, this year's focus is on JUSTICE) This year we will participate in the CSW70 conference at the UN. I ask that if you have participated at a previous CSW, would you share your experience for those who might like to attend? (In the recording you can listen to responses of the participants).

• Virtually
• In-person
• Parallel Events

• The CSW70 is in March of 2026. 
• Applications for In-Person participation are due October 14, 2025. 
• The application for virtual attendance is ongoing until the end of January 2026. 

Here is a link the CSW70 Application form.

If you would like to learn more here is a link to the Servas Women Video. To watch the video, use the following Passcode: ^$2yhRY!

Questions? Contact servaswomen@servas.org

US Servas has hosted events for the past two years  to celebrate the International Day of peace, held each year on the solstice, September 25. Details for the 2025 US event will be posted soon.

Charlotte and Tim Sullivan

The homepage of the Servas.org website says we promote tolerance. We do that by bringing people from different cultures and backgrounds together. We have often heard that the key to learning tolerance for others is to spend a little time rubbing shoulders with them. My spouse, Charlotte and I volunteer for Servas because it is one small way we can promote tolerance.

Today in the U.S. we are seeing new levels of intolerance being promoted by the language and actions of our government regarding undocumented immigrants. Our current administration came to power in 2016 and again in 2024 by demonizing undocumented immigrants. Today we are seeing that rhetoric turned into actions against our immigrant communities that is purposely designed to create fear in an attempt to drive the undocumented out of our country.

The irony is that the families we are trying to drive out now were during the pandemic called essential workers. The truth is today they are still doing essential work; here in Iowa that includes working in packing plants and on farms. I suspect if the administration is actually able to remove all undocumented workers from the U. S. our grocery stores will once again have lots of empty shelves and meat cases.

Charlotte and I have had the opportunity to volunteer on the border working in shelters with asylum seekers and on the Mexican side of the border with those that were deported. Our experience tells a much different story about what kind of people are trying to cross our border. We heard all kinds of stories about horrific experiences in their home countries and about their trip to the border, but what stays with us the most, is the kind, friendly, and grateful people we served. Today we would like to share a deeply personal story about a rubbing-shoulders experience we have had these last two years.

This is a story about people, good work, values, governments and broken promises.

In December of 2022, people from Nicaragua, Haiti, Venezuela and Cuba were arriving at the United States border, requesting asylum at higher rates than almost any other country. In an effort to reduce these numbers and provide some humanitarian relief, the administration of that time created the program “Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelan” (CHNV), a humanitarian parole program allowing eligible individuals from those countries to enter the U.S. temporarily, for up to two years, with advance permission.

If a person had a U.S. sponsor, they could legally come into the country and work for two years. These individuals could receive a social security card and driver's license while working and living in the country for two years, but then they must leave. There was no path in this program for citizenship or any options to continue to live in the U.S. for an extended period of time. CHVN worked: The numbers of people from these countries approaching the border dropped dramatically; in some cases, by over 90%. 

The program also worked in the sense that some American communities, including in Iowa, benefited by having great workers doing jobs that local people would not do. There was an extensive application process where both the beneficiary and the sponsor (who is held accountable) reported personal information including financial data. In addition, the beneficiary went through a background check including fingerprinting and health screening. 

Charlotte and I have been doing development work, including placing solar panels and water filters in very rural homes with no infrastructure for electricity or water. The living conditions in Nicaragua have worsened over the last five years. The pandemic was especially damaging to the countries of Central America. In addition, the Nicaraguan president has managed to change the constitution so he can be president for life. His government has become extremely oppressive, jailing any political opposition. If you are not willing to support his party, you cannot get a job making livable wages and risk government-sponsored retaliation.

When CHNV temporary protective status became available, five young Nicaraguans were sponsored and came to Iowa. These people include two who have college degrees, and a family of three who lived on a very rural Nicaraguan farm.

For Juan and his family, this program was a godsend; a classic example of how the program was supposed to work. Juan’s family owns about an acre of land in a very rural area of Nicaragua. This was enough to grow the beans and corn they needed for sustenance but not enough to improve their home, pay medical bills or send their daughter to college. Six days a week, Juan rode his horse an hour to another landowner’s property and cut woody plants all day with a machete. The pay was $7.00 a day.

His family jumped at the chance to come to Iowa. They had no interest in staying permanently in the U.S., but hoped they could earn enough money to buy some land and milk cows. Juan had been a dairy farmer his whole life and knew if he could get the land and cows, he could support his family. That dream seemed within reach as he, his wife and daughter had good jobs in Iowa and were saving money. That was until now.

On Friday, May 30, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with a new Trump administration policy that revokes protective status for more than 500,000 immigrants, and voids their sponsors’ hosting abilities. This action ends their ability to work and demands their immediate return to their home countries. For most, a return to their home countries means not just economic disaster but possibly mortal danger as well. 

Frequently our friends and families say to us that Nicaraguans and their sponsors did everything legally: Our government will never send these people back to the crisis of humanity they fled from. Sadly, that is not the case. We believe this is all about politics and not what is really best for America. The administration promised mass deportations and the folks in this program, those who have followed all the rules and came to the U.S. legally, are the easiest ones to find. Of course we are biased, but we are filled with sadness and dismay that our government would act in this way. 

On June 13, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services notified our Nicaraguan family that the program and their work permissions were terminated, and they needed to leave the country immediately. The very next day, we purchased airfare for Juan and his family to Nicaragua. We knew we would be buying these tickets at some point, but we had hoped it would be their scheduled return date of June 2026.

A USCIS press release that announced these terminations included the following line: “Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies.” We recognize the politics involved in such a statement but neither ourselves nor those who came to Iowa from Nicaragua have exploited CHNV; rather, the U.S. government invited us to sponsor Juan and his family to come to Iowa for 2 years to work. As these people proved to be responsible and provided much-needed labor that benefits the American economy, common sense policy would have been to allow them to complete their two years here, as they proved to be good neighbors, and provided much needed labor while they were.

We have become close friends with the Nicaraguans we sponsored, and they have had a deep impact on our lives. You may not know any of them personally, but if you visited Western Iowa and you ate any Doran Sweet Corn last year, there is a good chance that Juan or one of his family members picked those ears.

If you knew anyone with children in our local community schools, they might have met Fabian, who we have heard is a kind and patient teacher. And, Anyeli who, after only a few days of employment with Monogram Prepared Meats, received a promotion for her intelligence and strong work ethic. Her male supervisor cried as she walked out on her last day of her employment there. I think all who had contact with them would say they are kind, friendly and hard-working folk. We will miss them.

This experience has left us wondering about the values people of the U.S. want in their country. What kind of values do you want for our country?

Maybe it is not surprising that Juan, Yaneth, and their daughter, Maryuris took this change of events much better than we did. Juan’s response was “Many people have helped us here; God has been with them and worked through them. That is the way God works; He puts us together to help each other. God does everything!”

By Bill Magargal

Most Servas members know that we consider ourselves a peace organization, but what does that really mean? As a group we do not organize protests or rallies, we don’t travel to trouble spots to provide witness or relief, nor do we engage with policymakers and power brokers to mediate peace. So, how does Servas contribute to world peace?

Well, let’s look at our catchphrase –Promoting peace and understanding through travel and hosting, one conversation at a time. What does that really mean? Is it simply a slogan to make us feel good about being thrifty travelers? Perhaps for some, but I believe it is more. To me, the phrase is a symbol of what a typical Servas host or traveler is about… that we are a world community of people with humility who share certain core values of egalitarianism, peace, care for our planet and its creatures, and connectedness of it all.

This shared ethos is why meeting a new Servas traveler feels like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in a while… the connectedness, the shared experiences, the realness. This is why I am not surprised when I travel to a remote Italian village and I am welcomed into an extended family dinner being prepared by many, including two young Egyptian male refugees the family is fostering for two years so they can attend a school for diesel mechanics. This is why I feel a bit of pride when I share that I am a friend of a member who hikes out into the hot Sonoran Desert to provide water and medical supplies to people attempting to cross it. This is why I feel hope for the future when members give their time and money to volunteer at a Peace School in Uganda or Türkiye.

So, it really isn’t about the number of countries we’ve visited, nor sights we’ve seen. It is indeed about building and strengthening a world-wide network of individuals committed to shared ideals of living at peace with ourselves, with others, and with our planet. As a follow-up to this article you might enjoy reading the Peace Statement for a world without war adopted by the Servas Executive Committee this year.

Might  you want to become the new US Servas Peace Secretary ... advocating our mission of peace and justice?  US Servas is soliciting applicants for this important position, two-year term, beginning January 1, 2026.  If you are an individual who understands the importance of promoting peace, this might be the right volunteer position for you.  We are looking for someone who is good at: 

• networking and establishing connections with other peace organizations,

• collaboration and team building,

•  engaging our US Servas membership,

• implementing our annual Peace Award,

• joining monthly Board meetings in an Ex-Officio capacity (non-voting member),

If you are interested in hearing more, please send an email to:  volunteer@usservas.org.  We would love to hear from you.