Welcome to the Foundation For Peace

Building Foundations. Sharing Hope. Working for Peace.

News and Upcoming Events

The list of 2009 Mission Trips is now on-line.

Please click here to view the planned trips in 2009. Additional dates for groups are available throughout the year, please contact Ken at ken@foundationforpeace.org or at 973-813-6122 for more information.

Online Applications

About Us

The Foundation for Peace (FFP) is concentrating on building foundations, sharing hope and working for peace at home and abroad.

These foundations not only support schools, water purification facilities, churches and medical clinics, but are also a key part of the long-term friendships formed between the North American volunteers and the Dominican, Haitian and Kenyan people.

Our working together hand in hand through the building of latrines, providing medical care, clean water, food, clothing and education has brought hope and promoted understanding across cultures.

Our world is in desperate need of peace. While working with government, church, business and non-governmental entities at home and abroad, we have stood for all people, especially those who have been ignored by society. Donating resources and time to work hand in hand has brought attention and tangible improvements to marginalized communities.

Thank you to all who have contributed to the work of the FFP in person, via donations and through prayer. Your efforts have been a blessing to thousands! You can read about these endeavors on this website. We hope that you will consider joining us in a local activity or on a coming trip abroad, not only to provide hope and improve the lives of those in need, but to grow personally in love, faith and understanding.

The FOUNDATION FOR PEACE is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization dedicated to education in the United States and to working hand in hand with people in materially impoverished areas of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya to provide educational support, healthcare access, economic opportunity and hope. We work together as long-term partners in solidarity to enable personal success and community achievement. We believe this will result in sustainable and successful initiatives that relieve the effects of poverty, encourage personal growth, and overcome injustice. The founders of the Foundation for Peace began serving together 20 years ago. The international aspect of the FFP'swork is an outgrowth of the ministry initiated by Drs. Alberto and Rosalina Martinez in the Dominican Republic more than 40 years ago.

The FFP works in partnership with local community groups, government agencies and religious organizations on a variety of projects in the United States and abroad. In the USA we are focusing on education of students and community groups about those who live in poverty and establishing opportunities to work for peace and provide hope, without leaving the US. For those who travel abroad, we are pursuing the sustainable provision of education, clean water, health care, and economic opportunities for those in some of the poorest areas in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya. The photo to the right is a typcial street in the area where we are working in the Mathare Slum, Nairobi, Kenya.

The Foundation for Peace is unique in its service to the needy because:

In the United States, we conduct seminars, creates pen pal, student/teacher programs and other opportunites for students and adults in the US and abroad to communicate and learn from one another. The photo of the Marthare slum above can be intimidating, cause pity or create false negative impressions of the people who live there. However, the people of Mathare with whom we work are full of life and striving daily to create a better life for themselves and their family. Our US-based programs are designed to create a healthy, informed attitude that translates into action to help our fellow brothers and sisters in some of the poorest countries of the world.
In the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya, we work hand in hand (mano a mano) with the local church and community on construction, education and healthcare projects allowing for the direct delivery of services and donations to those in need. There are no "middle men" who could impede or complicate the delivery of these essential programs.
The FFP involves both church-based and non-religious organizations in its education, healthcare, mission trips, ministry partnerships, and economic development activities. We believe this open approach more effectively reaches the broader community and best utilizes the strengths of each partner for maximum benefit for the community.
Our mission trip work groups are open to all ages (typically ranging from 5 to 70 years of age) and diverse faiths, with families constituting about one-third of the group members. This fosters the engagement of the people we serve in all age groups of the community.
The first emphasis of each work group is the development of friendships with the local community regardless of race, socioeconomic status or religion, because through these relationships lives are changed for the better which promotes peace and social justice.
The schools, medical clinics and churches are built in partnership with the local community at their request. All are operated by the Dominicans, Haitians or Kenyans in an effort to promote sustainability and opportunities for people in the local community.
Services sponsored by the Foundation for Peace are open to all persons regardless of socioeconomic status, religious beliefs or political preference.

2008 projects of our volunteers in the United States have included to date:

Held 10 viewings and discussions of the documentary "The Price of Sugar" at U.S. universities and other community locations to increase awareness of the plight of Haitian sugar cane workers living in the Dominican Republic
Held 4 conferences in the US (NJ, NY, PA, DC) focused on ways people can get involved in the US and abroad to provide education and poverty relief to those in need in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya
Provided education programs for US schools regarding the life of children living in poverty in the Dominican Republic
Established a class-to-class education program, allowing communication between students in the US and the Dominican Republic
Partnered with Blairstown Rotary Club to provide delivery for their Dictionaries for Students Program that included letter writing between the students.
Provided opportunities for US students to serve the global community by collecting donated items and loading shipping containers destined for the needy abroad resulting in over 100,000 lbs of medicines, educational supplies, food, clothing and other items being shipped to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya.
Provided opportunities for US teachers to offer professional development to Dominican colleagues

2008 projects of our mission teams and staff in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya have included to date:

Medical care for more than 25,000 people in all 3 countries
Summer education programs for thousands of children in all 3 countries
Expansion of nursing mission clinics and educational programs to more than 20 communities in the Dominican Republic
Marketing of handmade items produced by women in Yaguate (Creaciones Yaguate) and Tunami beads (Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya)
Distrbuted over 100,000 lbs of medicines, educational supplies, food, clothing and other items to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Kenya
Provided donated medicines to more than 20 communities and organizations throughout the year in the Dominican Republic
Provided food, clothing, medicines and direct care to those in need following the disaster caused by Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in Haiti

"Peace is not merely the absence of war but also a state of harmony between people and groups across the socioeconomic, political and religious spectrum."

— Ken Culver, a co-founder