This month we are highlighting two international initiatives that are tackling the environmental crisis. The themes addressed in these connect to some of our activities, such as our engagement with the Sunflower Charitable Foundation and a water, sanitation and hygiene programme in Ethiopia. We celebrate new collaborative opportunities with Philanthropy Ireland, Housing Justice and Solar Kinetics. We also share updates on our continued work with CO2balance, Christian Aid and Children in Crossfire.
Earthshot and COP31 – Water, sanitation and hygiene
November is a major month for collaborative activities to highlight the planet and the environmental crisis that affects us all.
Each year, the Earthshot Prize recognises five winners whose innovative solutions draw on the latest science and technology. This year’s Prize takes place in Mumbai on 16th-17th November. Click here to find out more about the event and last year’s winners.
COP31 runs from 9th–20th November in Antalya, Türkiye, with the emphasis shifting towards implementation, accountability and turning past promises into action. This year’s agenda covers adaptation, fossil fuels, deforestation and justice for Pacific communities. Click here to find out more.
We feature these events because they are so important, yet they are all too often crowded out by other news items. Water, sanitation and hygiene is an important consideration at these events. Climate change is putting growing pressure on access to safe water, with women and girls tending to bear the brunt of the consequences.
One of our longest standing Advisors, Samson (Hailu Bekele), recently undertook a visit to Ethiopia with the CEO of the Sunflower Charitable Foundation. This was in relation to a water, sanitation and hygiene programme. In addition to improving water and sanitation infrastructure, the programme strengthens the local systems needed to plan, finance and maintain climate-resilient water services for the long term – made possible by close collaboration between partner organisations, government at every level and local communities.
Welcoming and working with new organisations
We are very fortunate to work with a diverse range of organisations. We always strive to facilitate engaging activities that include different models and tools. This includes the Caplor House which helps build a shared language for working together more effectively.
Philanthropy Ireland – An excellent membership organisation that is dedicated to advancing philanthropy in Ireland. Its aim is to ‘cultivate a thriving community of philanthropic entities, fostering collaboration and innovation to address the most pressing societal challenges.’ Philanthropy Ireland has a key leadership role in the sector and it hosts an Annual Symposium. With over 130 people in attendance, it focused on the theme of ‘Leadership, Lessons and Legacy’. We ran a session introducing the Caplor House to everyone, along with a review of the day at the end of the Symposium. Here is a picture of Ian facilitating at the event.
Housing Justice – A highly influential national charity in the UK that brings together communities to find solutions to homelessness. It carries out vital work and has a leading voice on a major societal issue. We were delighted to deliver a leadership and team development workshop with around 120 people at their annual conference recently. Here are some reflections from one of the participants.
Solar Kinetics – A well-established business based in the border area between England and Wales that designs and installs solar panels and battery storage. This enables people to switch to renewable energy. We delivered a session with the dynamic and impressive core team recently, focusing on how they lead and work together.
Working with existing organisations and partners
Some of our most rewarding work is with individuals, teams and organisations that we have worked with repeatedly. This is linked to the relationships that we have developed along the way. We consider many of these organisations as partners. It’s a privilege to accompany inspirational people as they work to bring about change. Here are some of the organisations that we have engaged with again recently.
CO2balance – CO2balance enables organisations to offset their impact on the environment by partnering with local communities on projects, such as fuel-efficient cookstoves and safe water. Our most recent session focused on culture, line management and what it means to be a leader. We have been partners with CO2balance since 2014. In a synergistic relationship we provide leadership and team development and, in return, they work with us to ensure we maintain our status as a carbon neutral organisation. See some photos below.
Christian Aid – This large international NGO ‘exists to create a world where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty.’ We started working with Christian Aid in early 2025 on a Governance Review. It’s a time of transition for the board’s leadership, which recently welcomed Archbishop Thabo Makgoba as its new Chair, following Dame Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury. We joined the Board and Executive Team during an Away Day to facilitate a team development session. We have also worked with Christian Aid Ireland, initially in 2023 and more recently again a few months ago (for insights about this, click here).
Children in Crossfire – Working in Northern Ireland, Tanzania and Ethiopia, their mission is to 'champion the wellbeing of children and their communities, through health, education and peacebuilding.' We have recently been working with the team to renew their strategy. See a recent photo of Richard Moore, the CEO and founder, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama launching the new strategy! To read more about Richard's story see a previous newsletter of ours here.
Looking Ahead
A big thank you for being part of our community. Everything we achieve is thanks to the individuals, teams and organisations we work with and to everyone that is connected with us in one way or another throughout our Caplor Community. We are very grateful for your support over the years.
If you’d like to explore our recently transformed Caplor House online tool, you are welcome to do so (here). This includes being able to download our recently developed facilitator guide here.
“Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi’. ‘With my basket and your basket, the people will thrive.”
– Māori whakataukī proverb
Best wishes,
Lorna, Kemal, Otto, Ian and Rosie