Staff Profiles
International Staff:
Executive Director – John Caulker
John Caulker founded and has led the implementation of the Fambul Tok program since its inception in 2007, initially through his position as the founding Executive Director of Sierra Leonean human rights NGO, Forum of Conscience. He is continuing and expanding his leadership of Fambul Tok as the Executive Director of Fambul Tok International.
Mr. Caulker first became a human rights activist as a student leader during the initial years of the war in Sierra Leone. Risking his life to document wartime atrocities, he infiltrated rebel camps disguised as a rebel to gather information and stories that he would then pass along to international organizations such as Amnesty International, Article 19, and Human Rights Watch. He founded Forum of Conscience as a human rights NGO in Sierra Leone in 1996.
As Executive Director of Forum of Conscience, Mr. Caulker strove to prevent recurring violence by connecting the root causes of Sierra Leone’s brutal conflict to the need for rural community participation in the national decision making process and acknowledgement of wrong doing to victims through the reparations program.
As the national chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Working Group, Mr. Caulker pressured the government of Sierra Leone to implement the recommendations of the TRC’s 2004 report. Specifically, he has fought to ensure that some of the revenues from the sale of Sierra Leone’s natural resources benefit Sierra Leoneans themselves in the form of a special fund for war victims. As part of this effort to raise awareness and guarantee protection for the rights of victims of the conflict, Mr. Caulker also mediated an agreement that allows members of the Amputees and War Wounded Association to participate in the TRC and Special Court process.
Mr. Caulker has served as one of the two civil society representatives on the National Reparation Steering Committee, a body that overseas the implementation of the reparations program in Sierra Leone. Mr. Caulker was a Human Rights Fellow at Columbia University’s (New York) Center for the Study of Human Rights in 2007.
Mr. Caulker is based out of FTI’s Global Program Headquarters in Sierra Leone:
47 Robert Street
Freetown
+232 78-500500
jcaulker@fambultok.org
Libby Hoffman co-founded Fambul Tok and has partnered in its implementation since its inception, through her position as President of Catalyst for Peace, a US-based private foundation. She continues her leadership role with Fambul Tok as the President of Fambul Tok International.
Ms. Hoffman has been active in peacebuilding for over 20 years in a variety of capacities – professor, trainer, facilitator, program director, consultant, and funder. A former Political Science professor at Principia College, Ms. Hoffman left academia to focus on the practice of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. She has developed and led conflict resolution training programs in corporate, congregational, educational and community settings. She was a founder and Executive Director of Peace Discovery Initiatives, which pioneered in positive approaches to peacebuilding, as well as in mobilizing religious resources for peace. She has designed, convened and facilitated backchannel Middle East peacemaking initiatives and worked to bring grassroots Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers together with American policymakers. She advocated for religion to be used as a constructive element of this peacemaking process and pioneered in techniques for doing this, culminating in the establishment of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.
Ms. Hoffman founded Catalyst for Peace in 2003, crafting a unique hybrid funder/practitioner role. Her vision and leadership have fostered programming that is responsive to on-the-ground, real-time social and political realities by facilitating total community ownership and participation in the reconciliation process. Prior to dedicating its focus to Fambul Tok, Catalyst programs mobilized religious resources for peace in northern Uganda, Ethiopia, the Philippines, and India; mobilized and supported community reconciliation in post-conflict Africa; and developed cutting-edge storytelling and communications channels to support these two focus areas.
From 2005-2008, Ms. Hoffman partnered with the United Religions Initiative (URI) and noted international peacebuilder John Paul Lederach in the design and implementation of a 2-year pilot training program in inter-religious peacebuilding. She continues to consult on translating the learning from the pilot into an ongoing, sustainable training program for URI. In support of this partnership, Catalyst produced two short films telling the story of the work of these grassroots interfaith peacebuilders, We Unite and Faith Into Action. Ms. Hoffman is producing a major documentary film on Fambul Tok, to be completed in summer, 2010.
Ms. Hoffman holds an M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a BA in Political Science from Williams College.
Ms. Hoffman is based out of the Corporate Headquarters Office in the United States:
565 Congress St., Suite 304
Portland, ME 04101
+1 207-775-2616
Program Staff, Sierra Leone:
Finance & Administration Manager – A. Tejan Kamara
Documentation Manager – Sheku Koroma
Communications Manager – Solomon Yarjoh
Technical Advisor – Robert Roche
rroche@fambultok.org
District Coordinator – Isatu Masu Sesay
District Coordinator - Peter Mboyawa
District Coordinator – Tamba Kamanda
District Coordinator - Mohamed A. Jalloh
Administrative Assistant – Michaella Ashwood
Field Officer – Joseph Benjie
Field Officer – Musa Kopoi
Field Officer – Manteneh Kargbo
Field Officer – Mohamed K. Kargbo
Field Officer – Abubakarr Foday
Field Officer – Mariama Foray
Field Officer – Joseph Vandi
Field Officer – Mohamed Feika
Office Attendant – Alhaji Bockarie
Driver – Mustapha Rogers
Driver – Tamba Nyama
Driver – Saidu Kamara
Driver – Tamba Bockarie
Affiliates:
Coming soon.
Corporate Headquarters