Our Mission

The mission of InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW) is to design, develop, and implement culturally congruent, sustainable, and community-based programs that meet the basic human needs of health, education, and economic opportunity, both locally and globally.

We work to make lasting and culturally appropriate improvements in the lives of people by leveraging and networking service programs, small businesses, and committed international development partners.

ICW Model

The purpose of InnerCHANGE WORKS (ICW) is to design, manage, and evaluate culturally appropriate, sustainable, and community-based humanitarian development programs, or Socially and Culturally Responsible Services (SCRS).

ICW coordinates a network of collaborative relationships among interdisciplinary service providers, business interests, in-country social enterprises, and international development partners.

Through this network, we link organizations and individuals with best practices, innovative developments, and resources that can increase economic, education, and health improvement opportunities.

ICW facilitates the collaborative creation and design of culturally specific and relevant projects that leverage and enhance existing resources. ICW then serves as the project manager until sustained collaboration among partners is achieved.

Our Story

The model for InnerCHANGE WORKS grew out of 25 years of projects managed by Janet J. Foerster through her intercultural training and consulting company, innerCHANGE associates international, llc (iCHai), which she founded in Vienna Austria in 1990.

iCHai works in partnership with businesses, educational and healthcare institutions, and governmental and non-governmental organizations to develop their human resources through understanding, valuing, and leveraging cultural differences.

iCHai began providing intercultural project management services in Nicaragua in 2007 when it designed, directed and managed the Children, Health, Education and Supporting Services (CHESS) project in Villa El Carmen, one of the poorest rural areas of Nicaragua.

Working with key Nicaraguan staff, community facilitators, and education liaisons, iCHai developed a model of culturally and linguistically adapted social services for international consortiums, associations, and linkages – this CLASSICAL approach forms the basis of all InnerCHANGE WORKS projects.

Since the conclusion of the CHESS project in 2009, iCHai has been continuing to develop partnerships for the long-term development goals of the Villa El Carmen municipality and other Nicaraguan communities. InnerCHANGE WORKS was founded in 2010 to support the continuation of these projects in Nicaragua, and to replicate them in communities around the world.