1946: CONGO (Bukavu and Kolwezi)
1947: CHINA
1949: The teams leave CHINA

EXPANSION IN AFRICA:
CONGO (Katanga, Kivu, Kasai & Kinshasa)
– Medical- social Projects/Education of Woman
– Home for women students and guest-house
RWANDA (Nyundo) 1952
Rural Social Center 1948 – 49
Foundation of the State of Israel (14/05/48)
Arab – Israeli War

NEAR – EAST :
HAIFA (Palestinian refugees and orphanage) (1949)
LEBANON (Work in the Greek-Catholic Church) (1950)
JORDAN (Kerak and Zarka) (1952)
-Formation of Women and clinic
SYRIA (Damascus) 1952)
-Home for women students

NORTH AMERICA
USA. Chicago1951 Opening of the Crossroads Students Center. 1953 Opening of a training Center
CANADA. Montreal: 1951 Arrival of the first students. 1954 Opening of a training Center

UFER
Created in 1951 by 17 Lay Missionary Organizations, among them AFI
Obtains consultative status with UNESCO (1952) and with ECOSOC (1953)

STRUCTURES :
The Need for Organization: The Council – vertical Structure – Editing the Red Book (1949-1952) (directives and practices + doctrinal foundations)

GENERAL SERVICES:
Centralization in Brussels. Persons at the service of the teams, the members, the training Centers, the Center

FORMATION :
UNTIL 1945 Given in the evenings and on week-ends
Team Life
Volunteer Camps
Intensive Formation before leaving (China)
FROM 1945 TO 1950 Increasing number of members /Internationality /Development of structures
FROM 1950 TO 1966 Autonomous Training Center in Brussels /Structured Program /Opening of training Centers in North America (USA & Canada) and in Korea

CROSSROADS
Inspired by Father Lebbe’s work with the Chinese students in the 1920s.
Bruxelles: 1946-1955, Rome: 1952-1969, Milan: 1951-1969, Paris Carrefour: 1949- ? Chicago: 1951-1995, Montréal: 1961- ? Perugia: 1963-1971

1955, Death of Yvonne
February 13 in a plane accident near Rome

STRUCTURES
General Assembly of 1956
GOAL: to give a solid foundation to the AI(ICA) and write statutes
Election of four Council Members
The structure remains vertical

NEAR EAST :
Medical Center in Bassir, SYRIA (1956)
Kindergarten in Kerak, JORDAN (1959
Pastoral, social & educational work in Ramallah, PALESTINE (1961)

ASIA: INDIA :
Medical field PATAN (1959) & TIRUVALLA
Multidisciplinary team in MARIANAD
Community development in TRIVANDRUM (1962)‏

ASIA : KOREA :
Arrival of the first team and opening of a Home for young women in Seoul (1956/57), Creation of the Home for school aged girls in Jeon-Ju (1964)

ASIA : JAPAN
Yokohama (1957) Active involvement as lay people in the student milieu and Catholic Action, Culturel Center (Language courses, Courses on christianism, library).

ASIA : TAÏWAn :
Opening of a Catechetical Center in Taipei (1962)
Home for young women

AFRICA

CONGO :
Continuing the work in Katanga, Kivu, Kasai & Kinshasa ( teaching and social center)‏
RWANDA :
Continuing the work in Nyundo + Nyanza, Gatagara, Ruhengeri, Butare
UPPER VOLTA/BURKINA FASO :
Garango (1959) Health education and primary school teaching
Tenkodogo (1964) Secondary school

NORTH AMERICA

USA :
Moving the Training Center to Evanston, Meetings on the lay missionary movement, missiology courses and training of volunteers

CANADA:
Quiet revolution (1960-66), Period of rapid changes
Questioning, among others on the religious level
Continuing to recruit new members
Opening of the Crossroads of Montreal (1961)‏

LATIN AMERICA

BRAZIL
1961 Viana (Maranhao) 1965 Fortaleza (Ceara) & Recife( Pernambouco) 1965 : Aracaju (Sergipe) & Sao Luis (Maranhao)

VÉNÉZUELA :
1964 With students in Caracas

BOLIVIA :
With students in Cochabamba

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF BRUSSELS 1966
Reaffirmation of the fundamental option of ICA
Reorganization of the administrative structures for greater collegiality

KOREA :
Starting to work in the Catechetical School (1966)‏
Residence for young workers in An-Yang (1968)
Closing of the Training Center (1969)
Opening the Medical-Social Center in Si-Heung (1975)

JAPAN:
New ICA members strengthen the team

VIETNAM
Turning the Student Center of Saigon over to the government (1968)

PALESTINE:
The Ramallah team finds itself in occupied territory
ICA presence in Jerusalem & Bethleem (1970)
Period of Instability
Evacuations, changes in the teams
Uncertainties in the work
First departures for Algeria (1968)
Teaching and medical work

WITHIN AFI-ICA
Departure to mission countries is put into question
A certain number of members return to their country of origin for various reasons
Main areas of reinsertion :
Teaching, service to the most disadvantaged, immigrants, foreign students

BELGIUM :
Work with immigrants
North Train Station in Brussels (1968-1981) FRANCE :
Work with young women from the Third-World
International residence for women workers in Paris (1969-1994)

CROSSROADS
Closing of the Crossroads in Milano (1969) and Perugia (1971)
The one in Rome becomes a training center about the realities of the Third World

BRAZIL:
several ICA members continue their work under the military dictatorship

PERU:
first team in 1970 Community development

CHILE: 1970
ARGENTINA

USA
ICA members take up again their professional work
Internship program in international relations at Crossroads

CANADA :
Closing of the Training Center (1969)
Greater participative approach at Crossroads and educational activities about the realities of Third World countries

GENERAL ASSEMBLIES :

DELÉMONT (Switzerland 1970)
Reaffirmation of the fundamental orientations
Possibility of openness to married members
Decentralization / Regionalization

BROUMANA (Lebanon 1973)
Difficulty to agree on the foundation of the Association, the faith, which for some refers to Christ and others not.
Creation of the Units
Changing of the name: Inter Cultural Association

WITHIN ICA
Great tensions and numerous members leave
Regional groups will disappear (ex. India & Quebec)

MISH :
International Solidarity Movement
The idea comes from Broumana but it is born in 1974
Goal: keep alive the link with the members who had left the ICA

GENERAL ASSEMBLY of GENEVE (1976)
Preceded by International Evaluation Sessions
Reaffirmation of the three Guiding Principles of the Association (faith, solidarity in the struggle for liberation and universality)

Members evacuated from Kolwezi by the Belgian army
Other members go to Algeria, to Cameroon and to Ivory Coast (teaching and medical work)
Beginning of implantation in EGYPT (1981)

In KOREA,
several members choose to live and work in poor neighborhoods

In VIETNAM,
under Communist rule, members must become cautious
Some members will go to THE PHILIPPINES and to

CAMBODIA
Members of this region live under great stress and try to pursue their commitments

BOLIVIA :
A member starts working for the promotion of mine workers (1978)
.HAÏTI :
A new member working in community development projects (1988)

USA :
Crossroads in a period of transition, administered by non-ICA staff

CANADA :
the region dissolves little by little

. Reinsertion of members into their country of origin continues
. Several members go on temporary missions outside

Europe
. Opening of a Crossroads in Louvain-la-Neuve

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS :
Several members work in international organizations:
UN, HCR, UNDP, WHO, FAO
On a short or long term basis

GENERAL ASSEMBLIES : 1980-81 . 1986 . 1992 CONTRIBUTIONS
. Preceded by IES
. Few modifications of the goals and structures, consolidation
. International Formation Committee (1992)

IMPACT on the ICA :
. Evacuation, displacements and departures
. Insecurity, difficult living conditions, disruptions of work and commitments . . . . . Reorientation of some commitments
. Participation in mobilization campaigns & demonstration

EVOLUTION of the ICA : GENERAL ASSEMBLIES
GA 1998 & 2004 : Deepening of the priority orientations
GA 1998 Concern for environment
GA 2004 Concern for peace

FORMATION :
. International sessions (1995,1999-2000,2003) . Trainers sessions (1997,2007)
Training guide

CONTINUING FORMATION :
SIFA : 1997, 2003, 2009

INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS :
. IES: In preparation of each GA
. Others : VIETNAM 1993-94, USA 1994, BURKINA FASO 1996, GERMANY 2001 ITALY 2005, ARGENTINA 2007

INSTITUTIONAL PROJECTS :
. ICA Center in Seoul, Korea
. Students residence in Rwanda

MEMBERS :
. The first generation is reaching the fourth age and some are leaving us
. The second generation is reaching retirement
. Since 1993 (last 15 years): 58 new members
41 from Africa, 9 from Asia,2 from Europa, 6 from Latin America 63.7% are maried

2010-2012 The General Assembly
2014 UFER International Meeting In Nepal on Human Trafficking and migration
From 23 to 30, March 2014 in Godawari, Lalitpur Nepal with participants from 20 countries.

2016 International Formation Session in Cambodia
From 1-14, February in Phnom Penh
The theme: A World in Movement Knowledge and Dialogue

2016-2018 The General Assembly
2021 International Meeting in Rwanda, The theme was “FRATELLI TUTTI”. July 17 to 27, 2021 in Kabgayi, Muhanga

2022 The General Assembly. The theme is “Universality”