The founder of ICCO was Jo Verkuyl. He worked as a missionary preacher in Indonesia, a man with an unconventional approach to aid in developing countries. As one of the very few in his time, Verkuyl believed that development work should be focused on the needs of the poor. He was convinced that all changes start at community level.

Compassion, justice and stewardship: these were the three values on which founding Verkuyl, protestant churches and Dutch civil society organizations established ICCO in 1964 on December 30th. These values guide us to this day.