Bahá’í World/Volume 19/Social and Economic Development

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[Page 346]

346 THE Bahá’í WORLD

6. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES: A NEW STAGE IN THE EVOLUTION OF Bahá’u’lláh’S WORLD ORDER

HOLLY HANSON VICK

FROM the beginning of His stupendous mission, Bahá’u’lláh urged upon the attention of nations the necessity of ordering human affairs in such a way as to bring into being a world unified in all the essential aspects of its life. In unnumbered verses and tablets He repeated and variously declared the progress of the world and the development of nations as being among the ordinances of God for this day. The oneness of mankind, which is at once the operating principle and ultimate goal of His Revelation, implies the achievement of a dynamic coherence between the spiritual and practical requirements of life on earth...

Now, after all the years of constant teaching activity, the Community of the Greatest Name has grown to the stage at which the processes of this development must be incorporated into its regular pursuits; particularly is action compelled by the expansion of the Faith in Third World countries where the vast majority of its adherents reside. . .

The International Teaching Centre and, through it, the Continental Boards of Counsellors are poised for the special responsibilities which devolve upon them to be alert to possibilities for extending the development of social and economic life both within and outside the Bahá’í Community, and to advise and encourage the Assemblies and friends in their strivings.

We call now upon National Spiritual Assemblies to consider the implications of this emerging trend for their respective communities, and to take well—conceived measures to involve the thought and actions of Local Spiritual Assemblies and individuals in the devising and implementing of plans, within the constraints of existing circumstances and available resources...

We go forward confident that the wholehearted involvement of the friends in these activities will ensure a deeper consolidation of the community at all levels. Our engagement in the technical aspects of development should, however, not be allowed to supplant the essentials of teaching, which remains the primary duty of every follower of Bahá’u’lláh. Rather should our increased activities in the development field be viewed as a reinforcement of the teaching work, as a greater manifestation of faith in action. For, if expansion of the teaching work does not continue, there can be no hope of success for this enlarged dimension of the consolidation process. . .

Excerpts from a letter dated 20 October 1983 from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World

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The Bahá’í world is embarking on a new and thrilling stage of its evolution as a result of the message of the Universal House of Justice, cited above, calling Bahá’ís to greater involvement in the development of the social and economic life of peoples. In order to respond to this critical challenge, implying as it does both the growing maturity of Bahá’í institutions and the responsibility borne by the followers of Bahá’u’lláh to ameliorate the condition of mankind, Bahá’ís must prepare themselves with a clear understanding of the relevant teachings of our Faith. What is Bahá’í development? What is its relationship to other Bahá’í activity? What is the role of our institutions in carrying it out? As the inherent potentialities of the Cause to order human affairs become more manifest, the familiar elements of Bahá’í belief reveal new aspects and greater significances. The unique and vital power of the Faith to improve the lot of mankind is demonstrated in the development activities already under way around the Bahá’í world.

Development activities are a natural and essential part of Bahá’í life, for Bahá’u’lláh has clearly stated that the material well-being of the world, as well as its spiritual salvation, are in the hands of the Manifestations of God. The religion of God and His divine law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God.‘ All Bahá’í development activities are an effort to obey the laws and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’ís establish schools and training programs because education is compulsory and indispensable to human progress; they organize literacy classes because daily reading of the Word of God is an obligation; they promote indigenous culture because unity in diversity is an important Bahá’í teaching. Although the laws of the Bahá’í Faith provide for the establishment of educational institutions and community storehouses, the promotion of agriculture and technology and other means of material progress, Bahá’ís recognize these to be only one aspect of development.

The goal towards which we are striving, the focus of all Bahá’í activity of whatever kind, is the establishment of a world civilization in

'Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Baha’u 7141:, pp. l29~l30.

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‘When East and West Embrace’. Two Bahá’í' youth — one from Iran and one from Norway in 1984.

which mankind achieves the station of spiritual maturity which Bahá’u’lláh has ordained for us. Development, for Bahá’ís, is a divinely guided process which must effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions.2 Material development is not sufficient; people must also learn to be united, to prefer their neighbour to themselves, to acquire moral virtues. The inner transformation of a community is the ultimate objective of any Bahá’í development project, for until the heavenly civilization is founded, no result will be forthcoming from material civilization3 When a Bahá’í community builds a school, we ask ‘Has this effort caused the community to work together? Has it created a desire to serve others? Has it given the community a sense of accomplishment? Has it been conducive to the

3 Bahá’u’lláh, The World Order of Ba/ta '11 Walt, p.25, or Kimbi-Iqan, pp. 240-241. 3‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p.257.

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preservation of human honour? If a Bahá’í project causes disagreement in a community, creates a sense of dependence or inferiority, or engenders greed and materialism, that project has been a failure. ‘Abdu’l Baha has stated this principle, whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony and with love and purity of motive, its result is light, and should the least trace of estrangement prevail, the result shall be darkness upon darkness.‘ The Universal House of Justice has written that the primary consideration in planning a project must be ‘what it may bring in the form of strength, hope and spiritual upliftment of the Bahá’ís, as well as the beneficial influence its implementation and final accomplishment might exert? Bahá’ís believe that material progress and spiritual growth must be part of the same process; the laws which Bahá’u’lláh has revealed that relate development activities to the individual and the community are evidence that this is possible.

‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 88. 2 Guidelines for Social and Economic Development Projects.

A 45-foot-high pylon stands by one of the entrances to the Ba/1a’z' House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.

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The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár

According to the Bahá’í teachings, worship of God and service to humanity are complementary activities, and neither is satisfactory without the other. At the heart of every Bahá’í community will stand a House of Worship, surrounded by dependencies dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific advancement of mankind. This new institution is the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár———-The Dawning Place of the Mention of God. Shoghi Effendi has written that the dynamic interaction of the component of worship and the component of service are essential to the creative power of the House of Worship.3 The spiritual impulse of the worshiper is transformed into action through service in the schools, clinics, and other institutions; and the work of these social services is purified and vitalized by the spiritual forces emanating from the Temple. A process of continual human advancement is set in motion as each believer, while striving to perfect himself, devotes his energy to the good of the community under the direction of the Local Spiritual Assembly. The House of Worship will provide the daily and practical means for carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization in Bahá’í communities of the future; for the present it provides an example of the integration of spiritual and material development which Bahá’ís must strive to understand and apply in their lives and their development plans.

The Pattern for Future Society

The Bahá’í Administrative Order is the structure created by Bahá’u’lláh for the process of transforming humanity. It is the indispensable foundation of Bahá’í development activity, as Shoghi Effendi has clearly stated: ‘the Spirit breathed by Bahá’u’lláh upon the world, which is manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity through the efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise an abiding influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself with his principles, and function in conformity with His Laws.”

3Balza’1' Administration, pp. 184-186. “ T/1e World Order of Ba/1d’u’llal1, p. 19.

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A meeting of a Local Spiritual Assembly in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.

The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Porzta Delgada, in the Azores; 1984.

As they have laboured over the past sixty years to erect a network of approximately 35,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies and 148 National Spiritual Assemblies supporting the Universal House of Justice,’ Bahá’ís have been motivated by the belief that these institutions were ‘the pattern for future society” and ‘the potent sources of the progress of man’.3 Development, in both the material and transcendent sense, is the responsibility of the Spiritual Assembly, and the emergence of development as a focus of Bahá’í activity illuminates, for the first time, the concrete and practical way in which Local Spiritual Assemblies can begin to achieve their exalted destiny. The laws and principles which govern the Local Spiritual Assembly are, we now recognize, the essential elements of successful Bahá’í development. The right of every individual to express his opinion, the spiritual law of individual initiative and the principle of organic growth, and the reliance of Bahá’í institutions on spiritual teach‘Totals as of 20 April 1986.

2Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 19. 3 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in God Passes By, p. 322.

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ings and divine bestowals are all aspects of Bahá’í administrative functioning which equip the Local Spiritual Assembly for development activities. ‘It is the ideal instrument to make spiritual laws function properly in the material affairs of the world.’4.

The Local Spiritual Assembly is an effective community organization which operates at the first level of human society. The participation of all members of the community is guaranteed by the annual election in which all adult members vote for the Local Assembly by secret ballot, through the principle of consultation, which upholds the right and obligation of free expression, and through the institution of the Nineteen Day Feast, which provides a forum for frank and open discussion by the whole community. There is a great emphasis placed upon co-operation and equality of opportunity in Bahá’í community life. It is because this community organization has been established and is developing all over the world that Bahá’ís are able to insist that the initiative and driving force for our development projects must come from the grassroots.

This essential requirement, that Bahá’í development projects ‘grow from the grassroots, and not be imposed from the top’5 is one which distinguishes our efforts from most development work. While many development specialists try to involve community members in order to ensure the success of their development activities, the roles are reversed in the Bahá’í context. Local Bahá’í communities decide that they want to do something for their village, plan how to do it, and seek the help of experts when they decide it is necessary. It is a principle of Bahá’í belief that true progress for a community, as well as for an individual, must come from within: ‘All that which ye potentially possess, however, can be manifested only as a result of your own volition.” Although this principle might seem to limit the tangible results of our efforts and to narrow the role of believers from developed countries, it places Bahá’í development activities on a firm spiritual foundation. It means our development projects take shape as an expression of the faith of the local Bahá’ís; they are initiated by believers who are

“A letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, l6 June 1945,

in Lights of Guidance, pp. l—2. 5 Guidelines for Social and Economic Development Projects. 6 Gleanings from the Writings of Bah(i'u’lla/2, p. 149.

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motivated by their love for Bahá’u’lláh to apply His teachings to the daily life of their communities, and are carried out as an act of devotion by the same people they are intended to serve.

Local Spiritual Assemblies have attained the capacity for self-initiated development activities, or are evolving towards it, through a process of organic growth which is a characteristic of the Bahá’í Cause. The Universal House of Justice described this process in 1968: ‘The Bahá’í World Community, growing like a healthy new body, develops new cells, new organs, new functions and powers as it presses on to its maturity’.‘ In this critical period of growth, National Spiritual Assemblies are to foster the emergence of the new function of development activity by making Local Assemblies aware of the needs and possibilities, offering encouragement, and guiding and co-ordinating their activities. Many National Spiritual Assemblies have devoted great energies during the current Seven Year Plan to the encouragement of self-sufficient Local Assemblies. These Assemblies, which have successfully built active and united Bahá’í communities, are prepared to turn their attention to the needs of their villages and towns. The development activities which are now being undertaken by the Bahá’í community are simple and small in scale because they ‘are a natural stage in the growth of the community’? As Bahá’í Assemblies grow in capacity and in understanding of their mission, the scope of Bahá’í endeavours in the field of social and economic development will expand.

The Bahá’í Assemblies poised to carry out development work around the world bring to their task not only their skills in community organization, but also a strength and power which is given to them by God. The glances of God are directed towards this Assembly.3 From them the spirit of life streameth in every direction.4 This spiritual power, which comes to Assemblies through their obedience to Bahá’í law, is a necessary ingredient of a development project. To improve a water supply or begin a

1 Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 37-38.

2 The Universal House of Justice, letter to a National Spiritual Assembly, dated 8 May 1984.

3 Bahá’u’lláh, Local Spiritual Assembly Compilation (U.S.), p. 6.

4 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in God Passes By, p. 322.

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programme of health education are straightforward tasks, but how can these be done in such a way that the beneficiaries gain confidence, selfrespect, and dignity? The ultimate intention of Bahá’í development is to set an example of service to humanity, purity of motive, moral virtue and co-operation that will influence the whole social order. Bahá’ís are confident of success not because we are spiritually vain, but because we rely on Bahá’u’lláh. The transforming power of the Cause of God ennobles and uplifts the Bahá’ís, inspires and confirms our institutions, and will, we believe, work through us to rehabilitate the life of mankind.

Bahá’í development, it is clear, is a new creation, something quite different from most activities which are called development. The agents of Bahá’í development are for the most part simple and sincere believers, not specialists from abroad; the resources we employ are primarily devotion and self-sacrifice, not international money and manpower; and we are striving not just to build schools, clinics, or

A Bahá’í' adobe bricks for the Gaaymi Cultural Centre,

using a very simple machine to make

I)! built by Balzazs 11 1985; Boca del Monte, Panama.

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rural schemes, but to light the lamp of material development with the light of divine virtues and susceptibilities.‘ Bahá’ís must ‘avoid the danger of indiscriminate imitation’ by striving to understand and implement the clear definition of Bahá’í development given by the Universal House of Justice:

‘The steps to be taken must necessarily begin in the Bahá’í community itself, with the friends endeavouring, through their application of spiritual principles, their rectitude of conduct and the practice of the art of consultation, to uplift themselves and thus become self-sufficient and self-reliant. Moreover, these exertions will conduce to the preservation of human honour,

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so desired by Bahá’u’lláh. In the process and as a consequence, the friends will undoubtedly extend the benefits of their efforts to society as a whole, until all mankind achieves the progress intended by the Lord of the Age.”

The proof that this ambitious prescription is truly workable lies in the record of Bahá’í development, spanning almost one hundred years, first in Iran3 and now all over the world.

Author ’s note: The author wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. David Ruhe and Mr. Hassan Sabri, who shared with her their vision of Bahá’í development as an entity of a new creation.

B. A SUMMARY OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES April 1983—April 1986

THE growing maturity of a world-wide religious community is further evidenced in the reaching out, by a number of national communities, to the social and economic life of their countries, exemplified by the founding of tutorial schools, the inception of radio stations, the pursuit of rural development programmes and the operation of medical and agricultural schemes

A wider horizon is opening before us, illumined by a growing and universal manifestation

of the inherent potentialities of the Cause for ordering human aifairs. In this light can be discerned not only our immediate tasks but, more dimly, new pursuits and undertakings upon which we must shortly become engaged The powers released by Bahá’u’lláh match the needs of the times. We may therefore be utterly confident that the new throb of energy now vibrating throughout the Cause will empower it to meet the oncoming challenges of assisting, as maturity and resources allow, the development of the social and economic life of peoples, of collaborating with the forces leading towards the establishment of order in the world, of influencing the exploitation and constructive uses of modern technology, and in all these ways enhancing the prestige and progress of the Faith and uplifting the conditions of the generality of mankind. . .

Excerpts from letter dated Riḍván 140 B.E. (21 April 1983) from the Universal House of

Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World

Most of the Bahá’í communities of the world have only recently entered the field of social and economic development. The number of Bahá’í development activities reported to the Bahá’í World Centre increased by approximately 400 per cent during the period under review, and totalled l,030 by Riḍván 140. By that date there

“Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 288289.

were 87 health and social service projects in operation, 70 agriculture and forestry projects, 144 community development efforts, and 599 schools. These efforts are just the beginning of a long and gradual process which must unfold as Bahá’í communities grow and mature. Bahá’í development activity is the natural

3Letter of 20 October 1983 ‘To the Bahá’ís of the World’. 3 See ‘Social and Economic Development in the Bahá’í Community of Iran’.

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expression of the Bahá’í belief that spiritual and material life interact in a positive way. Development is inherent in every activity of a growing Bahá’í community in rural areas. It begins in the spiritual life of each individual believer, for as Bahá’ís grow in understanding and awareness of their Faith, they are motivated to change their own lives to bring them into conformity with its teachings.

When Bahá’í villagers strive to educate their children, to be clean and to use pure water, to uplift themselves and manifest divine virtues, they initiate a development process that has a foundation in their inner beings. The Bahá’í teaching that service to humanity is an essential aspect of worship extends the Bahá’í impulse towards development to the whole community. The regular community meetings provide a forum for interchange and community decisionmaking; and the organized activities for children, Women, and youth promote self-improvement and community service. The impact of the Bahá’í Revelation on material life has always been most evident in rural areas with mature Bahá’í communities: the homes of Bahá’ís are built to let in light; their children are clean; their daughters are sent to school.

However, Bahá’í development activities are not confined to parts of the world where material needs are great. The Universal House of Justice has emphasized that every society is in need of the healing remedy of Bahá’u’lláh’s principles; that Bahá’í development begins when each community considers its own problems and attempts to overcome them. The Bahá’í communities in developed countries are attempting to respond to the social problems of racism, sexism, the dissolution of the family unit, which they perceive in their societies. Bahá’ís are sharing with other people engaged in social or environmental work the principle of consultation, their ability to foster unity, their enthusiasm and confidence about the future.

Bahá’í consultation is an essential tool for rural development in Bahá’í communities. A decision-making discipline based on spiritual principles that Bahá’ís are trying to utilize in their individual and group activities, consultation encourages people to articulate their hopes and their goals, to recognize their own capacity, and to formulate practical plans. Through its emphasis on humility, loving-kind THE Bahá’í WORLD

ness, candor, and co-operation, consultation gives people a way to work together successfully, avoiding the problems of selfishness and personality that can so often hinder group structures. This is especially important in rural development, for the commonly accepted framework of Bahá’í consultation enables Bahá’í villagers and outside experts to work together as equals. The unity and understanding that characterize the relationships among all the participants in Bahá’í development work are a proof of the efficacy of consultation, even though no Bahá’í would claim to have fully understood or perfected his application of this teaching.

The simple, ordinary, efforts of Bahá’í Assemblies are the first fruits of new institutions striving to absorb and apply new principles. They are evidence of the capacity of faith to direct and channel energy for the betterment of society. In Zimbabwe, a Local Spiritual Assembly whose members are illiterate women determine to learn to read and find themselves a teacher, then they organize a crafts class, then a nursery school. On an Indian Reservation in the United States, opening an adult education centre is one of the first actions of a new Bahá’í Assembly. In French Guiana, the Bahá’í community builds a bridge to reach their village. In South Madhya Pradesh, India, an Assembly promotes reforestation by setting the example; each member plants and nurtures seven trees.

Some Bahá’í Assemblies have community farms which provide income for group projects and demonstrate innovative agricultural techniques. Some Assemblies sponsor village health centres and pharmacies, which provide health care and sell medicines at cost. Buying co-operatives in Africa and South America enable Local Assemblies to provide scarce goods at a fair price. Local Spiritual Assemblies often collaborate with development agencies: the Mombasa, Kenya, Bahá’í Centre donates space for a fuel-efficient stove workshop; in Aragip, Papua New Guinea, the Assembly operates a nursery to grow and sell seedlings suitable for high altitudes. Other Assemblies in other parts of the world have assisted in projects to distribute child health information, plant trees, promote literacy, and train young people in development activities.

National and regional programmes which provide services to or co-ordinate the efforts of

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A child receives an eye examination at the Eye Camp held under Bahá’í auspices near Bangalore, India, in September 1983.

a number of Local Spiritual Assemblies are also under way. Medical and dental camps which offer health care in areas without medical facilities are organized by groups of volunteer health professionals in the tribal areas of India. Bahá’í Schools reach out to the surrounding communities in India, Haiti, and Chile, and an integrated plan for service in the Amazon basin in Brazil has been started.

In North East Zaire, a Social and Economic Development Committee co-ordinates the efforts of the large and active Bahá’í community. Approximately 2,000 students, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís, attend functional literacy classes at the 86 Bahá’í Educational Centres. Development seminars organized by the committee and taught by Government specialists have been very popular; 50 Local Spiritual Assemblies have begun to use improved seeds and crops. Twelve women have been trained to serve as volunteer midwives. The Bahá’í communities around Walungu have rebuilt an abandoned Government health centre and built public latrines in the 12 markets in the region. All of these activities are voluntary services

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offered by the Bahá’ís to their towns and villages; only one person is paid by the Development Committee, a co-ordinator who receives a subsistence allowance.

In Bolivia, the Quechua and Aymara Bahá’í communities operate 56 educational centres which combine spiritual education, literacy training, and instruction in health, child care, veterinary science, and agriculture. The teachers are volunteers and the communities build the centres using their own resources.

Nurturing an attitude of service to the community is the beginning of Bahá’í' development education. The goal of the Ruhi Institute in Cali, Colombia, is to guide youth on a path of service. Each course involves not only training in practical skills, but also study of spiritual topics that will develop the necessary spiritual qualities to endow their deeds of service with excellence and purity. Each person who completes the training becomes a trainer, and shares his or her training with other people. The Ruhi method is now being adopted in other Bahá’í communities. In Panama, Guaymi Bahá’ís have travelled widely to encourage other Indian people toi have faith in their own capacity to improve their lives and influence non-Indian society. The Guaymi Cultural Centre in Boca de Soloy, built partly by the Guaymis themselves, is the focus of the Guaymi Bahá’í efforts to preserve their language, oral traditions, crafts, and music, and to improve living standards.

Bahá’í training for development emphasizes the coherence of spiritual and material life. The William Masehla Bahá’í Institute in Zambia combines practical education in agriculture, health, literacy and village technology with service projects and intensive study of Bahá’í subjects; after two to four months, the trainees return to serve their communities with increased spiritual maturity and new practical skills. The Shíráz and Sogeri Institutes in Papua New Guinea offer courses following the same pattern. Bahá’í Institutes and summer schools in rural areas often provide a much-needed extension service, providing an opportunity for development specialists to interact with village people. The Bahá’í tutorial schools seek to extend their services to the whole community, adding literacy, agriculture, animal husbandry and community development to their basic education function whenever possible.

The Rabbani School has always offered pro [Page 354]354

grammes in health services and education to the villages in its vicinity. A new programme to serve the more than 300,000 in Madhya Pradesh State is beginning in 20 villages with large Bahá’í populations. Tutorial school teachers for the villages are trained at Rabbani.

Bahá’í’ Radio

The small but growing network of Bahá’í radio stations is developing a unique and very successful form of community-based participatory media. Centred in rural areas where there are large indigenous Bahá’í populations, the Bahá’í radio stations are a service offered by the local Bahá’ís to the large community around them. The Radio Bahá’í stafi" are for the most part local people: farmers, students, mothers and grandmothers, literate and illiterate, volunteers who View their work as an expression of their Faith. Their programmes speak to their people: the news programmes report local events; the agricultural and community life programmes are usually taped in villages; and only indigenous music is broadcast. Radio Bahá’í gives a voice to the community it serves, a tool which the people can use to express and validate their culture, to discuss and solve their problems, and to uplift themselves through their own efforts and the inspiration of the Bahá’í teachings. By April 1986, there were five stations on the air, in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the United States and Panama, and new stations were under construction in Chile and Liberia.

Four of these stations are associated with teaching institutes that extend the concept of participatory media. It is hoped that eventually the listeners will come to the institute, receive further guidance, and make their own radio programmes. The Amoz Gibson Institute for Training of Media Personnel, based in Puerto Rico, has assisted the Bahá’í radio effort by offering training courses in various aspects of media.

Education

Over 4,000 Bahá’í Assemblies hold classes for their children inculcating love of God, service to humanity, and appreciation of the world’s diversity.

Bahá’í education of youth focuses upon nobility of character, lack of prejudices and a high sense of service to others, and Bahá’í youth are at the forefront of Bahá’í development activities. School-leavers conduct tutorial

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schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific. Bahá’í youth have undertaken nationwide tree-planting projects in Kenya and the United States. In Samoa, teams of youth visit rural areas every week. In India, medical camps are planned and conducted by young people. Bahá’í communities in developing countries have, since 1979, organized more than 300 conferences to promote the progress of women. The fundamental Bahá’í principal of universal education also finds expression in the rapidly evolving tutorial schools now being started all over the world. More than 500 tutorial schools in 43 countries are currently functioning. Created in response to the Bahá’í teaching that in every village where there is a certain number of believers, a school will be founded where the children can study reading, writing, ,and basic knowledge, these simple schools are organized by Local Spiritual Assemblies, using their own resources, to provide education for their children. In most

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Counsellor Zekrollah Kazemi breaking ground for the first Baha' ’z' radio station in Africa, station ELRB at Monrovia, Liberia, in a ceremony held 14 December 1985.

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parts of the world Bahá’í communities are materially poor; the ‘tools’ that build Bahá’í tutorial schools come from true religious faith: the desire to serve the community and the confidence in one’s own capacity.

The Bahá’í tutorial schools, simple, modest, and unpretentious, illustrate the principles of Bahá’í development.

Primary and Secondary Schools

The primary and secondary schools established by the Bahá’ís in Iran‘ were the first formal Bahá’í development projects. Beginning in 1897, Bahá’í communities throughout Iran organized schools according to their own abilities. Some of these, such as the Tarbiyat schools in Tihran, were highly regarded and trained a generation of Iranian leaders; others were the simple efforts of Bahá’í villagers who were themselves illiterate. Approximately 40 Bahá’í schools were operating in 1934 when the Government forced the Bahá’ís to close them. These have been succeeded by a new generation of Bahá’í schools that are founded wherever Bahá’í communities have the resources to meet the needs they perceive. Bahá’í schools strive to maintain high standards of excellence and moral character; spiritual and moral training are considered to be the foundation of all education. There are currently 593 pre-primary and primary schools and 6 secondary schools. In addition, a Bahá’í college programme is under development and one university—N1’1r University in Santa Cruz, Bolivia—established by individual believers as a private venture, operates according to Bahá’í principles.

Conclusion

Bahá’í development activities—the simple schools, the radio stations, the health projects, tree-planting efforts and development training institutes-—are distinguished by the conviction that underlies them. Bahá’í development begins with faith: Bahá’ís discover in their religion a belief in human capacity and a vision of how it can be used; a motivation to serve humanity and a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the community; and the means to become united and work together. These qualities are, Bahá’ís believe, both the prerequisites and the tools

' See ‘Social ‘and Economic Development in the Bahá’í Community of Iran’.

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of successful development. A community must believe in itself in order to progress; purity of motive is essential for the functioning of a cooperative; and schools and other institutions cannot be maintained without dedication and a spirit of service. The real worth of the Bahá’í development effort is not so much what the Bahá’ís are doing, but how they are doing it. For every activity intended to improve material life has spiritual or moral prerequisites, and all our efforts to grow spiritually create the necessary foundation for a truly prosperous community.

As they struggle against the inevitable problems and disappointments of development work, Bahá’ís place their confidence in the power of united action, the eificacy of moral and spiritual strengths, and the promise of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of their Faith, that the betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conductz They cling to the conviction that peace and well-being will be established in the world through the spirituallymotivated actions of selfless individuals; that dignity and honour are the qualities that most truly characterize mankind; and that service to humanity is the true purpose of life and the source of human happiness.

Although Bahá’ís are keenly aware of the fact that, as yet, their development initiatives represent only a very small fraction of the host of projects under way throughout the world, and that there are important elements of the Bahá’í programme of community building, particularly the systems of belief and administration underlying it, whose range of operation is necessarily limited to their own community, nevertheless, they believe that there is much in the community model they have painstakingly constructed that will reward careful study by others in the development field. The most important successes of the approach are systematic and qualitative, rather than those of size and number: the integration of the moral and the practical, a unity of conception that allows for great flexibility of application, above all the ability to arouse and maintain motivation. It is these features that encourage Bahá’ís to share their experience with others.

3Baha’u’1lé1h, quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, p.20.