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PROFILE:
Bayan Association
‘ J I 7 hat are the most effective means by Which a community
can be assisted to develop? How can a development
organization remain flexible enough to grow and modify
its work as the needs of the community it is serving change? And
how can it effectively increase its resources to carry out the work that needs to be done?
These are some of the questions that Asocz'acz'o’n Bayan, a small Baha’i—inspired development organization in Honduras, has been challenged to answer throughout the course of its existence over the past 18 years. Its experience highlights the process through Which rural community development can be assisted and offers an example of how development organizations can best promote that objective.
Bayan’s beginnings go back to 198 5, When two Baha’i families established a small rural hospital in the Village of Palacios in the Department of Gracias a Dios. This Department is situated in the northern coastal region of Honduras, Which lies in the middle of the Mesoamerican ecological corridor at the edge of the Rio Platano Biosphere. Most of the 12,000 inhabitants in the 20—odd Villages served by Bayan are predominantly Miskitos (indigenous Indians), Garifunas (of Black Carib descent), and Mestizos who
243
244 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2001—2002
Volunteer doctors from the [risk army treat a child in the operating room of Hospital Bayan.
earn their living by subsistence fishing and farming. Because the area is quite isolated, with access only by boat or airplane until very recently, most of the development agencies that work in this remote region are based outside. However, Bayan is different, as its base of operations is located within the zone itself. No medical services were available locally before the hospital was established, so it met an urgent need.
The Vision of Bayan’s founders, however, was always that the scope of the organization’s activities would expand beyond provision of medical aid to the fostering of grassroots development in the region. The goal was that the hospital would move from being strictly a service provider to a testing ground for development. In this way, Bayan followed the same path as other Baha’i development efforts that have begun as sustained projects focused on a single track and have gradually evolved into development organizations with relatively complex programmatic structures and larger spheres of influence. Over time, these organizations learn how to systematically train human resources and manage a number of lines of action, taking a coordinated, interdisciplinary approach to problems of local communities and regions.
The concept of development embraced by Bayan seeks to promote both the material and the spiritual well-being of the individual and the community. Consultation, collaboration, and reciprocity are seen as the basis for the establishment of social justice. Towards this end, local institutions are strengthened and universal participation in community activities is encouraged.
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Because mutual cooperation is central to the process, decisions are made through a process of consultation. The central role of the farmer in the economic life of the zone and in the conservation of the environment is given serious attention, as are the principles of unity and trustworthiness in all development efforts.
On this foundation, Bayan’s initial efforts were built. An early milestone in the project occurred in 1987, when the government of Honduras legally recognized Bayan as a nonprofit organization, Asocz'czcz'o’n de Desarrollo Socio—Econo’mico Indz’gena — Bayan (Bayan Association of Indigenous Social and Economic Development).
Hospital Bayan
Hospital Bayan began offering services with formal Ministry of Health approval in 1986 and was finally completed in 1988. A small facility containing two inpatient rooms, a pediatric bed, an examination room, surgical facilities, a small pharmacy, an x—ray room, and a laboratory, it was nevertheless able to offer 24—hour emergency service to the people of the area.
Through the years, the project experimented with different means to increase access to health services—including a community health worker training program, a mobile clinic, and a community water, sanitation, and health education program. Some of these were successful and others were not, but all contributed to Bayan’s process of learning.
In the hospital’s early days, volunteers from the USA collected used medical equipment that was donated to the hospital, and the National Guard coordinated the shipping of the equipment to the zone. More recently, in December 2000 and January 2001, the army of the Republic of Ireland transported and supported the instal— lation of surgery, dentistry, and laboratory equipment at the hospital. The Irish army also supplied a shipment of medicine and a medical brigade for more than three weeks.
Medical specialists, both Baha’is and members of other faiths, have made five— to ten—day Visits to the hospital to conduct clinics, allowing Bayan to offer services in a variety of medical specializations which, in turn, have enhanced the hospital’s reputation in the area. Some of the specialization clinics offered have been in dental
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246 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2001—2002
care, general surgery, cardiology, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics.
In 1993 the Honduran Ministry of Health entered into an agreement with Bayan to support 20 community health volunteers, training them as outreach primary care providers throughout the region, and the hospital was requested to serve as an agency for the unsupervised distribution of food on behalf of CARE International in Honduras. Bayan assisted in the establishment of a volunteer council to work with CARE, which involved a number of organizations (including local churches), to conduct health surveys, education programs, and to distribute food. Unfortunately, after the surveys were completed and the need established, it was discovered that there were no funds or donors to support the cost of shipping the food to the region for distribution.
The hospital was a muCh-needed and well-used facility, but it regularly lost money on its patients, who were used to a paternalistic development agency model and originally did not understand that the hospital could not continue to function indefinitely if it did
Students [mm to prepare tortillas as part 0ft/9e community training
program.
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BAYAN ASSOCIATION 247
not become sustainable. When the shortfall between fees and expenses grew to the point that closure became a real possibility, however, the local residents made unprecedented efforts to secure additional funding and thus ensure the continuation of the hospital, signalling that it was truly their own.
In 1998, Bayan entered into an agreement with the Honduran Ministry of Health, two municipalities, and the local community council of Palacios for the joint management of the hospital. Recently the Minister of Health recognized the Bayan Hospital as a model of community participation.
Structure and Programs Evolve in Response to
Community Needs
As Bayan’s activities were growing in scope and complexity, a more formal organizational structure evolved. In 1994 Project Bayan evolved into Asociacio’n Baycm, and that same year it undertook a process of community evaluation to assess the region’s specific Challenges and needs. The results provided a basis on Which possible future initiatives could be formulated.
Bayan’s own experience and the 1994 community evaluation painted the following picture: The population suffered from severe malnourishment and poverty, which was worsened by underde- veloped agriculture and a lack of knowledge concerning appropriate agricultural techniques. Poor sanitation and the infestation of water supplies by parasites from human and animal waste were causing high rates of disease, Which, in turn, resulted in a high infant mortality rate. Increasing environmental degradation was threatening the region and the adjacent biosphere reserve. A significant number of women were subordinated and prevented from acquiring education by their men, which was retarding the region’s development. Men commonly behaved irresponsibly towards their families and communities—for example, spending income on drugs and alcohol—which increased the level and conditions of poverty. The final observation from the evaluation was that appropriate education, organizational skills, and leadership were lacking in the communities, preventing members from addressing problems on their own in a systematic, effective manner.
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248 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2001—2002
Given these challenges, Bayan decided that the most effective starting point would be to provide appropriate education that would allow the region’s population to chart its own course forward.
Bayan had taken action in the field of education from its earliest years in the region. In 1987 it began conducting an annual training course for primary and secondary teachers in the zone on themes such as moral education, the environment, health, and the teacher’s role in community development. It also collaborated with other nongovernmental organizations and departmental officials of the Ministry of Education in these courses and assisted the Palacios Community Council in working with the Ministry of Education to establish a secondary school in the region.
Following the community evaluation, however, efforts were increased. The Sistema d6 Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT) program was launched in 1996, with the legal authorization of the Ministry of Education (allowed formally in 1997) and the understanding that it would serve as a prototype for other rural areas of the country.
SAT: An Appropriate Educational Program for Rural
Communities
SAT was originally developed by the nongovernmental organization Fundacio’n para [aAplz'czzcio’n y Emefianza d6 [45 Ciencias or FUNDAEC (Foundation for the Teaching and Application of the Sciences) in Cali, Colombia. There, the program was approved by the Ministry of Education in 1982 and has been so successful that in some 10 regions (departments) of the country it has been jointly adopted by state institutions and private, nongovernmental organizations, with partial funding from local and regional governments.
In contrast to most secondary education curricula in Latin America, SAT was designed specifically for rural communities. Traditional education trains young people for an urban lifestyle rather than addressing the needs of rural and indigenous peoples, and as a result, poor rural youth have little incentive to stay in school. When faced with economic pressures from the family, most rural youth leave school and engage in subsistence farming or work in fishing or other local industries—and many join the flood of urban migration. In the SAT program, particular emphasis is placed
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BAYAN ASSOCIATION 249
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on the inclusion of women. Girls, who are undervalued and lack self-esteem, are particularly disadvantaged in rural communities. Often denied schooling, they cannot gain even basic literacy and math skills or knowledge of basic nutrition or health care or sanitation. In this way, conditions are ripe for the perpetuation of generational poverty through uneducated mothers.
In contrast to the traditional model, FUNDAEC’S curriculum is designed to train rural and indigenous people to address their own problems, find solutions to them, and build sustainable communities. Thus, it provides a pragmatic alternative to the traditional secondary education system. The curriculum is rural— foeused and trains students in practical skills that they can apply immediately to the problems around them: production, health, environmental degradation, and community organization. Rather than relegating rural and indigenous lifestyles to secondary importance, the curriculum incorporates the region’s history, culture, needs, and aspirations. It also provides practical knowledge that Will equip students to make their rural communities both sustainable and progressive. The program focuses on education and rural development, including themes such as attitudinal change, self— sustainability, heightened respect and value of local culture, critical
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250 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2001—2002
thinking, teamwork, problem resolution, and skills training. It includes a rigorous academic program as well as community service and a strong, practical agricultural production component. The curriculum integrates five basic subject areas: math, sciences, language and communication, agricultural technology, and service. The SAT program is not just a presence in the community: it is integrated into the community through a participatory methodology.
The full secondary curriculum is six years in duration. No sophisticated infrastructure is required, as classes can meet in open areas or community centers. Schedules are flexible, to allow students to continue productive activities at the same time that they are acquiring their education. Both youth and young adults who do not have secondary education are invited to participate. And while students do study from texts, courses also involve interaction With other students, the community, and local resources. Local community members who serve as tutors work With each SAT group to facilitate the process of learning, to explain concepts where needed, and to organize training activities, but their role is quite different from that of the traditional classroom teacher.
Workbooks cover mathematics, sciences, health, literacy, agriculture, farming, social studies, and reading, with all subjects integrated. Training activities focus on small—scale animal tending and demonstration plots that allow students to apply appropriate technology to agricultural pursuits. Educational resources supplied by the program include dictionaries, world atlases, and a small laboratory.
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Students study SAT rural education materials.
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In SAT, education is viewed as preparation for useful work and service to the community. Leadership, personal growth, the equal participation and education ofwomen, and values that include responsibility and unity within the community are all emphasized.
Bayan’s adoption of the FUNDAEC curriculum has been very successful. By April 2002, more than 1,000 students were enrolled in SAT with 49 groups from more than 100 communities. SAT has gained approval from the Honduran government through an agreement of mutual cooperation and financial coparticipation between Bayan and education directors in three departments in the northern part of Honduras. Evaluation of the quality of the program and its curriculum carried out by the Ministry of Education has been very positive, and as a result SAT was authorized not only to continue to operate existing programs but also to expand to other regions of the country. Recognition of each grade in the SAT program as equivalent to those of the official system was also granted. Early in 2002 meetings between Bayan and the Ministry of Education led to the development of a proposal for the further expansion of SAT to other areas where there is a high index of poverty—with the proviso that in order to be self—sustaining the program should reach out from strong central points to outlying communities, growing and developing local human resources in an organic fashion.
Bayan is increasingly catching the attention of donors. A recent organizational profile developed by the InterAmerican Development Bank noted that Bayan is a “reputable” NGO with “well—known transparency in handling project financing,” and its “institutional interest is local development and poverty alleviation.” As a not- for—profit organization, Bayan has received funding and in-kind donations through the years from a number of different donors and agencies, including the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, the Canadian International Development Agency, the British Embassy, Health for Humanity, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Kellogg Foundation, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United Kingdom, Fundacio’n Vida of Honduras, Partners of the Americas, the World Development Foundation, International Health Services, Agency for Personnel Services Overseas, Madame
252 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2001—2002
The Minister and Vice—Minister of Education of Honduras (first and second from [efi‘, respectively), stand with staflmembers from the Ministry and Asocz'acz'o’n Baycm.
Ri’ihi’yyih Rabbani’, the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Hutchinson, Kansas, and Wrangell, Alaska, and the Office of Social and Economic Development at the Baha’i World Centre.
Funding for SAT in Honduras was secured from sources such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Kellogg Foundation, and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, as well as the Honduran Ministry of Education. The Canadian International Baha’i Development Services (CBIDS) and the Baha’i Agency for Social and Economic Development in the United Kingdom (BASED—UK) have served as partners of Bayan in their relationships with governmental agencies. While the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 saw the reallocation of some funds to relief efforts, nevertheless Bayan managed to sustain its activities while assisting With aid distribution for some time after the storm.
Other Responses to the Needs Assessment
The 1994 community evaluation indicated a concern and need for the protection of the aquatic life of the Bacalar Lagoon and inland waterway because of their importance to the lifestyle, health, and economy of the region. Fundacio’n Vida of Honduras is financing a three—year biological study of the fauna and aquatic life of the lagoon with educational and social components. The findings will serve for the development of a SAT text and for the future management and protection of this water resource by a newly created community-based organization. This activity required the
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approval of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the third Honduran Ministry with which Bayan has established formal agreements.
Future Plans
The Bayan Association does not plan to rest on its laurels. Future plans, in addition to SAT expansion, include training courses for public school teachers, the eventual establishment of a Rural University, and the carrying out of demographic, social, and economic research related to the Miskito communities. The research findings will be shared with local agencies to help them improve their services. These studies also help Bayan and the educational authorities to refine the SAT materials by improving their focus on regional concerns.
To facilitate the concept of learning as the organization itself grows and develops, Bayan has begun to hold annual “reflection meetings,” bringing together the directors and coordinators of different projects, members of the organization’s board of directors, and the founders of Bayan to discuss the functioning and progress of their work over the past year and to formulate future plans. Bayan’s experience and flexibility will no doubt enable it to adapt further to meet new challenges as they arise.
