Bahá’í World/Volume 34/Profile: CORDE and UniED, Cambodia

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[Page 199]

PROFILE:

CORDE and UniED, Cambodia

implies the development of a dynamic coherence between

the spiritual and practical requirements of life. Enshrined in the Baha’i teachings is the goal of reconstructing society through the application of spiritual values. “[I]s there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to the common good?” asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of education, the development, the prosperity and honor of his fellow creatures?”1 In recognition of His own efforts to avert a famine in Palestine during the years of World War I, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was awarded a knighthood by the British government. More recently, in many countries and regions ravaged by war and instability, Bahá’ís are endeavoring to carry out programs designed to alleviate people’s suffering and assist them to contribute to the rebuilding of their societies through the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

In 1993, after decades of turbulence in Cambodia, elections were held and a multi-party, free-market democracy under a constitutional monarchy established. The new constitution guaranteed the right to freedom of religious belief and practice and, in October of that year, the Baha’i Faith was officially registered with the Ministry of

The fundamental Bahé’l’ principle of the oneness of humanity

199

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Religion. The history of the Baha’i community in Cambodia dates back to the mid—1950s but, as was the case with many other religious communities, Baha’is were scattered during the political upheavals of the 19705. Many Cambodians, while living in refugee camps in Thailand, came into contact with Baha’i development workers and encountered principles that they believed would help their nation rebuild itself. In April 1994, the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’l’s of Cambodia was elected in Phnom Penh.

The most pressing concern in the mid-199os was the lot of Cambodia’s young people, many of whom were unable to attend school because of poverty and an education system in need of major reform. At that time, it was recognized that more than half of the country’s population was under the age of 15. Access to health care—particularly oral hygiene—was woefully inadequate. The war had also stripped Cambodia’s landscape of its vegetation. Mines had destroyed the fertility of its soil and made cultivation dangerous. People, unconvinced they would live long enough to see their own harvests, had lost the motivation to cultivate the land. This pitiful situation led a number of Bahé’i’s to propose solutions whereby they could apply their Faith’s principles and their own skills to the redevelopment of the countryfi

Around the time that the United Nations Transitional Author- ity arrived in Cambodia to oversee its move towards democracy, a Baha’i educational initiative got underway in Phnom Penh. Stamford College’s main objective was to contribute towards Cambodia’s reconstruction through training its students to gain the confidence and practical ability to contribute to social and material progress. Numerous Bahé’i’s from outside of Cambodia offered their skills to the education of these young people and built strong mentoring relationships with them. Two years later, three Baha’l’s—one from Thailand and two from the Philippines settled in the Battambang province in the northwestern part of Cambodia, Where they opened a branch of Stamford College—the Stamford Learning Center—which subsequently evolved into the University for Education and Devel— opment (UniED). The province, which comprises more than 300 Villages scattered around 3,188 square kilometers, has a population of almost half a million people. The principal town of Battambang

[Page 201]CORDE AND UNIED 201

The influence of CORDE ’5 educationalprogmms on young women is particularly notable.

is the seat of provincial government departments, schools, centers of learning, and the offices of many nongovernmental organizations.

A further group of seven Baha’l’s launched another develop— ment agency in Cambodia in 1994—the Cambodian Organization for Research, Development, and Education (CORDE). Under this program, they committed themselves to further utilizing knowledge they had acquired at refugee camps along the Cambodian—Thai border. In its original mission statement, CORDE was described as “a private, non—profit, and non—political voluntary development organization involved in the process of social and economic trans— formation and of upraising the quality of human life and well-being of individuals, families and communities, upholding the principles of human honor and dignity through the provision of viable and sustainable projects that will enhance their capacities and capabilities, thereby increasing the level of participation resulting in empower- ment for a long—term sustained impact.” CORDE’s stated aim was to assist Cambodia to evolve into a creative, productive, and confident society. CORDE was registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development and became the first local NGO to be registered with the Ministry of Health.

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In its initial years, the activities of CORDE were largely focused on building wells in villages and promoting oral and dental health education for children, drawing on the resources of three of its founding members who were dental aides trained by the UN at a refugee camp. In 1994, there were only nine dental clinics for a population of nine million people in the whole country. Authorities were able to present dental health as part of hygiene education in schools but had no means to provide toothbrushes for children or youth. Visiting Baha’i dentists complemented the resources provided by government dentists.

Efforts to assist Cambodia’s agricultural regeneration were also initiated. A small nursery was developed where young people were trained to grow seedlings. Some 500 saplings of fruit trees were distributed to villagers as a gift from the Baha’i community, with the understanding that the villagers would grow these trees and their fruit would be fed to their children to improve their nutrition. As the trees grew, previously dispirited individuals saw their sense of hope for a peaceful future increase.

It soon became apparent, however, that these populations needed access to additional provision for education. Decades of warfare had left in their wake increasing suspicion, lawlessness, and crime. Family solidarity and moral behavior had been weakened. CORDE began to introduce moral concepts into its educational programs, as well as literacy and language training. One of CORDE’s founders organized a pool of teachers to offer informal classes in rural areas, with particular attention being paid to women and early—teenage youth. Occasional educational activity soon evolved into more formal tutorial Classes, each day offering two hours of supplementary and complementary education. For a large percentage of the children from poor families, the classes given by CORDE were the only educa- tion they were receiving.

CORDE recognized that more tutorial schools could be started throughout the country if assistance for materials, books, and blackboards could be provided and extensions built onto the houses of teachers and students who were willing to open their homes for children in their neighborhoods to come and study. Owing to the smallness of these homes, classes were held in extension buildings built into the yard, or even beneath those houses constructed on stilts. It was also noted that, while literacy and basic education was

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the most fundamental need, delivering it required an approach that went beyond reading and writing. Participants had to learn to express their own ideas with clarity. Using the resources of Stamford College, seminars and modular courses were arranged on teacher- training methodology and educational principles. Teenage high school students were recruited and trained to offer literacy classes in their own communities. By 1995, there were some 20 classes With volunteer teachers receiving financial assistance for transport, oil for lamps, and stationery for students. Two years later, the number of classes had increased to 35, with more than 500 children participat— ing in Battambang province alone. Another group ofweekly classes, in the Saang region, multiplied and evolved into a daily fixture. By 2004, CORDE’S tutorial classes were reaching some 1,000 students in Battambang.

Many tutorial classes continued to be held under trees and in the homes of teachers, lighted mostly with a candle or lamp. They lacked Chairs and tables suitable for the different ages of children. To overcome the difficulties posed by the lack of proper facilities, CORDE embarked on a plan to build Centers of Community Learning (CCLs). By 2005, there were five such facilities: three in Battambang, one in Poipet and one in Stung Meanchey. While a tutorial class with a teacher can cater to only 20 students, well—scheduled programs coordinated by a director of a CCL can serve the needs of well over 200 children and junior youth. The young students at CCLs study moral education and English. Among the principal materials they use is a junior youth spiritual empowerment program developed by Baha’i-inspired agencies in various parts of the world. Other classes for adults include family health and basic agriculture. In addition, as more youth and adults are systematically helped through educational programs training them to contribute to the development of their communities, CCLs offer the needed space for them to volunteer their services.

Students’ testimonials bear witness to the profound impact these programs have on their participants: “Before studying, my attitude was so childish,” said one 15 year old, “but now I am more mature and I help in doing house work.” A 17 year old decided, “I want to be a teacher because I can impart good values to Children.” A par— ticipant who originally went to the CORDE CCL only to learn English found her ideas changing: “When I learned many stories from the

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“I am trying my best to educate children andyout/J because they will become leaders in theflture. Tbey will be good human resources for a better society. ” —MOEURNG CHANTHA, TEACHER

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“This training brings us love, fi‘iemicbzp, respect, and service. It also shows a way ofli e. ” —PONLUK SIDEN, STUDENT

[Page 206]206 THE BAHA’I’ WORLD 2005—2006

Moral Teaching Text Book 1—3, my motivation Changed. Now I am teaching CORDE class in my house and I sometimes help to teach small kids at the CCL.”

The influence on young women has been especially notable. “The effect on the girls who were participating was great,” reported one participant, “They changed from shy, quiet people to bright, excited, dynamic ones who had so much to say and long to travel and serve.” Rong Molyka, a young woman who has been trained by CORDE and is now teaching for the organization, says, “Since I joined CORDE, I have improved my knowledge and my English skills. I used to be quick-tempered. Now I am more patient and more conscious of my conduct.” Her mother soon noticed changes in her daughter’s attitude: “She is now more respectful. I am very happy that my daughter is teaching in CORDE and I hope all my children will join and become good teachers for the community’s development in the future.”

In 1997, Stamford College relocated from Phnom Penh to Bat— tambang to contribute to development in the province. While it functioned mainly as a language center, the content of Stamford College’s courses imbued its students with a desire to contribute to the community’s development. After five years of active involve- ment in the growth and development in Battambang, the college’s Board of Directors was convinced that it should provide a coherent framework for development to collaborate with the population and organizations working in the region. It decided to offer higher—level courses to build individual and institutional capacity with the objec— tive that specific populations of Battambang would learn about their own path of development. The learning could then be applied to the rest of Cambodia, especially semi—utban and rural areas. Efforts began in 2002 to te—engineet Stamford into a University. In February 2003, Cambodia’s Ministry ofEducation, Sports and Youth upgraded Stamford College to become the University for Education and Development (UniED), a nonprofit learning organization dedicated to the generation and application of knowledge to build capacities in individuals, institutions, and communities to take responsibility for the material, social, and spiritual well-being of society, based on Baha’i concepts of the oneness and nobility of humanity.

UniED began to offer an undergraduate program in education and development subjects in 2002. In its first intake, there were

[Page 207]CORDE AND UNIED 207

UniED courses include environmental education, agriculture, and agrikusiness.

35 students, most of whom were already serving with CORDE. In order to take responsibility for their own learning, the whole UniED student community was divided into four “families”—Helping Family, Compassionate Family, Justice Family, and Friendship Family. These families were created to promote understanding of core values within the student community and help the weaker members in their studies, practicing Bahei’l' principles Ofconsultation and decision making.

UniED has now devoted several years to developing curricula for each of the four years of its undergraduate program. Faculty members, considering the characteristic situations of the region, identified educational needs, consulted on them, developed the content, and introduced practical applications for fieldwork. Courses have evolved to include economics, financial management, and com— munity banking, the management of CCLs, environmental education, agriculture and agribusiness. As part of the community banking program, students operate a practice bank which provides loans for income—generating projects. The loans are repaid and some profit is made. By December 2004, participants were thought to have gained

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enough experience to start banking activities in the Villages in which CCLs had been established by CORDE. The participants gained skills as well as insights into the qualities necessary to generate material wealth on a personal and collective level.

UniED’s faculty and staff collaborate closely with CORDE. Some CORDE teachers become trained at UniED. In addition, students at UniED take an administrative class and it is expected that some of the qualified graduates will go on to become directors of CCLs. UniED graduates are encouraged to use their newly acquired skills at the local level to carry out community-building activities. Each of the 13 first intake students, who completed their undergraduate coursework moved back to develop their home communities, not only in various parts of Battambang but as far afield as the Saang region and Sabah, Malaysia.

Central to the activities of both CORDE and UniED has been a vision of service to the needs of wider society. In one noteworthy example, the acting director of the Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Battambang noted that of his 200 students, most were from very poor, landless, and guardianless families. Consequently, most of these students had been excluded or dropped out from secondary schools. The initiative of a Baha’i teacher offering a Literacy and Empowerment Course for second-year students at the VTC led to CORDE creating a formal relationship with the Center. UniED third— year students taught a program focusing on raising awareness of the importance of moral education in students’ lives, improving their powers of expression, teaching the virtues of work and the applica— tion of values to their daily lives. As a result, 90 percent of students felt the program had helped them increase their power of expression. All students felt they had more awareness of the importance of moral education and 75 percent of them expressed a Wish to continue with moral education courses if offered.

By 2005, the first two contingents of UniED students had com- pleted their studies, the syllabus had been developed further, and a positive reputation of UniED’s programs was spreading. CORDE, meanwhile, had established 47 tutorial classes reaching more than 1,200 children and youth in Battambang by March 2005. A graduate from UniED in Saang began three classes with 85 children and junior youth around the community. CORDE began providing basic english for children age 4—6, moral education for 6—11 year olds, and a Junior

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Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program in the Khmer language for 12—14 year olds. CORDE’S teacher training programs now extend to CCLs in new areas, including Poipet and Phnom Penh.

Miss Moeurng Chantha, a CORDE graduate, began a Class with a small number of children in her neighborhood and moved on to establish many classes. “I am teaching children and junior youth, hoping that when they grow up they will become good leaders for society,” she says. She is now director of the second CORDE Center of Learning in Autok. Some of her junior youth class participants have also become CORDE teachers.

UniED’s aims continue to include strengthening and improving its academic programs and the community service components of its courses. Its commitment to diversity involves providing admissions to students from neighboring areas and countries, as well as welcom- ing volunteer teachers and staff from abroad. Stronger collaboration is constantly being built between CORDE and its CCLs around the wider region. UniED now offers a siX-month certificate, a one—year diploma, an associate degree, and undergraduate degree programs in Education for Development, Community Development, and Human Resource Development. The Education for Development Program is designed to put into practice educational curricula for preschool, primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The Community Development Program is directed towards encouraging and training the participants to discover systematically their culture, traditions, and economy, as well as developing spiritual and political knowledge. The Human Resource Development Program aims to train profes— sionals in moral leadership as well as the concept of selfless service.

Critical factors in the success in Battambang have included the organizations’ understanding of the vital role of basic education for poverty reduction and the strength of its grassroots commit— ment to expanding access to education. Its influence is also being felt farther afield. In the Reangkesay locality, for example, a public school principal requested CORDE to conduct morals classes for the students once a week, which soon grew into two days a week. In another locality, a UniED student began a children’s class. Because of his service, religious leaders requested to start a class and decided to build a grass—roofed school. Through the Baha’i—inspited curricula offered in classes and the dedication of the teachers, the attitudes

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'1’.) il-..%"* 3 Stamford CollegeumEn ’ assas‘éqgaé’esnésifiessfis §

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Um'ED graduates gain t/ae confidence andpmcticzzl skills needed to contribute t0 the material and socia/progress of Cambodia.

of the children clearly change and parents and community leaders request CORDE to open more Classes.

Cambodia has enthusiastically embarked on a process of growth and development with great determination, assisted by numer— ous governments and organizations. With as much as 39 percent of the population living below the poverty line, the government’s highest priority has been to promote economic progress and social development. While there are many NGOS working in the area of micro—credit, for example, current developments are largely driven by the conviction that economic activities are central to human well-being. The role of CORDE and UniED in Battambang has been crucial to developing the capacity of individuals and communities to commit themselves not only to economic to but to educational and moral progress. One of Cambodia’s principal challenges has been to find a committed group ofyoung workers who are willing to stay in their home districts to serve the needs of their fellow human beings, and not migrate to work in major cities. Through the training given by CORDE and UniED, and the provision of a small allowance, these

[Page 211]CORDE AND UNIED 211

workers have stayed and formed a core group dedicated to serving the needs of the community.

A remarkable feature has been that individuals who are them— selves living in poverty are being motivated to give generously of their time and skills to uplift the lives of their countrymen. At the time of writing, CORDE and UniED between them have engaged more than 6,500 individuals in processes of education that empower them to further enhance the development of their communities. The Baha’is in Cambodia have evolved a development process that is sustainable. Over the years, CORDE’s informal classes have grown from 2 to more than 50 reaching around 1,000 students. Volunteer teachers are now serving more than another 1,000 through the CCLs.

Battambang—a vital center of the country—has yet to gain a significant share of the development efforts accorded to other parts of Cambodia. The creation of wealth and its equitable distribu— tion are indispensable to “integral development,” meaning the necessary development of all participants in the society to play their part in influencing its material and social prosperity. UniED and CORDE have discovered that central to this conceptual framework of integral development is the involvement of the local population in discovering their own process of development. They have also learned, however, that it is necessary to add to this involvement the recognition of the fundamental nobility of a human being and a respect for human honor. These agencies are attempting to apply the teachings of the Baha’i Faith to building the necessary capacities in individuals, institutions and communities so that they can effectively participate in an integral process of material and social prosperity. Their challenge has been to shift the inclination of participants Who previously were driven solely by material motivations. As such, they offer themselves as a social laboratory for learning, engaging the people of Battambang in the generation and application of knowledge for education and development. Through these means, it is now being seen that their community can progress both materially and socially.

NOTES

1 ‘Abdu’l—Baha, The Secret 0sz'vz'ne Civilization (Wilmette, IL: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 103.

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