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| Bahá’í News | April 1984 | Bahá’í Year 141 |
Mother Temple of India: the first marble arrives
On the cover: The first consignment of marble from Italy is unloaded at the site of the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent in New Delhi, India. In the background can be seen a part of the lotus-shaped Temple’s superstructure.
Bahá’í News[edit]
Shortage of resources at World Centre threatens vital work of Cause | 1 |
Two important messages from the House of Justice to Bahá’í youth | 2 |
Uplifting account of a month-long teaching trip to northeastern India | 4 |
A special report from UNICEF: The state of the world’s children, 1984 | 8 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 14 |
Bahá’í News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates within U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside U.S.: one year, $14; two years, $24. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment must accompany order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1984, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
International Fund faces new challenge[edit]
To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every land
Dearly-loved Friends,
The gathering of the representatives of the Bahá’í world at the International Convention last Riḍván was held in an atmosphere charged with awareness of the sacrifices being made by our fellow believers in Iran and with eager anticipation of the new prospects opening before the Cause as a result of changing conditions in the world, the widespread publicity that the Faith has received in all continents, and the growing maturity of its administrative institutions.
During the succeeding eight months we have been developing the agencies and formulating the plans to enable the Faith to seize the unprecedented opportunities now before it, but we are confronted with a shortage of funds which, if not remedied, could frustrate these plans.
For the last two years there has been a decline in the amount of contributions to the international funds of the Faith, and we note that many national funds also are facing the danger of deficits.
Beyond carrying on the general work of the Cause there are four areas where immediate action is required.
The first is the completion of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in India and Samoa. Any delay in this work can but make it more expensive and also seriously injure the reputation of the Faith in these two vital areas.
The second is the development of the World Centre, the focal point of the entire Administrative Order of the Faith where, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, “the dust of its Founders reposes, where the processes disclosing its purposes, energizing its life and shaping its destiny all originate.”
The third is in the prosecution of programs of social and economic development. Bahá’í communities in many lands have attained a size and complexity that both require and make possible the implementation of a range of activities for their social and economic development which will not only be of immense value for the consolidation of these communities and the development of their Bahá’í life, but will also benefit the wider communities within which they are embedded and will demonstrate the beneficial effects of the Bahá’í Message to the critical gaze of the world.
Funds for initiating and carrying out these projects will be dispensed very gradually and with great care in order not to undermine the natural growth and sense of responsibility of these communities, but the field is so vast, the opportunities so far-reaching, that the need will stretch the resources of the Cause to the uttermost.
The fourth area is in the development and coordination of world-wide efforts to present to a far more extensive audience than ever before the divine remedy for the problems besetting society and its individual members, to establish the universality of the Faith and the implications of its teachings in the eyes of statesmen, and to ensure that the leaders of thought become thoroughly aware of the Bahá’í Revelation and the profundity of its message.
The work on the Temples is already well advanced and must not be stopped; the development of the agencies of the World Centre, located in one of the principal trouble-spots of the world, cannot be indefinitely held back; the time for the expansion of social and economic development as an aspect of the work of the Cause has arrived and cannot be neglected without grave consequences to the life of Bahá’í communities; the unprecedented opportunity for proclamation of the Faith has been given to us as a direct result of the persecutions inflicted on the believers in the Cradle of the Faith.
If we are to be worthy of the sacrifices of these valiant friends, and if we are not to betray the trust that Bahá’u’lláh has placed upon us for the redemption of mankind in this hour of its acute need, we must not fail to seize the opportunities now before us.
This fourfold challenge faces us at the very time when the world is in the midst of an economic crisis and is over-shadowed with threats of war and other disasters. These conditions, far from daunting the followers of Bahá’u’lláh, can only drive home to us the urgency for our response.
We therefore call upon every true-hearted Bahá’í to consecrate his life anew to the service of God and the betterment of the lot of mankind, so that manpower will not be lacking in the fields of pioneering, teaching and administrative service.
Most urgently, may every believer give sacrificially of his substance, each in accordance with his means, to the funds of the Cause, local, national, continental and international, so that the material resources—the lifeblood of all activities—will be adequate to the tremendous work that we have to perform in the months and years immediately ahead. It requires a concentration of effort, a unity of purpose and a degree of self-sacrifice to match the heroic exertions of the victors of past plans in the progress of the Cause.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
January 2, 1984
World Centre[edit]
Two important messages to Bahá’í youth[edit]
To the Bahá’í youth of the world
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
The designation of 1985 by the United Nations as International Youth Year opens new vistas for the activities in which the young members of our community are engaged. The hope of the United Nations in thus focusing on youth is to encourage their conscious participation in the affairs of the world through their involvement in international development and such other undertakings and relationships as may aid the realization of their aspirations for a world without war.
These expectations reinforce the immediate, vast opportunities begging our attention. To visualize, however imperfectly, the challenges that engage us now, we have only to reflect, in the light of our sacred Writings, upon the confluence of favorable circumstances brought about by the accelerated unfolding of the Divine Plan over nearly five decades, by the untold potencies of the spiritual drama being played out in Iran, and by the creative energy stimulated by awareness of the approaching end of the twentieth century. Undoubtedly, it is within your power to contribute significantly to shaping the societies of the coming century; youth can move the world.
How apt, indeed how exciting, that so portentous an occasion should be presented to you, the young, eager followers of the Blessed Beauty, to enlarge the scope of your endeavors in precisely that arena of action in which you strive so conscientiously to distinguish yourselves! For in the theme proposed by the United Nations—“Participation, Development, Peace”—can be perceived an affirmation that the goals pursued by you, as Bahá’ís, are at heart the very objects of the frenetic searchings of your despairing contemporaries.
‘A highlight of this period of the Seven Year Plan has been the phenomenal proclamation accorded the Faith in the wake of the unabating persecutions in Iran; a new interest in its Teachings has been aroused on a wide scale.’
You are already engaged in the thrust of the Seven Year Plan, which provides the framework for any further course of action you may now be moved by this new opportunity to adopt. International Youth Year will fall within the Plan’s next phase; thus the activities you will undertake, and for which you will wish to prepare even now, cannot but enhance your contributions to the vitality of that Plan, while at the same time aiding the proceedings for the Youth Year. Let there be no delay, then, in the vigor of your response.
A highlight of this period of the Seven Year Plan has been the phenomenal proclamation accorded the Faith in the wake of the unabating persecutions in Iran; a new interest in its Teachings has been aroused on a wide scale. Simultaneously, more and more people from all strata of society frantically seek their true identity, which is to say, although they would not so plainly admit it, the spiritual meaning of their lives; prominent among these seekers are the young. Not only does this knowledge open fruitful avenues for Bahá’í initiative, it also indicates to young Bahá’ís a particular responsibility so to teach the Cause and live the life as to give vivid expression to those virtues that would fulfill the spiritual yearning of their peers.
For the sake of preserving such virtues much innocent blood has been shed in the past, and much, even today, is being sacrificed in Iran by young and old alike. Consider, for example, the instances in Shíráz last summer of the six young women, their ages ranging from 18 to 25 years, whose lives were snuffed out by the hangman’s noose. All faced attempted inducements to recant their Faith; all refused to deny their Beloved.
Look also at the accounts of the astounding fortitude shown over and over again by children and youth who were subjected to the interrogations and abuses of teachers and mullahs and were expelled from school for upholding their beliefs. It, moreover, bears noting that under the restrictions so cruelly imposed on their community, the youth rendered signal services, placing their energies at the disposal of Bahá’í institutions throughout the country. No splendor of speech could give more fitting testimony to their spiritual commitment and fidelity than these pure acts of selflessness and devotion.
In virtually no other place on earth is so great a price for faith required of the Bahá’ís. Nor could there be found more willing, more radiant bearers of the cup of sacrifice than the valiant Bahá’í youth of Iran. Might it, then, not be reasonably expected that you, the youth and young adults living at such an extraordinary time, witnessing such stirring examples of the valor of your Iranian fellows, and exercising such freedom of movement, would sally forth, “unrestrained as the wind,” into the field of Bahá’í action?
May you all persevere in your individual efforts to teach the Faith, but with added zest; to study the Writings, but with greater earnestness. May you pursue your education and training for future service to mankind, offering as
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much of your free time as possible to activities on behalf of the Cause. May
those of you already bent on your life’s
work and who may have already
founded families, strive toward becoming the living embodiments of Bahá’í
ideals, both in the spiritual nurturing
of your families and in your active involvement in the efforts on the home
front or abroad in the pioneering field.
May all respond to the current demands upon the Faith by displaying a
fresh measure of dedication to the
tasks at hand.
Further to these aspirations is the need for a mighty mobilization of teaching activities reflecting regularity in the patterns of service rendered by young Bahá’ís. The native urge of youth to move from place to place, combined with their abounding zeal, indicates that you can become more deliberately and numerously involved in these activities as traveling teachers. One pattern of this mobilization could be short-term projects, carried out at home or in other lands, dedicated to both teaching the Faith and improving the living conditions of people.
Another could be that, while still young and unburdened by family responsibilities, you give attention to the idea of volunteering a set period, say, one or two years, to some Bahá’í service, on the home front or abroad, in the teaching or development field. It would accrue to the strength and stability of the community if such patterns could be followed by succeeding generations of youth. Regardless of the modes of service, however, youth must be understood to be fully engaged, at all times, in all climes and under all conditions. In your varied pursuits you may rest assured of the loving support and guidance of the Bahá’í institutions operating at every level.
Our ardent prayers, our unshakable confidence in your ability to succeed, our imperishable love surround you in all you endeavor to do in the path of service to the Blessed Perfection.
January 3, 1984
Youth service in volunteer organizations clarified[edit]
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The Universal House of Justice has been consulting upon aspects of youth service in pioneering throughout the Bahá’í world, and has requested that we convey its views on service in other lands undertaken by Bahá’í youth with voluntary non-sectarian organizations.
In the past, the policy adopted by some National Assemblies was to discourage young Bahá’ís from enrolling to serve in activities sponsored by non-Bahá’í voluntary organizations, as the Assemblies were under the impression that these young people would not be able to engage in direct teaching, nor participate, for the most part, in Bahá’í activities while serving abroad in such programs.
Perhaps in some instances the Bahá’ís involved were not sure how to function as members of the Bahá’í community in order to give each aspect of their lives its proper due.
In the light of experience, however, it is now clear that we should have no misgivings in encouraging young Bahá’ís to enroll in such voluntary service organizations as the United Nations Volunteers, U.S. Peace Corps, Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) and similar Canadian agencies, the British Volunteer Programme (BVP) of the United Kingdom, and other voluntary service organizations.
Other countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries are understood to have similar service organizations which are compatible with Bahá’í development goals as now tentatively envisaged.
Some of the advantages of such service to the Faith are worth mentioning. Volunteers will receive thorough orientation and sometimes will be taught basic skills which will enable them to help the Bahá’í community in projects undertaken in developing countries.
Wherever they serve, these volunteers should be able to participate in Bahá’í activities, and contribute to the consolidation of the Bahá’í community.
The freedom to teach is to a large extent dependent upon the local interpretation of the group leader, but even if volunteers do not engage in direct teaching, being known as Bahá’ís and showing the Bahá’í spirit and attitude toward work and service should attract favorable attention and may, in many instances, be instrumental in attracting individuals to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh.
And finally, the period of overseas service often produces a taste for such service, and volunteers may well offer to directly promote the pioneer work either in the same country or in another developing country.
It is well known that a considerable number of Bahá’ís have already gone abroad to serve with these agencies and that others have espoused the Faith while serving in foreign lands with voluntary service organizations.
National Spiritual Assemblies which hold orientation courses for pioneers may benefit from including the subject of rural development in their programs, and, as in the past, from inviting people who have served in voluntary service organizations to participate in planning orientation programs and having them share their experiences as volunteer workers in developing countries.
The House of Justice expresses the hope that the information contained in this letter will dispel the misunderstandings that have in the past surrounded the question of participation of Bahá’í youth in projects sponsored by non-Bahá’í voluntary organizations.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
December 13, 1983
India[edit]
‘Spirit of martyrs’ suffuses teaching trip[edit]
We left Bombay on a Sunday, taking a train to Calcutta. From there we flew to Agartala, the capital of Tripura, one of the states in the Northeastern regions, to attend the first Bahá’í Conference organized by the State Teaching Committee there.
Thus began our month-long teaching trip with Auxiliary Board member Satur Chotrani to the beautiful regions in the Northeast. These are protected States, and even Indian nationals must obtain a permit before they are able to enter them.
It was only with the help of constant prayers by the Universal House of Justice that we were able to achieve such wonderful results in most of these areas. Truly, the spirit of the martyrs aided us too, as friends in other States were likewise engaged in teaching campaigns launched in their memory.
Tripura[edit]
The two young Bahá’ís who greeted us at Agartala Airport could scarcely hold back their joy, as this was to be their first Bahá’í conference and all the friends were quite excited. About 30 Bahá’ís from various villages, some of which were badly affected by recent floods, came to attend the three-day conference. The Bahá’í Center was lighted each night with lovely, small, colored bulbs, just like an Indian wedding. Often during the day, and also in the evenings, non-Bahá’ís who saw the conference banner came to the Center and took part in the conference. There were three declarations, youth with
‘Often during the day, and also in the evenings, non-Bahá’ís who saw the conference banner came to the Center and took part in the conference. There were three declarations, youth with wonderful spirit and potential.’
wonderful spirit and potential.
Meals were prepared at the Center. Each evening slides of the “Green Light Expedition” were shown. We stayed for three days after the conference, and with the help of Auxiliary Board member Debdas Singha, met with some of the Ministers of State and introduced them to the Faith. A talk was given to about 200 girls at the Women’s College (the only college for women in that region), and a second presentation was made to some 200 students at the Tulsibati
| This account of a month-long teaching trip to Northeastern India (from September 23-October 21, 1983) was written by Shanaz Furudi, secretary of the National Bahá’í Youth Committee of India, who was accompanied on the trip by Auxiliary Board member Satur Chotrani. |
Girls School. The students listened attentively on both occasions, as they were hearing of the Faith for the first time.
A local reporter, who wished to clarify the misunderstanding of another reporter as to whether or not we were a sect of Islam, arranged a press conference at which we found ourselves speaking to seven members of the press from important papers. A number of questions were asked, and they seemed happy to receive the Bahá’í answers to them. Later, a group photograph was taken. This was the first Bahá’í press conference held in Agartala, and some of the papers reported it the following day.
Tribal teaching[edit]
Mr. Bula, our Tripuri tribal Bahá’í, was genuinely pleased to introduce us to the members of his family. This was a wonderful teaching experience, as each family we met took us to the home of their relatives with whom we could also discuss the Faith. We do not have many tribal Bahá’ís in the area, and feel that if this activity is pursued it will have tremendous results, as Mr. Bula speaks the language and is eager to give the Faith to his own people.
New Garden Bahá’í School[edit]
About two months before we arrived, Mrs. Savitri Singha started this kindergarten school with encouragement from the National Spiritual Assembly of India. The inauguration was held July 9, 1983, and the significance of the Bahá’í Holy Day and the opening of the school was announced on the radio. There are 42 children studying there now, and within this short span of time the school has earned much favorable publicity and respect in the eyes of many prominent people in the city.
Silchar[edit]
Silchar, in the south of Assam, is centrally located, is the only connection by road to Mizoram and Shillong, and has both road and air connections to Manipur. We stayed in Silchar for four days, and had a press conference which 12 reporters attended. We also participated in a debate organized for college students by the local Lions Club whose topic was “Religion is the biggest drawback toward progress in India.” After the debate we were given 10 minutes to speak about the Faith, which we did, and also distributed pamphlets. Many of the students were interested in learning more about the Faith. At a fireside, we received four declarations, and these new Bahá’ís are working hard to form their first Local Spiritual Assembly by April (1984).
Mizoram[edit]
Mizoram is a new name given to the mountainous region earlier known as the Lushai Hills. It was a district of Assam until 1972 when it became a Union Territory. Sandwiched between Burma to the east and south, and Bangladesh to the west, Mizoram occupies an area of great strategic importance in the northeastern corner of India.
The Mizos are of Mongoloid stock, and came under the influence of British missionaries in the 19th century. Thus, most of them became Christians. The missionaries introduced Roman script for the Mizo language, as well as formal education, with the result that the literacy rate (59 per cent) among the population of some four million is quite high. But as far as material progress is concerned, Mizoram is one of the backward regions in the Northeast.
Mizoram has a touch of Alpine beauty. The hills run from north to south, the skies are wonderfully blue, and in the morning the mist forming between the hills gives an enchanting view of wide stretches resembling a vast lake.
Our four-day stay in Aizawl was busy and memorable. Upon arriving we first contacted a non-Bahá’í family, Mr. and Mrs. Lalfinga, with whom we had made friends on a plane trip to Calcutta two years before. They came immediately to meet us, and were thrilled to see us again. They regretted, however, that they had to leave for Delhi the next day to meet their daughter who was ill and at a nursing home. They introduced us to a young Mizo man, L.V. Khiangte, who would be our guide and companion while we were in Aizawl. We thanked them for their kindness, and each day Mr. Khiangte faithfully came for us in the morning, and also helped us to meet with whomever we wished to.
Among those we met was the chief minister, Brig. T. Sailo, AVSM (Ret.) who apologized for knowing little about the Bahá’í Faith. We gave him a Bahá’í folder and some pamphlets, and he said he would read them.
We were warmly welcomed by the finance minister, Mr. Lalmingthanga, who was happy to hear about the Faith and even went so far as to telephone the government guest house for us to arrange a v.i.p. accommodation. He offered us the privilege of taking the inaugural flight from Aizawl to Silchar on October 10. We thanked him for his kindness, but could not accept, as we had a flight booked for Manipur on October 9.
Above: A view of Kohima, Nagaland. Below: With the Bahá’í community in Imphal. Auxiliary Board member Satur Chotrani is standing at the far left next to Mr. A. Iboongohal Singh, the director of fisheries. Standing second from the right is Auxiliary Board member Debdas Singha.
Dr. Kenneth Chawngliana, the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, spent an hour with us discussing the Faith. He was quite excited about it, and asked us how a person becomes a Bahá’í. He said we should come again, start our own Center, and let the people know about this new religion. We gave Dr. Chawngliana some books, a picture album, and a prayer book.
We then paid a courtesy call on the new lieutenant governor, H.S. Dubey. That meeting also lasted more than an hour, and was cordial and informative. Mr. Dubey welcomed us so warmly, and was so surprised about why a young woman had decided to come to Mizoram, that we nearly forgot we were meeting with the governor of a State. He knew of the Faith, held it in
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A view of the lovely mountain village of Aizawl, Mizoram.
high esteem, and said he shared its ideals and hopes. We presented him with a copy of All Things Made New.
L.R. Sailo, deputy director (public relations) at the Chief Ministers’ office, made these appointments for us. A liberal-minded person, he had heard of the Faith during a business trip to Switzerland. He then told us we should meet the press, as they were waiting for us.
Five reporters were present, some of whom hadn’t heard of the Faith before. They asked a number of questions pertaining to Christianity; we shared the Bahá’í explanations, and they seemed pleased to learn that we loved and revered Christ. We told them that most important is the gift that Bahá’u’lláh has brought to the world today—love between different people. For this reason, we explained, we were happy to meet the people in Mizoram, and had no prejudice whatsoever. They were obviously pleased and impressed. The next day, four newspapers printed news about the Faith, and one gave it in headlines. It was the first newspaper publicity received by the Faith in Mizoram.
Our meeting with the minister of education, Professor Malsaama, and Professor Darchhawna, the joint director of education, was highly fruitful. It lasted for more than an hour, as both men were interested in the Faith, and Professor Darchhawna had visited the House of Worship in Australia. They knew little about the teachings of the Faith, however, and asked a number of questions. We explained that there is no “converting” to the Faith, as each person must investigate independently before accepting it. The Faith, we emphasized, does not do away with their traditions, their way of living, or their culture.
We told the minister of education that we were exploring the possibility of starting a small kindergarten in Aizawl whereby the principles of universal education and a mind free from prejudice could be taught. He smiled, said he knew we were sincere people, and added that he would not mind if we came and started such a kindergarten, as it was needed. In fact, he said, he would help us in this.
In the evening Mr. Khiangte, our friend and companion for these four days, accepted the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, thus becoming the first Mizo to embrace the Cause. Our hearts rejoiced, as we could see the light of Bahá’u’lláh slowly penetrating this beautiful region. Later, another Indian, Mr. J.K. Kapoor, also accepted the Faith.
Manipur[edit]
Manipur, the “land of jewels,” has added some precious gems to the Faith since it was introduced to the region about two years ago. We spent six days there with Auxiliary Board member Debdas Singha, meeting and deepening local Bahá’ís, meeting with various ministers and presenting the Faith to them. Among the Bahá’ís in Manipur are the director of fisheries, the assistant director of tourism, a publicity officer, a photographer, and one young university student.
At a meeting for the Bahá’ís, one could see the great concern shown by these friends at the slow pace of growth of the Faith in Manipur. Each of them is a deep and sincere Bahá’í whose understanding of the Faith, after only two years, would put many of us to shame. After meeting with them, we came away with a feeling that the eventual growth of the Faith in these tribal belts will be twice as rapid as anywhere else in India.
While in Manipur we had an opportunity to meet with the chief minister, the deputy chief minister, the education minister, and several others. They were hearing about the Faith for the first time, so we sat with each one for almost 40 minutes and discussed the teachings. Each of them served us refreshments, and each offered to help us. The ministers of education and health were keenly interested in the principles of education as explained in the Writings, and wished to receive a brochure about our Bahá’í schools in India and how we operate them. The need for good schools is pressing in most of these areas, as parents spend a great amount of money on securing a good education for their children.
All India Radio mentioned the Faith on its evening news program; press releases were given to all the newspapers thanks to the efforts of a reporter who became good friends with us and wished to help us spread the Faith in Manipur. The Bahá’í community there has plans for holding a winter school in Imphal, and for starting a Bahá’í library. While writing this report we have received news of some more people accepting the Faith in Manipur.
Nagaland[edit]
We reached Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, by bus, a trip that took seven hours. Kohima, which is 1,455 meters (4,800 feet) above sea level, is picturesque, and in many ways similar to Mizoram. The Nagas are a lovely tribal race, all of them Christians. One
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can recognize the various Naga tribes
by the different hand-woven shawl designs they wear. The Nagas are polite
and hospitable people who love dancing and music. In fact, the traditional
Naga dance is very famous in India.
Auxiliary Board member V.B. Paranjyoti, a homeopathic doctor, has been a pioneer to Nagaland for six years. We went to his clinic, which has a large Bahá’í board positioned on top of it, and he and his Naga wife were quite happy to meet us.
With the help of Mrs. Paranjyoti, we visited the homes of several Bahá’ís that day. We held brief deepening sessions at each of these homes, and invited the residents to attend a community meeting that evening, which they all did. We spoke about the life and troubles of Bahá’u’lláh, and about the Bahá’í teachings on some Christian topics such as baptism, attending church on Sundays, etc. The Bahá’ís asked us to come again, and said they would take us to meet many more families with whom we could share the Faith. As there was a three-day government holiday in Kohima, and we could not meet with any government officials, we stayed for only two days.
Shillong and Gauhati[edit]
Toward the end of our trip we visited the States of Meghalaya and Assam.
Shillong, a lovely hill-station inhabited by the Khazi tribes, a simple and beautiful people who are mainly Christian but open-minded about religion, has some of the best schools in India, run by the missionaries. Many of the ministers from different States send their children here to study.
Shillong has a small but united Bahá’í community, a Local Spiritual Assembly and a Bahá’í Center as well. We showed some slides and had a deepening program for the friends here, whom we had met on a previous visit two years before. Whenever we showed slides of the “Green Light Expedition” we found it to be quite effective, as there is a great similarity between the tribes of South America and those that inhabit these regions.
In Gauhati, we celebrated the Birth of the Báb on October 20 with some 10 Bahá’ís who had come from several villages. In spite of some terrible disturbances in this part of the State, a Bahá’í traveling teacher said he continues to visit the villages and to share the Message of Bahá’u’lláh with the people.
The beauty of the Northeastern region lies in its people: strong, open-minded and independent. The Message of Bahá’u’lláh needs to be taken to these waiting souls now, as the sands of time are running out. The power of the Cause is great, and its spread throughout these regions would signal a release of spiritual energy that soon would engulf the entire continent.—Shanaz Furudi
Above: The New Garden Bahá’í kindergarten school, Agartala, Tripura. Below: The author (seated in center) meets with I. Tompox Singh, the deputy chief minister of Manipur (seated second from left) and his aides.
Special UN report[edit]
The state of the world’s children: 1984[edit]
In the last 12 months, world-wide support has been gathering behind the idea of a revolution which could save the lives of up to seven million children each year, protect the health and growth of many millions more, and help to slow down world population growth.
Last year’s State of the World’s Children report outlined the recent advances in both biological science and social organization which now make this revolution possible. Since then, the combined potential of these breakthroughs has been acknowledged by world political and religious leaders including the Presidents or Prime Ministers of Bolivia, Britain, Canada, Colombia, France, Haiti, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, and the United States.
Also in the past year, more evidence has been coming in from around the world to show that these drastic gains in child well-being can indeed be achieved at a relatively low cost and in a relatively short time—despite economic recession. The case studies in this year’s report document actual examples of the techniques which make this revolution possible.
In brief summary, those techniques are:
- Oral rehydration therapy (ORT)—a simple and inexpensive method of preventing or correcting the dehydration which is induced by diarrheal infections and which, with an estimated five million young victims a year, is the leading cause of child death in the modern world.
... more evidence has been coming in from around the world to show that these drastic gains in child well-being can indeed be achieved at a relatively low cost and in a relatively short time—despite economic recession.
- Growth monitoring—the use of simple 10-cent child growth charts which, along with regular monthly weighing and back-up advice, can help parents to make better use of the food they have and prevent up to half of all the malnutrition in the developing world.
- Expanded immunization—using newly improved vaccines to prevent the six main “immunizable” diseases from killing an estimated five million children a year and disabling five million more.
- The promotion of scientific knowledge about the advantages of breastfeeding and about how and when an infant should be given supplementary foods.
| This article is excerpted from the full-length report entitled The State of the World’s Children: 1984 prepared and published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), James P. Grant, executive director. |
In several developing countries, commitments have already been made to put these ideas1 into action. In response to last year’s State of the World’s Children report the city authorities of Addis Ababa have publicly stated their intention of using these techniques to halve child deaths in the next four years. In Pakistan, the government has launched an Accelerated Health Program which has already tripled the immunization rate and increased the distribution of oral rehydration salts from 1 million to 5 million packets a year. In Haiti, the response has been the launching of an intensive nation-wide program with the proclaimed intention of reducing infant and child deaths by at least 25 per cent in the next three years. In Colombia, President Betancur has responded to the report by saying that: “This document informs on four recent scientific advances and offers the hope that, with a great effort by governments and communities, the outlook (for children) by the end of this century will be much better. All of these techniques will be applied here in Colombia.”
In New York, UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar has said that: “National efforts to mount such campaigns are now possible because the community networks and the means of communicating necessary for parents to learn about the forms and uses of simple therapies are increasingly available in many countries ... Innovative and cost-effective action along these lines would demonstrate that even in times of acute financial strain for social services and international cooperation, it is possible for the world to take imaginative steps to heal some of the most tragic wounds of underdevelopment and poverty. I appeal to national leaders, to communicators, to health-care workers, and to concerned institutions and individuals to support this action.”
In the industrialized world also, the potential significance of these break-
1 ‘If the three “F’s” of food supplements, family spacing, and female education could be added to these four techniques, the number of children whose lives would be saved—and the number whose growth would be protected—would be even more dramatic. But in comparison with the four simple and inexpensive measures outlined here, family spacing is more difficult, food supplementation is more costly, and extending female education is both.
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throughs has not gone unheeded.
In Washington, the U.S. Senate has adopted a resolution saying that: “the techniques articulated by UNICEF in its report entitled ‘The State of the World’s Children 1982-83’ represent an unprecedented low-cost opportunity to significantly reduce child mortality and morbidity throughout the world, and have the full support and encouragement of the Congress at a time of economic difficulty and constriction for all countries.”
In Rome, the Holy See has announced that “the entire Catholic aid network in the various countries of the world, and especially in the developing nations, will lend its maximum support to these important simple proposals to improve the health of hundreds of millions of children.”
The techniques which now make all of this possible have been pioneered in recent years by governments and health ministries; by doctors and pediatricians; by nurses and primary health care workers; by international agencies like UNDP, WHO, the World Bank, the International Red Cross and UNICEF itself; by voluntary agencies like the Save the Children Fund and Oxfam; by religious organizations of many faiths; by secular movements like the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee; and by institutions like the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research in Bangladesh or the Institute of Child Health in London.
Although constantly being refined, the breakthroughs in knowledge and technology already exist. But like all scientific or “knowledge breakthroughs,” an equivalent “social breakthrough” is also necessary if they are to be taken off the shelf of potential and put at the disposal of peoples. And on this front also, the world has been changing.
Only 20 years ago, for example, the proportion of girls in the developing world who went to primary school and had the chance to become literate was less than 35 per cent. Today it is over 80 per cent. Only 20 years ago, the radio was a rare novelty in the poorest half of the world. Today, there is at least one transistor for every two homes. Only 20 years ago, there were hardly any primary health care workers in the developing world. Today, there are more than three million paramedics at work.
In short, these and other social advances of recent times are bringing the world to a position of great potential for progress. Slowly, the channels are being opened up between what science knows and what people need.
Coming together at this time, these breakthroughs in both science and social organization could soon be helping to save the lives of half the 40,000 young children who now die every day.2 They could also prevent several million children a year from becoming mentally or physically disabled. And UNICEF would not be worthy of its name if it did not now make the strongest possible appeal to the world that a children’s revolution could and should begin.3
In all of this, the national and international media, so often criticized for conveying only the immediate at the expense of the important, have made an indispensable contribution. Several thousand articles and editorials in newspapers and magazines, plus extensive coverage on television and radio around the world, have carried the message of hope to hundreds of
2 Paradoxically, the reduction of infant and child deaths by one-half would lead to a fall in birth rates and the stabilization of world population at an earlier date and at a lower level.
2 In May 1983, the representatives of the 41 nations on the Executive Board of UNICEF formally endorsed the measures set out in the 1982-83 “State of the World’s Children” report.
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millions of people. Other than the
“hard news” of world events, the story
of the potential revolution in child
well-being has been one of the most
widely reported and analyzed international news stories of recent decades.
The response of the public, world-wide, has revealed again the deep longing among ordinary people everywhere
for a world in which children no longer
suffer and die in numbers which are beyond the emotional embrace of the individual but which haunt the conscience of mankind.
In a relatively short space of time, therefore, the individual techniques which could bring about this revolution have been pioneered, their combined potential has been articulated, and the news of their availability has been warmly welcomed. But this is not enough.
The Challenge[edit]
The fact that a major improvement in the health and well-being of the world’s children can now happen does not automatically mean it will happen. And the challenge ahead is the challenge of translating the local successes which show that a child health revolution is a possibility into intensive national campaigns which will make that revolution into a reality.
That challenge is now primarily political rather than technical or financial. The evidence leaves no room for doubt that low-cost techniques are available to act as a springboard for this great leap forward for the world’s children. Any government which now decides to make a serious commitment to saving the lives and protecting the health and growth of its children can now move toward that goal. And any government, institution, or individual in the industrialized world wishing to assist in that process also now has a clear opportunity to do so.
Money is important and more is needed. But a much greater need is the mobilization of existing human resources and organizations behind this great cause. For a children’s revolution cannot be accomplished through exclusively formal channels or by rigidly conventional means. In most nations, for example, official health services do not reach more than a quarter of the population. Bringing the benefits of recent breakthroughs to all children will therefore depend on the health professionals lending their expertise to much more far-reaching campaigns involving people, institutions, and channels of communication which go far beyond the present scope of the health services themselves.
That is why the UNICEF office in India, for example, is helping to organize national workshops on the “children’s revolution” for leaders of labor and industry, agriculture and education, the media and the voluntary organizations. “Experience provides conclusive proof,” says UNICEF’s Regional Director in New Delhi, “that we must mobilize all organized resources if impact is to be accelerated.”
“Mobilizing all organized resources” is the key to unlocking the present potential for drastic improvements in the health and well-being of children. For the great barrier to be overcome is the lack of awareness among parents, communities, opinion leaders—and even some health professionals—about the means now available for saving and nurturing life. Overcoming that lack of awareness will require the help and involvement of all the myriad social, political, and professional groups which can, on large scale and small, act as channels of support and communication to reach out and help parents to use present knowledge and new techniques to ensure the survival, growth, and development of their children.
“Organized resources” for promoting knowledge of these techniques can therefore include the pediatricians and the doctors; the nurses and the paramedics; the agricultural extension services and the community development workers; the parliamentarians and the local officials; the teachers and the schools; the colleges and the universities; the medical schools and the research institutes; the churches and the clergy; the mosques and the imams; the trade unions and the employers’ federations; the lawyers and the engineers; the commercial communities and the women’s associations; the voluntary organizations and the aid agencies; the environmental groups and the family planning organizations; the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts; the traders and the shopkeepers; the youth movements and the children themselves.
Whether or not people and their organizations become involved on this scale will decide whether or not the children’s revolution will realize its potential. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), for example, can in theory save the lives of most of those five million young children who now die each year from diarrhea-induced dehydration. But if only 10 per cent or 20 per cent of children are in contact with modern health services, then many other channels will have to be used to put the ORT breakthrough at the disposal of the majority. And the fact is that ORT—which The Lancet describes as “potentially the most important medical breakthrough this century”—will not reach more than a small proportion of the children who need it unless it is also promoted through the primary schools and colleges; through the churches and the temples; through the women’s nutrition classes and the work-place; through the water engineers and the extension workers; through the transistor radios and the press; through the television and the video-recorder; through the centers of culture and entertainment; and through every other channel which can reach out to help link present knowledge to people’s needs.
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This is the “social breakthrough”
which is every bit as important as the
technical breakthrough itself if ORT—and the other main elements in the
child health revolution—are to come
anywhere near their dramatic potential
for saving the lives and improving the
health of millions of children throughout the world.
In almost all the places in the world where available “solutions” are going into action on a scale commensurate with the problems, these social and communications breakthroughs are the visible, if varied, common factor:
In Nicaragua, 80,000 volunteers—farmers, students, workers—are taking the message of ORT to every region of the country. In Honduras, intensive year-round radio campaigns have taught almost all women how to make an oral rehydration mixture. In Brazil, over 300,000 volunteers—drawn from women’s groups, church organizations, peasant co-operatives—have helped to reduce polio by 99 per cent in the last three years. In Costa Rica, radio, television, and press campaigns have probably been more important than the health services themselves in promoting public education about health and hygiene. In Colombia, priests are introducing lessons about immunization and ORT at pre-marriage and pre-baptism counseling sessions. In Haiti, attempts are being made to have sachets of oral rehydration salts sold in every village store and every neighborhood corner-shop. In Nepal, owners of small drug stores have got themselves trained to give basic advice to customers who have no other health services. In the Yemen Arab Republic, 200 self-help associations funded by an Islamic community tax or zakat are beginning to provide basic health care to villages. In parts of Oman, one child in each school is trained to prevent trachoma among fellow pupils. In the Philippines, the staffs of maternity hospitals are becoming involved in educating all new mothers about the advantages of breastfeeding and the dangers of the bottle. In Bangladesh, 900 workers for the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee are visiting literally millions of families to bring the news about ORT. In Indonesia, 7,000 family planning workers have been re-trained to help teach mothers in 15,000 villages about the use of child growth-monitoring charts. In country after country it is this involvement and commitment of organizations and individuals which now offers the potential for both creating and sustaining a revolution in the survival and well-being of the world’s children.
The challenge of the children’s revolution is therefore a challenge for both governments and people. And for
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those who might doubt what ordinary
people can achieve in the service of
such a cause, it is worth recollecting
that it is movements which have enlisted the commitment and caught the
imagination of people which have
brought about some of the greatest political and social changes of our
times—the movement for political independence in the Third World; the
movement for civil rights in the United
States; the movements for the ending
of unjust wars; for the protection of
the environment; and for the rights of
women.
In the past, such movements have been initiated and sustained primarily by those who were the victims of the wrong they sought to right. Children cannot start such a movement in their own defense. Yet in the last year alone the 15 million young children who have died in the developing world is the equivalent of the entire under-five population of the United States. On a European scale, it is as if the combined under-five populations of Britain, France, Italy, Spain, and the Federal Republic of Germany had been wiped out in a year. And for every child who has died, another has been left blind or deaf or crippled or retarded. Could any cause be counted more worthy of a people’s movement?
Recession[edit]
The 1980s may seem an unlikely time to be talking of a “great leap forward” for children. An entrenched economic recession, and the lack of any present momentum toward a more just and workable world economy, mean that there is now very little realistic hope of any significant increase in the resources available for social progress during the remaining years of this decade.
Although pressure for accelerated growth and a more just and prosperous world must be sustained, the fact has to be faced that there will be little social progress over the next decade if that progress is to depend mainly on increasing the financial resources available for it.
The central question for both industrialized and developing countries in the 1980s is therefore “how can human progress be maintained in the absence of increased economic resources?”
Faced with an analogous question during the oil crisis of the 1970s, the automobile industry responded by making cars lighter, engines more efficient, and styling more aerodynamic. In other words, progress was maintained by making better use of available resources. And for the maintenance of social progress in the 1980s, there is no realistic alternative but to apply that same principle. For the rest of this decade, “making more of what you have” will surely be the first principle of progress.
In the industrialized world, this principle may not prove to be too penurious. In health, for example, the restriction on resources comes at a time when progress has become less dependent on advances in health technology and more dependent on “costless” changes in the way we live. America’s prestigious Center for Disease Control in Atlanta has recently stated that the average 50-year-old American male, for example, could add 11 years to his life expectancy through four “free” measures—not smoking, drinking alcohol only in moderation, avoiding obesity, and taking regular exercise. In other words, spectacular progress in health is still possible despite restrictions on resources.
In the developing world, on the other hand, there remain many fundamental needs which cannot be met without substantial economic progress. Two-thirds of all the under-fives in the developing world, for example, still have no access to clean water.
Yet even in the poorer half of the world, doors are opening through which progress might still be made. And again, the way forward is lit by the principle of making more of what is available and finding ways to change the ratio between resources and results.
It is from this same principle that the present potential for improving the lives of the world’s children now arises. Without new ideas and strategies, several million more children are going to die in the decade ahead than was thought possible even three short years ago, and many millions more are going to suffer mental and physical damage—unless a new way forward is found.
UNICEF believes that a new way forward for children in the 1980s is now available. Primary health care is the idea which makes this revolution possible. The spread of education, communication and social organization is the circumstance which makes it practicable. Growth monitoring, oral rehydration therapy, the promotion of breastfeeding and expanded immunization, are the techniques which make it affordable even in the midst of recession.
Inner Development[edit]
The combination of breakthroughs in knowledge, techniques and social organization which are coming together at this time could and should make it possible to bring about a revolution which can save the lives of 20,000 children every day, prevent an equal number of disabilities, and promote the healthy growth and development of many millions more. Furthermore, the confidence and sense of greater control over their own lives which families and communities can gain through simple, affordable, and visibly effective strategies, can both help to slow down population growth and help to build community acceptance of, and enthusiasm for, the wider ideal and infrastructure of primary health care itself.
The knowledge and techniques by which this can be achieved ought now to be communicated world-wide in order to put them at the disposal of every nation, every community, and every family. For the surest guarantee of permament and self-sustaining improvement in the life of any community is the organized and active partici-
[Page 13]
pation of that community itself.
It can, of course, be said that the strategies which can bring about these drastic improvements in child well-being do not tackle the fundamental causes of poverty and ill-health. In considerable measure, this is true.
It is true, for example, that in the developing world as a whole the poorest 40 per cent of the people share only about 10 per cent to 12 per cent of their nation’s income and that income is also one of the most important determinants of child health and well-being. In New Delhi, for example, the infant mortality rate in the mid-1970s was found to be 180 per 1,000 among the children of those who earn less than 20 rupees per month as opposed to only 12 per 1,000 (lower than the average for the United States) among the children of families earning more than 300 rupees a month. Similarly, the infant mortality rate among the rich of a city like Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is the same as in the United States—whereas one child in every five dies in the slums of that same city.
It is also true that in many nations the poorest 40 per cent of people in the rural areas may own only 1 per cent or 2 per cent of rural land and that landlording—which of course affects food and income—is also an important influence on a child’s chances of health and survival. In Guatemala or Bangladesh, for example, infant mortality rates have been found to rise steeply as the size of family landholding falls. And in many parts of the world, half of the young children are malnourished while half of the land is used to grow cash crops for export to those who can afford them rather than food crops for consumption by those who need them.
Greater justice, both within and between nations, is therefore of fundamental relevance to the well-being of children. Within nations, even moderate measures to help the incomes of the poorest 20 per cent grow just a little more quickly would greatly reduce the incidence of malnutrition by the end of the century. Between nations, one-quarter of the annual increase in the industrialized world’s wealth could double the total annual budgets for both health and education combined in all the developing nations.
The industrialized nations, containing a quarter of the world’s people, still control more than three-quarters of the world’s wealth. By and large, that gives them the power to lay down the rules of world trade, regulate the workings of the international monetary system, decide what investments will be made and where, determine the course of scientific and technological research, and organize the international division of labor largely in their own interests. As a result, the majority of developing countries have correspondingly little control over the price they receive for the raw materials they have to sell, or the price they pay for the manufactured goods they have to buy, or the value of the currency they must use, or the world monetary system within which they must earn their living, or the terms of the investments they seek, or the amounts and conditions of the aid they receive.
All of these are fundamental problems having a direct effect on national revenues, on governmental services, on employment opportunities, on family incomes, and therefore on children’s well-being. Their solution depends on the long struggle for economic growth, economic justice and social development.
Progress in solving these problems is tragically slow. And for at least the next few years, the fact must be faced that there is little likelihood of any vast increase in the scale of resources available for development. In that context, the emergence of low-cost opportunities to re-gear the ratio between resources and results and accelerate progress for the world’s neediest children cannot be ignored.
Exactly 10 years ago, those children were made a promise by the international community. At the closing ceremony of the World Food Conference in 1974, the objective was proclaimed “that within a decade no child will go to bed hungry, that no family will fear for its next day’s bread, and that no human being’s future and capacities will be stunted by malnutrition.”
Tonight, more children will go to bed hungry, their capacities stunted, than on the night those words were spoken.
How much longer are we going to ask them to wait? Definite actions with definite results, actions capable of large-scale impact at relatively low financial and political cost, are available now. And they are actions in which almost everyone can be involved.
Nor should it be assumed that these actions are not addressed to some of the fundamental problems of world poverty. Inasmuch as they can put into people’s hands and minds the means to bring about improvements in their own lives through their own efforts and their own organizations, they can help to build a sense of self-respect and self-determination and create an ethos which contributes to further progress and greater justice.
And inasmuch as they can play a part in one of the most fundamental tasks of all—the protection of that process of “inner development” in the growing minds and bodies of young children—they can help to break into the cycle by which poverty and injustice have so long been perpetuated. That is why the child health revolution touches the roots of the development problem. And that is why it offers new hope for today’s children—and tomorrow’s world.
The world[edit]
Thai refugee camp elects first Assembly[edit]
By last November 9, the number of Bahá’ís in Thailand’s Phanat Nikhom refugee camp had grown to 336.
The camp’s Spiritual Assembly, first elected last September 18, has developed a library of 330 books in the Khmer language, 72 volumes in Lao, 293 publications in Thai, and 170 English-language items.
The Assembly also has some literature in French, children’s magazines, and a slide projector. It recently decided to give the books and pamphlets to members of the Bahá’í community, keeping only a few copies of each for its library.
The fast-growing community, which grew from one member to its present size in six months, is involved in extension teaching and translations of Bahá’í materials. It has established a local Fund to support the children’s classes that are held every evening and a Women’s Committee that offers needlework classes.
Thirty Laotians of the Hmong tribe recently became Bahá’ís in the northern Thai province of Loei.
They were taught the Faith by one of the hill tribesmen, Yang Yia, who had only recently accepted the Faith through contact with Vaughn Smith, an Auxiliary Board member and pioneer to Thailand.
Mr. Yang, who teaches the Lao and Hmong languages, is now translating some of the Bahá’í writings into Hmong.
Eighty-seven people attended Thailand’s Bahá’í Winter School last October 25 in Chiang Mai.
Twenty-six of the participants offered to do traveling teaching work to help fulfill the country’s goals.
Pictured with two of their teachers are some of the members of the Bahá’í children’s class at the Phanat Nikhom refugee camp in Thailand. By last November, nightly classes for children had been established in this relatively new Bahá’í community of more than 300.
Shown are members of the first Spiritual
Assembly of Phanat Nikhom refugee
camp in Thailand who were elected
last September 18. Pich Hoat, the first
person in the camp to be enrolled as a
Bahá’í, is holding the Greatest Name.
The Bahá’í community in the camp has
grown from one member to more than
300 in about six months.
Chad[edit]
Twenty-one new Spiritual Assemblies were formed, 900 people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh, and 25 localities in Chad were opened to the Faith as the result of a teaching campaign last June 4-November 4 that was undertaken in memory of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.
Meanwhile, a “Victory Campaign” in Moissala, Chad, from July through October opened 50 localities to the Faith, established 95 new Assemblies, and resulted in the enrollment of 250 new believers.
Deepening efforts are under way.
Ciskei[edit]
In spite of what you may have read in Bahá’í News (July 1983), Ciskei is not a district in Southern Africa but a full-fledged country, one of the independent black homelands of the Republic of Africa, as is Transkei. As the friends in Ciskei were quick to point out after we identified them as a district, they are presently under the National Spiritual Assembly of South Africa but are working hard to win their goals so that a National Spiritual Assembly can be formed in Ciskei at Riḍván 1985. There are presently 1,200 Bahá’ís in Ciskei, 18 Assemblies, four Groups and three pioneer families from Iran and the United States. Pictured are many of the more than 200 Bahá’ís who attended a Summer School held in January 1983 in Mdantsane, Ciskei.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
These three Bahá’ís from Papua New Guinea recently completed a teaching trip to North Queensland, Australia, where they concentrated on reaching Australia’s aboriginal residents with the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. Shown (left to right) are Francis Iwarap from Popondetta, Hugona Karimu from Central, and John Yahinaka from Goroka. Their trip helped fulfill a goal of the Seven Year Plan for joint border teaching campaigns between Australia and Papua New Guinea. As a result of their visit, more than 10 people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
During a recent visit to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Counsellor Tinai Hancock, in her capacity as consultant to the South Pacific Commission, was received by an official of the Department of Foreign Affairs whose wife is studying the Faith through a Bahá’í correspondence course.
A dinner was arranged by Auxiliary Board members for the couple, and a fruitful discussion was held. The same official arranged interviews for Counsellor Hancock with officials of Manus Province as well as a brief meeting with the only woman member of parliament.
While in Papua New Guinea, Counsellor Hancock visited rural development projects. Returning to Port Moresby, she met the prime minister of Papua New Guinea and showed a film about the Bahá’í rural development project in India to an audience that included government representatives.
Germany[edit]
Dr. Badi Panahi, an Iranian Bahá’í who now lives in Nuremberg, West Germany, has enlisted the support of more than 70 scientists and academicians from 25 countries in organizing the International Association for the Study of Peace and Prejudice.
The non-profit group has begun publishing a journal in English and German titled The International Journal of Peace and Prejudice Research.
Dr. Panahi, an economist and sociologist, says the goals of the organization are to examine the roots of prejudice in all parts of the world, to provide a vehicle for the exchange of information on prejudice among scientists and sociologists who already are doing research in the field, and to help fund research projects.
The group is also working to make the public more aware of the role of prejudice in domestic and international strife, and to use the information as a contribution toward world peace.
Gambia[edit]
Yama N’jie, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Bakau, Gambia, is the first Gambian woman to be elected to that country’s National Spiritual Assembly.
Mrs. N’jie was elected in a by-election held last August.
Mexico[edit]
Counsellors for the Americas Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, Carmen de Burafato and Artemus Lamb met last October 22-23 in Mexico City with 17 Auxiliary Board members from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean to discuss the progress of the Faith in those areas and to consider ways of furthering the expansion and consolidation work there.
Also discussed was the need to prepare women properly to assume their roles in the Bahá’í World Order, the importance of educating Bahá’í children, and fostering the spirit of faith.
The weekend meeting was concluded with a luncheon meeting at which the Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members were joined by members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico.
Later, the Counsellors and the seven Auxiliary Board members in Mexico met again with the members of the National Assembly to discuss more fully how the two arms of the Administrative Order might collaborate more closely to intensify the teaching work.
Laos[edit]
The members of a recently appointed National Bahá’í Youth and Children’s Committee in Laos are (left to right) Khamphova Inthirapitak, Manivanh Nouane Phanthakoum, Mang Chanthavong, Viengxay Vilavanh, and Chanthana Sengchanthisay. The committee was appointed following an eight-year hiatus during which activities of children and youth depended primarily on Local Spiritual Assemblies and individuals. Since September 1983 the new committee has recruited and trained more than 30 youth to serve as children’s teachers, and also has organized deepening institutes.
At the end of 1983 there were 37 adult Bahá’ís in Ban Amon, Laos, whose first Spiritual Assembly was formed at Riḍván 1983.
Thirty-five children regularly attend Bahá’í classes that are held at the Ban Amon Bahá’í Center.
In addition, 75 children regularly attend Sunday classes at the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Vientiane, the country’s capital city.
Members of the committee that is in charge of the classes make frequent visits to the parents of children to encourage their attendance.
Ivory Coast[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Ivory Coast sponsored a public lecture and Bahá’í book exhibit last October 24 to mark United Nations Day.
The program, at the National Library in Abidjan, was held in cooperation with the resident UN representative and with the support of Usher Assouan, the mayor of the Commune of Cocody (Abidjan) who is a former representative of Ivory Coast to the UN.
An audience composed primarily of high-ranking officials indicated its desire to learn more about the Faith. Counsellor Kassimi Fofana gave an address in French and then answered questions from members of the audience.
In opening and closing the meeting, Mayor Assouan mentioned the important work of the Bahá’í International Community at the United Nations and expressed his agreement with the Bahá’í principles regarding the harmony of science, reason and religion.
St. Lucia[edit]
About 30 Bahá’ís from 10 villages in St. Lucia attended a weekend spiritual enrichment institute held last December near Castries.
Classes for children and youth were held while adults attended classes on the Covenant; Bahá’í marriage and family life; prayer and fasting; and the importance of daily study of the Writings. Evening programs included a talent show and several films.
A highlight of the institute was the reading of the first Bahá’í prayer to have been translated into Patois by a Bahá’í from St. Lucia.
The National Children’s Education Committee of St. Lucia sponsored a one-day children’s class rally last December 21 in Castries.
More than 100 children and their teachers from eight villages attended the rally.
Each children’s class made a presentation in the form of a song, dance or skit. The rally then broke into groups of children and youth for games and sports. Awards were presented before the children returned to their homes.
Kentry JnPierre, a Bahá’í from St. Lucia who is a poet and teacher, and Nancy Cole, a Bahá’í pioneer to St. Lucia from the United States, each won first place awards during a recent exhibit and contest sponsored by a local business firm in St. Lucia.
Nancy received first prize for a painting in the “people’s choice” category, while Kentry was awarded first prize in poetry.
The cash awards were presented during a ceremony that drew national attention to the popular event.
New Zealand[edit]
More than 30 members of New Zealand’s Parliament took time last October 20 to look at a special display, view a video tape, and talk to Bahá’ís about the persecutions in Iran.
The unique event occurred at the old Legislative Council Chamber down the hall from the Parliament debating chamber in Wellington.
Because it is quite rare for any organization to be given permission to set up a display in the country’s Parliament buildings, the opportunity is indicative of the Faith’s excellent relationship with the government of New Zealand.
One week before the display, the National Spiritual Assembly sent each member of Parliament an invitation to attend, and arranged for three Iranian Bahá’ís who are now living in New Zealand to share first-hand knowledge of the persecutions.
The members of Parliament were sympathetic and all seemed to have some knowledge of the situation.
Hungary[edit]
Eleven Bahá’ís from six countries representing the Bahá’í Esperanto League were among 5,000 delegates attending the 68th annual Universal Esperanto Congress last August in Budapest, Hungary.
The Bahá’ís staffed a booth for three days, speaking to some 400 delegates on the first morning of the conference. They also presented a slide program August 4 for 100 delegates.
An unexpected opportunity to speak about the Faith took place August 5 as the result of a presentation to the delegates about the life of Lydia Zamenhof, a Bahá’í who was the daughter of Ludwig Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto.
A play about Miss Zamenhof depicted her life in the Warsaw ghetto before she was killed in the Treblinka death camp in 1944.
Pakistan[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan reports the translation of the short Obligatory Prayer into the Balouchi and Brauhi languages.
India[edit]
In the photo above, a young boy receives an eye examination at a Bahá’í-sponsored eye camp that was held last September 23-30 near Bangalore, India. The boy is one of more than 1,900 patients who received treatment. Most of the 180 who underwent eye surgery at the camp would have become blind within a year without the operation. Below, family members help an elderly patient on his arrival at the camp. Most of those who had eye surgery were able to walk three days later, and most were discharged one week after the operation. Many of the other patients were fitted for eyeglasses and returned to their villages with their eyesight greatly improved. Two eye camps were held in 1983 and more are being planned by the Bahá’ís of India.
Three Bahá’í youth were among 300 delegates attending a national convention in India last September 26-28 in preparation for the United Nations International Year of Youth in 1985.
The young delegates to the meeting in Indore represented 100 youth groups from all areas of India. They discussed development and peace.
Marzia Rowhani, one of the three Bahá’í delegates who is a member of the National Bahá’í Youth Committee, was asked to serve as chairman of the last morning session because of the favorable impression she had created during a workshop.
Miss Rowhani was introduced to the general assembly as a Bahá’í and as an editor of Glory magazine. This aroused interest and led to requests for copies of the magazine.
The young Bahá’í delegate also was interviewed by All India Radio for a broadcast in Hindi that was heard in Indore on September 30. During the interview, Miss Rowhani was able to introduce Bahá’í concepts.
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