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One Country Volume 3 Issue 1 - Jan-Mar, 1991

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[Page 1]

ONE

Ianuary— March 1991

COUNTRY

Vol. 3 Issue]

Searching for the New World Order: framing the discussion over our planet’s collective political life.

In India, a rural boarding school provides quality

educational opportunities for nearby Villagers.

Educational activities of Bahé’i communities around the world merease substantially.

Review: Arthur Dahl

surveys the environmental crisis worldwide and offers an integrated solution.

“The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizem”— Bahé’u’lléh

Ne“ sletter 0f the Baha 1 International Community

Bolivian environmental research center focuses on problems of the altlplano

An emphasis on appropriate technologies —— and grassroots education — brings changes to resource— poor high altitude communities

COCHABAMBA, Bolivia -— Dr. William Baker scanned the barren hills and parched valley floor that surround the environmental research institute he has founded here on the eastern incline of the Andes Mountains and declared that some day this landscape will be wet and green again.

“It's a desolate countryside now," said the 66year—old former biochemist. “But according to folklore it used to rain here from September to April. I think you could get back to that with a little planning. It might take two or three generations, but a desert can be recovered."

Hiking on up the gully behind his small research station here, Dr. Baker pointed to a series of small dirt and rock catchment dams.

“They really cost nothing —just a day’s work to make,” he said. “But if you build enough 0fthem, you can slow down the runoff when it does rain, and force it into the soil. Over time, I believe, you could raise the water table, and bring back the forests that once stood here. If you did that over enough of Bolivia, you could literally transform the climate."

Such a vast transformation is certainly not something Dr. Baker expects to see in his lifetime. But that kind of long range vision is integral to the philosophy and approach of the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center, of which Dr. Baker is founder and director.

(Continued on page 8)

In the village of Cori Pata, high on the Bolivian altiplano, a group of Aymara Indians pose for a photo in a solar~heated greenhouse that they built with assistance from the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center.

[Page 2]

’*‘ COUNTRY

is published quarterly by the Office of Public Information of the Baha'i International Community, an international non-governmental organization which encom- passes and represents the worldwide membership ofthe Baha'i Faith.

For more information on the stories in this newsletter, or any aspect of the Baha'i International Community and its work, please contact:

ONE COUNTRY Office of Public Information Baha‘i International Community — Suite 120 866 United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 USA.

Executive Editor: Douglas Martin

Editor: Brad Pokorny

Assistant Editor: Sandra Todd

Associate Editors: Pierre Coulon Christine Samandari-Hakim Pierre Spierckel

Rosalie Tran

Production Assistant: Veronica Shoffstall

Subscription inquiries should be directed to the above address. All material is copyrighted by the Baha'i lntemationalCommunityand subject to all applicable international copyright laws. Stories from this newsletter may be re-published by any organization provided that they are attributed as follows: “Reprinted from ONE COUNTRY, the newsletter of the Baha'i International Community."

© 1991 by The Baha'i International Community

()NE COUNTRY / IanuaryMarch 1991

Toward a New World Order

With a swiftness that only our modern communications can engender, the ex- pression “new world order" has suddenly entered into the world’s popular lexicon.

World leaders, journalists, and aca- demics have embraced the phrase, and, although its meaning has yet to be fully defined, it is Clear that the term has come to frame the discussion over how the next stage of our planet’s collective political life might be organized.

The need for such a discussion is Clear. Changes in Eastern Europe, turmoil in the Soviet Union, the crisis in the Middle East, and wide- r a n g i n g struggles and re- f o r m s elsewhere have made it Clear that the “old world order" is crumbling.

For Baha'is, the term “new world or- der” has a special and Clear-cut meaning. More than 100 years ago, Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith used the phrase to describe a coming series of momentous Changes and developments in the political, social and religious life of the world. These Changes, He said, would ul- timately transform the world into a unified and peaceful global commonwealth.

“The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inas- much as the prevailing Order appeareth to be lamentably defective," wrote Baha‘u’llah. “Soon will the present day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead."

The “new world order" envisioned by Baha’u’llah would rely on collective secu- rity among the nations as the chief means for establishing world peace. More than a prescription for the world‘s political reor- ganization, however, Baha’u’llah's vision encompassed the full range of humanity‘s social, economic, and spiritual needs. Its foundation, He said, would be built on the principles of unity and justice.

In 1936, this vision was summarized by Shoghi Effendi, who led the Baha’i Faith from 1921 to 1957 and laid the foun- dations for the election of the international council, designed by Baha'u’llah, that now

Perspective

guides the Baha'i world. As the current discussion over the shape and form of a new world order unfolds, his summary of Baha’u’llah‘s Vision gains new relevance.

“The unity of the human race. as envis- aged by Baha’u‘llah, implies the establish- ment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are Closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the indi- viduals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded.

“This world commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the com- ponent nations. and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all

“The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahé’u’lléh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded.”

races and peoples.

“A world executive, backed by an inter- national force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and (Continued next page)

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l‘agc 2

[Page 3]()NE COUNTRY/].1nuary-March 1991

any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this univer- sal system..."

Shoghi Effendi said such a new world order called for the creation of a “mecha— nism of world inter—communication." An international language, an international currency and a world system of measure- ment would also need to be adopted to “simplify and facilitate intercourse and un- derstanding among the nations and races of mankind."

“In such a world society," Shoghi Effendi continued, “science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life. will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop. The press will, un- der such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified Views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mis- chievously manipulated by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liber- ated from the influence of contending gov- ernments and peoples.

‘The economic resources of the world will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be equitably regulated."

The Baha‘i view of a new world order calls for the end of prejudice and a firm commitment to economic justice. Shoghi Effendi described it this way:

“National rivalries, hatreds. and in- trigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by racial amity.

understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently re- moved, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inor— dinate distinction between Classes will be obliterated. Destitution 0n the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other. will disappear.

“The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or politi- cal, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermi- nation of disease, to the extension of scien- tific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the ex- ploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet‘ to the prolongation of human life, and t0 the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellec- tual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race."

In the Baha'i writings, this vision is outlined not only as a hope or an appeal; rather, it is seen in terms of an inevitable process of history. pan of a divinely or- dained plan.

Whatever the outcome of the conflicts and revolutions that currently rage across the globe, Baha'is are confident that hu- manity will ultimately create the kind of new world order described by Baha’u’llah. With every passing day it becomes more obvious that there is no other choice.@

In Apia, Western Samoa, the Baha'i community participated in the national Women's Day parade on 17 November 1990. The sign on the float read: “The Equality of Men and Women."

[Page 4]

S.C. Khanna, principal of the Rabbéni School near Gwalior, India, stands before the school‘s main administration building, which was once a hunting lodge for a local prince, the Maharaja Scindia.

“We believe that a school should be much more than four walls and some buildings. The school is part of the larger society and it must respond to the needs of that society.”— Major S.C. Khanna

ONE COUNTRY / Ianuary-March 1991

Rabbém School: offering quality educational opportunities for rural youth

SUSERA, Madhya Pradesh, India— In 1969, local bandits kidnapped two students from the Rabbéni School, a Baha’i-operated boarding school located in this small village 15 kilometers north of Gwalior, a major north-central Indian city. The bandits, known in this region as dacoits, demanded a ransom for the safe return of the children. Within a short time, however, the dacoits returned the students to the school without a payment. “They had thought that because we are a boarding school, we had only rich students, and that they could get a good ransom,” said Major S. C. Khanna, the principal of the school. “But when they learned that the school was mostly for poor villagers, they released the children without money.” The incident reflects an important dis- tinction between Rabbani and other board- ing schools in Madhya Pradesh State: it was then and still is the only such school in the region dedicated to giving impoverished young boys the opportunity to receive the kind of education normally available only to India’s middle and upper classes. Through a novel outreach and scholar- ship program, about 75 percent ofRabbani’s

students come from poor rural villages within a 30 km radius of the school. Most would otherwise have no chance for a boarding school education.

“Our courses start with the sixth grade, but most of the children who come here have barely passed the third grade,” said Major Khanna, who headed the Indian Mili- tary Academy’s department of languages before coming to Rabbani in 1986. “These children would not be admitted to any other boarding school.”

Despite the poor start that many of Rabbani’s students had before admission, its students last year received the best over- all score on the government-run final exams for 10th graders in all of Madhya Pradesh State. “One hundred percent of our 10th graders passed,” said Major Khanna. “On the average, only 45 percent of students at other schools in Madhya Pradesh State passed."

“Rabbani is one of the best schools in Madhya Pradesh,” said Mr. J .S. Giakwad, who is the assistant inspector of schools for the state district that encompasses Rabbani and other schools in the Gwalior area. “What is also impressive is that the students at

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[Page 5]()NE COUNTRY / Iammry—March 1991

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Rabbani come from the rural area, and the

students at some of our other top private

schools are from upper class families.” Community Involvement

The school’s effectiveness, said Major Khanna and others, stems in part from its philosophy of community involvement, which brings home to students the practi- cal side of their class work.

“We believe that a school should be much more than four walls and some build- ings,” said Major Khanna. “The school is part of the larger society and it must re- spond to the needs of that society. That calls for a very close interaction between the school and the community. As Baha’is, we believe that service to society is the highest goal. At Rabbani, we believe that children must come to understand the im- portance of service when they are young so that they grow up as caring human beings who put service to their fellow man as the highest priority in life.”

This philosophy is manifested by the school’s development outreach program. Some 20 nearby villages have been “adopted” by the school, and students are expected to spend part of their time doing development work in those villages. These development efforts include tree—planting projects, the promotion of fuel-efficient, smokeless stoves, and participation in a range of health and hygiene programs. The school also serves as a training and admin- istrative support centerfor a series of locally run village tutorial schools in the area. It also offers technical training in soil recla- mation and agriculture for area farmers.

“When it is time for forestry work, which is during the monsoon season, the children take seedlings from the school tree nursery and go out to help villagers plant trees,” said Mr. O.P. Chaurasia, head of Rabbéni‘s Department of Social and Economic Development. “When the gov- ernment health department begins a pro- gram of inoculations, we have our students go out to the villages and identify children who need inoculations. Their names and addresses are then organized for the gov- ernment health people."

Mr. Giakwad, the local assistant school inspector, said it is quite unusual for a school to be so involved in community development. “Certainly in the Gwalior District, Rabbani is the only school doing

Page 5

social and economic development projects.” National Environment Award

For its work in tree-planting and land reclamation, the Rabbani School received an award from the Indian Ministry of Envi- ronment and Forests in 1986. Established in memory of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Indira Priyadarshin VrikshamitraAward was shared that year with 20 other organizations and individuals who had con- tributed significantly to the conservation of India’s environment. The award citation called Rabbani School’s tree-planting pro- gram 3 “heart—warming example of a school contributing to social forestry.”

“Led by teachers, students march in groups, armed with saplings, to nearby vil- lages every Saturday in season and under- take tree plantation," the award citation reads. “The children have been instrumental in persuading parents and village elders to plant trees on their private land. Thousands of trees have already been planted through the catalytic action of the school..." Since 1985, students have planted 250,000 trees.

In a related project, Rabbani‘s students have been responsible for promoting the construction of smokeless stoves among the 20 adopted villages. Special stovepipes are obtained from a local energy corpora- tion that is subsidized by the Indian govern- ment. The pipes are then distributed by Rabbani students to Villagers at a fraction of their cost. Students also show the villagers

Na; Delhi

0 Gwalior

INDIA

Indian Ocean -

Bombay

Rabbéni's poultry manager, Santosh Kumar Skdixit, and three students examine a chicken. Shown, left to right, are: Yogesh Barot, Ved Narayan, Mr. Skdixit, and Ram Kumar Chandhry.

[Page 6]

ONE COUNTRY / Ianuary-March 1991

——..-_—-_——_—————__

“Rabba’ni is one how to incorporate the pipes in the con- struct1on of an improved cooking stove,

Of the leading which is about 30 percent more efficient

non-governmental than traditional designs. Mr. Sanjeev Madan, executive engi-

or ganizations in neer for the Madhya Pradesh Energy De-

the distribution velopment Corporation, which distributes the stove pipes at the state level, said Rabbanl'

0f SMOKGIGSS had been a major contributor to the stoves here_ " program’s success in Gwalior, distributing _ more than 1000 stoves. “Rabbani is one of _ Sanjeev theleading nongovernmentalorganizations M adan in the distribution ofsmokeless stoves here,”

said Mr. Madan.

The participation of students in local development projects is only one compo- nent of the Rabbani School’s curriculum. The academic program is rigorous, as the state test scores indicate. Another distinc- tive aspect of Rabbani’s program is its em- phasis on moral education.

“One—fourth of our students come from the lowest castes —- the so-called ‘un- touchables,’ " said Major Khanna. “At first, some of the students from higher castes refused to sit with the low—caste students But we are very firm about the importance of everyone treating each other equally. And once they have spent some time in school here, because of our atmosphere of acceptance and the moral curriculum, their prejudices fade.”

Students confirmed that observation.

Rabbani School has three “Some students here are from an untouch- new dormitory buildings. able background, but we are all friends and

everyone treats them well," said Ued Narayan Gachhadav, a 12th grade student from Nepal.

About 20 percent of the students are Baha‘is—reflecting a similar percentage of Baha’is in area villages.

“But we do not make a distinction be- tween students who are Baha’is and those of other faiths," said Major Khanna. “Our moral curriculum draws much from the Baha’i teachings, but it also covers the his- tory and teachings of all religions.”

Last year, the school had 275 students. Although most Baha’i schools place a strong emphasis on educating both sexes, Rabbam' is open only to boys. “In India, the people in the villages will not accept the idea of a boarding school with both boys and girls," said Major Khanna.

The school’s curriculum also empha- sizes vocational education. Every student receives training in agriculture and animal husbandry. As with the development out- reach, the stress is on learning by doing. Students spend a certain amount of time in the fields and with the animals. Much of the school’s 72 acres is under tillage; two build- ings are devoted to poultry and egg pro- duction, and a cattle barn is planned.

The result is not only a degree of prac- tical understanding, but a measure of self- sufficiency forthe school itself. The school’s annual operating budget is about 1.7 million rupees — about US$100,000. Of that, Mr. Major Khanna said, about 110,000 rupees, or US$6500, comes from the sale of the school’s agricultural surplus.

“In rice and mustard oil, we are not only self—supporting, but we have a surplus,” said Major Khanna. “We are producing 40 percent of our own requirements for wheat. We are also self-sufficient in vegetables. Between what we grow and sell, and tuition fees, we are almost self-supporting.”

Officially, the tuition is 4500 rupees per year per student — which is still below the average tuition for other boarding schools in the region.

“Sometimes we waive the tuition fee entirely," said Major Khanna. “But for the most part, we insist that students’ parents pay something— and maybe with a little bit of a pinch—because we believe that there must be an element of sacrifice on the part of the families who send their children here for this education to be meaningful.” 0

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[Page 7]ONE COUNTRY / IJnuary-March 1991

Rabbén

i’s development outreach

program touches nearby Villages

RUD RAPURAVILIAGE, Madhya Pradesh, India—The impact ofthe Rabbani School’s social and economic development outreach program can be seen throughout this and other small communities that have been “adopted” by the school.

In this village, two kilometers south of the Rabbani campus, Tej P.S. Kusewah, a former Rabbani graduate himself, runs a private tutorial school for primary age children. Although Mr. Kusewah must borrow space in a small workshop for a classroom, it’s still an improvement over the village’s government-run school.

Located a hundred meters away, the government school is simply three walls and a roof. It appears to double as an animal stall; its floor is littered with straw and detritus, and flies swarm about the unwhite— washed walls.

“It is not a good place to study,” said Mr. Kusewah. “People are not satisfied with it. That is why they pay the extra money to send the children to this school.”

Mr. Kusewah charges 10 rupees per student per month for three and a half hours of daily instruction — about 60 cents a month in US dollars.

“I was very pleased with what I learned at Rabbani School, so I’m giving it to the children here, so that they will be very happy," said Mr. Kusewah.

Mr. Kusewah’s school is one of 14 self—

sufficient tutorial schools now operating in nearby villages. Although most are now run by local Baha’i administrative school committees, the impetus for their estab- lishment—and the training for their teach- ers—was a project of Rabbani’s social and economic development program.

Nearby to Mr. Kusewah’s workshop— classroom, Siyaran Kushwah and his wife, Ram Ratiwai, run another tutorial school— and a small tree nursery. Both were estab- lished with technical training and assistance from Rabbani School.

Mrs. Ratiwai, for example, received teacher training at Rabbéni three years ago and now has about 40 students. Her class- room is her front yard, under a large tree.

Mr. Kushwah used to work as a farm laborer and wood-seller, but he now finds that the income from his nursery, plus his wife’s earnings from teaching, is adequate.

“Previously, I was working very hard, but not making very much money,” said Mr. Kushwah. “But nowadays, the physical labor is less and the work more satisfying.”

In Naryan Colony, another nearby vil— lage, the results of Rabbani's tree-planting and fuel efficient stove program can be seen. Most of the village’s 100 or so modest thatched roof homes now have five or six trees surrounding them, providing a mea- sure of cooling shade. Many of the homes

(Continued on page 14)

Page 7

Tej P.S. Kusewah, a former Rabbéni graduate himself, runs a private tutorial school for primary age children in a the village of Radrapura, near the Rabbém’ School. The classes are held in a borrowed workshop.

[Page 8]Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center focuses on problems of the Bolivian altiplano

Dr. William Baker, founder and director of the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center, stands over an experimental fish pond at the Center's main research lot on the outskirts of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Among other projects, the Center is exploring the feasibility of growing carp in ponds on the altiplano to improve the available dietary protein. Extending up the hill behind Dr. Baker is a system of small dams that divert water into the pond, sewing as a demonstration of erosion-control methods.

ONE COUNTRY / Iaanry—March i991

(Continued from page 1)

The Center is devoted to exploring the ways that appropriate technologies —— and appropriate education — can be applied to improve the lives of the native Aymara and Quechua peoples who eke out a living on the harsh Bolivian altiplano.

Currently, for example, the Center has adapted the design for a solar—heated greenhouse to grow vegetables and fruits inexpensively at high altitudes. About 30 communities are using the design and more than 120 have been built.

Other efforts of the Center focus on developing and promoting reforestation and soil conservation techniques suitable for the altiplano, and on designing an inexpen- sive biogas generator that will work despite the region’s temperature extremes.

The Center is more than simply a re- search station, however. Through a pro— gram of outreach and education, it brings these technologies directly to those com- munities it attempts to serve. For example, the Center sponsors a program of rural environmental study classes for adults and pre-school classes for children. These classes have been important in helping communities adopt new technologies.

“In our classes, we ask people to search out the truth on their own, and then to impose it themselves,” Dr. Baker added. “We don’t believe in trying to impose the truth on them. In this way, the individual develops. And when the individuals in a community develop, the community can

determine its own development path.” Challenges of the Alfiplano

The climate and conditions of the alti- plano pose distinct challenges. Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America, in part because of its geography and climate. The altitude of the Andean high plateau varies from 3000 to 4000 meters. The region receives little rainfall, and is subject to a wide range of temperature extremes, dropping to near freezing at night but climbing to 20°C during the day. In effect, the altiplano is a desert in the mountains.

Yet the majority of Bolivia’s population lives on this high, dry plain, many subsist- ing primarily on a diet of potatoes and in- digenous grains, like cafiawi and quinoa. Sheep and llamas are among the few animals that can subsist on the sparse grasses that grow on the altiplano, and they provide some meat, wool, and milk.

Some 70 percent of the population is indigenous, primarily of the Aymara and Quechua peoples. Although literacy is about 75 percent, many people are never- theless functionally illiterate —— able to read Spanish words but often without under- standing their meaning.

It is these conditions that the Center specifically attempts to address. The solar greenhouses, Dr. Baker said, were designed to improve the diet of the people living in remote, high altitude communities.

“It is virtually impossible to grow veg- etables and fruits in the open on the alti- plano,” said Dr. Baker. “So, of course, the

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[Page 9]ONE COUNTRY / IantlanuM-arch 1991

"'Vf—fsta la tieFFa""'*~ ge nuestra carpa 301651;,

3 cantidades de tierra negra, + 2 cantidades dc arena, + 1 cantidad dc bosta. Todo bien mezclado, venlilado I; suavizado. Sin piedras ni kurpas. Y ademés, bien humedecido con bastante aguita.

predominant diet there is poor in the vita- mins, minerals and oils that vegetables and fruits can provide.”

Greenhouse Design is Simple

The Center developed an inexpensive design that can be easily constructed and maintained by a single family, the basic social unit on the altiplano. On afoundation of adobe bricks, plastic piping is used to create a simple framework on which clear polyethylene plastic can be draped.

Within these greenhouses, it becomes hot and humid enough to grow a wide range of vegetables, including tomatoes, squash, onions, radishes and lettuce.

The Center provides training in con- structing the greenhouses, and provides the materials. Individual families are asked to pay 75 percent of the cost of the plastic tubing and sheeting.

“The average annual income for a family in this area is about US$150," said Dr. Baker. “We estimate that the value of the production of a solar greenhouse for one year represents about US$125, although only a small part of this production is sold — most is consumed by the family. The actual cost of the materials, however, is only about US$25. So the economic ben- efits of this program can be significant for a family."

In the same way, the center is re- searching techniques of afforestation, wa- ter management and biogas that are ap— propriate to the altiplano. The soil condi- tions and Climate are especially hard on tree seedlings. One recent attempt by an- other organization to plant 7000 eucalyptus

Page 9

and queshuara trees failed — only 10 trees survived the first year because the soil was not properly prepared.

Dr. Baker believes the survival rate for trees can be much higher. Currently, the Center works with 12 communities to start and maintain small-scale forestation projects. In the community of Cori Pata, for example, about 3000 queshuara trees have been planted over the last two years. Queshuara, good for windbreaks and fire- wood, grow well at high altitudes.

A Regional Training Center

At first glance, the Center’s main re- search station is not much to behold. Head- quartered on a 3/ 4 acre lot on the outskirts of Cochabamba, it consists of several roughly finished adobe buildings with galvanized iron roofs, a fish pond and cistern, and a number of small demonstration plots.

But the site and its in- frastructure are entirely ad- equate for exploring the kind of appropriate tech- nologies that the Center aims to develop and pro— mote.

“A lot of other organi- zations promote solar greenhouses that are more efficient and productive than ours, but they tend to cost a lot more— in the range of US$3000 to US$4000 — and they require the involvement of an entire community,” Dr. Baker said. “Unfortu- nately, families here have only US$50 or

This illustration appears in instructional materials created by the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center. It depicts a solar—heated greenhouse and, in the caption below, gives the recipe for a successful soil mixture. The cartoon figure at left says: “...the soil is ready in our greenhouse."

DISENO PARA CARPA SOLAR TIPO TUNEL:

Tm: la: medium, on metros

A schematic diagram of the solar greenhouse design used by the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center.

[Page 10]

BOLIVIA

‘ La Pal

\ . (Iochabamlm

_ Iaku Lakuni

At the main research lot for the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center, Dr. William Baker, right, stands with caretaker Gregoir Cruz and his family in front of one of the Center's demonstration greenhouses. Left to right are: Mrs. Julia Cruz, baby Midi, Santosa, Mr. Cruz, Gavino and Dr. Baker.

()Nl—L COUNTRY/Iam1aryrI\Iarch 1991

US$60 that they can invest in such a project. So we’re trying to develop designs and technologies that cost about that much.

George Scharffenberger, president of the U.S.-based Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger (FICAH), an organization which has provided a $25,000 grant to the Baker Center each year for the last three years, said the Center's willingness to let communities experiment and take charge for themselves was genuine.

“Other organizations are building greenhouses which are a little sturdier and more pro- ductive," said Scharffenberger, who visited the Baker Center and four other similar organiza- tions in Bolivia and Peru last year. “But I don’t think there is the same sense of ownership 0n the part of the communities themselves. In some Baker Center green- houses, there is an absolute explosion of creativity in terms of what is being grown.

“In one greenhouse. it was snowing outside and they were growing bananas inside. My guess is that they were produc- ing less because of that, but it was Clearly their greenhouse. In terms of basic com- munity development, I was very impressed."

Dr. Baker believes community involve- ment is key to successfully introducing new ideas on the altiplano. Equally important, he said, is to show the potential for results.

At the Cochabamba site, for example, a number of small demonstration plots show the advantage of using composting and mulches in agriculture. A fish pond, de— signed to show how carp can be grown in a closed system that relies on animal manure for its nutrient input, has also been built.

Of several solar greenhouses, one has been built as part of a traditional two-room adobe home. With this design, Dr. Baker said, he hopes to show how such green- houses can provide not only vegetables, but a modest amount of solar heating in the family living space.

As noted, a water management and erosion control system of small dams ex- tends up a gully behind the research lot. This system funnels water into the fish pond and into a cistern, demonstrating how the sparse rainfall in the region can be easily collected and used.

“These are pretty obvious erosion— Control ideas," Dr. Baker said of the system of dams. “But people on the altiplano aren‘t willing to put the time into something unless they have a pretty good idea that it is going to work. And I don‘t blame them. Up here they scratch out a living from nothing. To put a major investment of time into some- thing, they have to see a result in advance."

Dr. Baker believes that when commu- nities 0n the altiplano are given both the technological and organizational tools to take control of their own development, the

transformation of Bolivia is possible. (Continued on page 14)

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[Page 11]ONE (IUL'N'lRl / l‘lllLl.ll’)"i\l.ll'Cll 1991

Primo Pacsi, center, stands behind the children of his pre-school class in Laku Lakuni.

IAKU LAKUNI, Bolivia -— Life is hard in this small community of Aymara people on the Bolivian altiplano. where the climate supports only the hardiest of crops and the soil is so poor that the farmland must be rotated on a 12-year schedule.

“My life makes me sad because every year we cultivate a little higher and higher on the mountain,” said Primo Pacsi, a 34- year—old farmer. “We plant higher and higher, and it is colder and colder. And only two things grow — potatoes and cafiawi.” Cafiawi is an indigenous seed crop.

Mr. Pacsi says he now has more hope for the future —— especially for his children.

With the help of the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center, he has built a solar-heated greenhouse near their two- room adobe home. Mr. Pacsi has also re- ceived teacher training from the Baker Center, and he now conducts daily pre- school classes for the children here.

Both developments have brought changes for his family and his community. About 20 families have built greenhouses.

“We really like the greenhouse,” Mr. Pacsi said. “Without it, we could not have vegetables — we don’t have the money to buy them. But with the greenhouse we can have vegetables. Nowwe can have omelets with tomatoes and onions.”

“My little boy didn’t even know veg- etables existed,” Mr. Pacsi added. “Now he picks the tomatoes off the plant and eats them right in the greenhouse. Now he

Page 1 l

knows you have to plant seed and nurture it and the fruit comes up that we like."

The pre-school program, Mr. Pacsi said, offers a different kind of sustenance. He has taught for three years now. About 20 chil- dren attend regularly.

Children Learn Faster

“There is a difference between the stu— dents who have been to preschool and those who start the government primary school directly,” Mr. Pacsi said. “The ones who have gone to pre-school can immedi- ately understand the teacher. The teacher has noticed that the ones who have been to pre—school initially learn much faster.”

“At first, the children were afraid," he said. “They didn’t want to be in a group. But now they love to come and sing together.”

Mr. Pacsi attributes the changes in part to the Baha’i Faith. Of the 500 people in Laku Lakuni, about 10 are Baha’is —- in- cluding himself. In recent decades, the Baha‘i Faith has grown rapidly in Bolivia. Now about 100,000 Bolivians are Baha’is; most live on the altiplano.

“The Baha’i Faith teaches that we must educate our children and that we must cooperate and work together,” he said.

“I don’t want the same things to happen to my children as happened in my life,” he added. “I think with more education than I have had, they can live a more fruitful life. They will produce more and will have more comfort and more understanding. They will be more alert and more awake.”@

High in the Andes,

greenhouses and pre— schools bfing important Changes

“My little boy didn’t even know vegetables existed. Now he picks the tomatoes off the plant and eats them right in the greenhouse. ” — Primo Pacsi

[Page 12]“The increase in educational activities can be attributed in part to the response of Bahé’i communities to the declaration by the United Nations of 1990 as International Literacy Year.”

The Charles Wolcott Tutorial School in Ferme Takira, Chad, is one of a number of informal

village schools organized by

the Bahé'i Regional Social Development Committee of Sarh. Such non-formal educational activities by

Bahé‘i communities were up

by 22 percent between 1988 and 1990.

()NE COUNTRY / lanuai'yhhrch 1991

Bahé’i educational activities up sharply worldwide

Overall education projects increase by 26 percent since 1988

BONN, Germany —— The involvement of Bahé'i communities in educational activi- ties has risen dramatically around the world over the last two years, according to a report presented in F ebruary at a meeting of the International Task F orce on Literacy (ITFL) here.

Overall, the number ofon-going Baha'i educational efforts. both formal and non- formal, increased by 26 percent since 1988, from 602 to 759. These activities cover a wide range of projects and programs. from village-level tutorial schools and literacy classes to full—fledged boarding schools and vocational programs.

"I‘he increase in educational activities can be attributed in part to the response of Baha'i communities to the declaration by the United Nations of 1990 as International Literacy Year." said Daniel Wegener, the Bahé‘i International Community represen- tative t0 the ITFL “But, for the most part, the increase simply reflects the influence

on a very rapidly expanding Baha'i commu- nity of the Faith's emphasis on the impor- tance of education."

According to the report, there are now 62 formal Baha’i educational institutions — which encompass established primary, secondaly and tertiary schools. These in- stitutions range from the New Em High School in Panchgani, India, an international boarding school established in 1947 with more than 900 students and a curriculum from primary through grade 12.t01€1Nuev0 Jardin, a primary school in Barahona, Do- minican Republic, with 300 students that was started in the mid-19805.

Non-formal educational projects and programs, which include tutorial schools, literacy learning centers, and preschools increased by 22 percent. from 573 to 697. between 1988 and 1990.

Stirrings at the Grassroots

”These kinds of non-formal projects emanate primarily from the natural stirrings of communities at the grassroots level," said Mr. Wegener, who presented the re- port to the ITFL, of which the Bahé'i Inter- national Community is a member.

“Pre-schools, kindergartens, tutorial

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[Page 13]ONE COUNTRY / lanuaryhlarch 1991

schools, and moral education classes have been created in a large number of commu- nities in response to local needs and con- cerns," Mr. Wegener said. “Teachers in these programs are often volunteers or paid with in-kind contributions. Yet these projects nevertheless reflect a substantial commitment to the concept of education for all."

The report gave several specific ex— amples of such projects.

0 In India, a program that established literacy learning centers in villages near Panchgani expanded from 30 centers in 1984 to 100 centers in 60 villages in 1989.

0 In Kenya, 3 series of booklets for mothers to teach health, agriculture, moral and domestic skills has been produced and distributed widely to Baha'i communities to use in literacy training. The booklets are being translated into 26 languages.

0 In Zaire, since 1987, 2500 students have completed literacy courses offered by the Baha'i community. One aspect of the project served the Bayandas of north-east- ern Zaire, a people more commonly known as “Pygmies," and who had previously re- ceived little or no formal education.

In addition to ongoing projects, the report listed a number of specific events

and short term projects offered in support of the International Literacy Year. Those projects included:

0 In Panama, the Baha’I com- munity held a two-day seminar on literacy in collaboration with the Panamanian Ministry of Education on 23-24 April 1990.

0 In Uganda, the Baha‘is pro- vided an exhibit at the national ILY celebration on September 8 in the Kamuli District.

0 In Spain, the annual two-day conference of the Association for Baha’i Studies in Zaragoza focused on education; presentations in- cluded a talk on the role of literacy in the elimination of prejudice.

The ITFL was created in 1987 to support International Literacy Year activities. It was founded by 35

800 700

600 500

400

300 200

100

international non-governmental or- 0

ganizations, including the Baha‘i International Community.

[Editor’s note: The two features in this issue of ONE COUNTRY, on the Rabbdm’ School in India and the Dorothy Baker Environmental Studies Center in Bo- livia, are other examples ofhow Bahd’z’ com— munities approach education] @

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Left: United Nations Secretary- General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, left, receives a book of letters and messages from newly literate people around the world in a “Book Voyage" ceremony at the UN. headquarters in New York on 10 December 1990. With him are Daniel Wegener, center. a representative of the Baha'i International Community, and Magdalene Gathoni of Kenya, right, who represented literacy learners worldwide at the event. Mr. Wegener was chairman of the “Book Voyage" planning committee. The project sent a symbolic “book" around the world to collect messages from the newly literate about their experiences with reading and writing. The Book Voyage was a project of the International Task Force on Literacy, of which the Baha’i International Community is a member.

Baha’i Education Projects 1988—1990

1988 1990

[Page 14]

In Boca del Monte, Panama, the local Baha'i community co-sponsored athletic competitions on

23 September 1990 to commemorate International Day of Peace. The event's other sponsors were the Lions Club of East Chiriqui.

ONE COUNTRY / Ianuary-March 1991

Baker Environmental Research Center focuses on the altiplano

(Continued from page 10)

The Center has a working relationship with FUNDESIB, the Foundation for the Integral Development of Bolivia, and, like FUNDESIB, draws on the principles of the Bahé’i Faith for its guiding philosophy. Dr. Baker is himself a Bahé’i and he named the Center after his mother, Dorothy Baker, who was a leading figure in the Baha’i Faith in the 1940s and 1950s.

In its approach, Dr. Baker said, the Center strives to balance development needs with environmental sensitivity in a way that incorporates a spiritual understanding of the relationship between man and nature.

“We are a creation of God," said Dr. Baker. “So is the environment. In this sense, we are part of what’s created, and we have to include ourselves as a fundamental part of the environment."

At the same time, Dr. Baker said, he believes that God has given man the unique ability to rationalize and think — an attribute that nature does not possess.

“Humans have become the directing force in the balance between the human world and the natural world," said Dr. Baker. “We can either learn how to make our environment

better, or we can destroy it. So we are just going to have to learn how to make the environment better.” 9

Villages near Rabbéni School show effects of development outreach

(Continued from page 7)

have also installed smokeless stoves.

Naryan Colony also sends many of its Children to a tutorial school that was set up by Rabbéni. Said Narayan Singh, the 60year—old village headman: “Those students who are going to the Baha’i tutorial school, they live neat and clean, and they obey their parents and they do their studies sincerely. This I have noticed.” Q

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[Page 15]ONE (:OL'N’I'RY / lanuarerarcli 1991

m

Review: An integrated approach to the environment

(Continued from back page)

wealth of nations, with an international par— liament and executive to carry out its will," he writes, this vision is of a new society “based upon principles ofeconomicjustice. equality between the races. equal rights for women and men. and universal education."

Spiritual principles also offer a special power to build the kind of consensus nec— essary to bring such a vision into reality. ”The crucial question is one ofmotivation," Dr. Dahl writes. To meet the challenges before us as a species will require “immense effort, solidarity. and sacrifice," he says. Historically, he says. religion has demon- strated its power to supply that motivation.

All religions, Dr. Dahl writes, are an expression of belief in some higher purpose beyond what can be proved by the rational mind. Religious belief is a commitment to an unknown reality. Fear of the unknown can instinctually paralyze humans and ani— mals, Dr. Dahl says, yet religion teaches us to rely on this force to elevate the quality of our lives.

“It is love for the unknown." he sug- gests, “that gives religious belief its revolu- tionary potential and its capacity to trans- form human motivation and development." Through it, we are encouraged to discover the unknown spiritual potential in ourselves and others,just as science seeks to uncover

l’iigc 15

the unknown potential of the physical world.

Ultimately, then, Unless and Until is optimistic about the solutions to the envi- ronmental crisis. In his analysis, Dr. Dahl explores the phenomena which first pro- (luced life on earth and the natural cycles upon which it depends for support. After spelling out the current threats to those cycles, Dr. Dahl presents some initial efforts towards Change now being undertaken on an international scale and expresses great faith in the civilization that will emerge from these crises.

For each ecological problem, he pre- sents the most positive prospect for recov— ery, offering the hope that the foundations for the biological systems of the planet could be restored in a century, once the causes of the problems are removed. Im- plicit is the assumption that the world com- munity can unite to confront the challenge.

The book's title is drawn from a passage by Bahé‘u'lléh,the Prophet—Founder of the Baha’i F aith, who wrote in the 18005: “The well-being of mankind, its peace and secu- rity.are unattainable unlessand until its unity is firmly established."

As humanity slowly wakes to the dark- ness of its environmental condition, Dr. Dahl presents notjust a mirrorto reflect the decay, but a window opening on a recon- structed world. 6

Pope John Paul II with David Sunstrum, a representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahé‘is of Burundi, during a reception for leaders of religious groups in Burundi on 6 September 1990. The Pope is shown holding a medal made to commemorate his visit to Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania.

“The crucial question is one of motivation,” Dr. Dahl writes. To meet the challenges before us as a species will require “immense effort, solidarity, and sacrifice,” he says. Historically, religion has demonstrated its power to supply that motivation.

[Page 16]Taking an integrated approach to the environ— mental crisis

Unless and Until: A Baha’i Focus on the Environment

by Arthur Lyon Dahl

Baha’i Publishing Trust

London

ONE COUNTRY / Ianuaw-March 1991

In Unless and Until, Arthur Lyon Dahl il- lustrates the delicacy of the ecological bal- ance with a short anecdote: A small Asian village tried to solve their fly problem by spraying pesticides. Some of the flies be- came resistant to the poison. These flies were eaten by little house lizards called geckos. The poisoned geckos were eaten by the village cats. The poisoned cats could no longer run fast enough to catch the rats. 80 the little village that was once plagued with flies was now overrun with rats.

Worse horror stories of humanity’s in- tervention into the natural order are being played out with chilling familiarity around the globe. Dr. Dahl, the Deputy Director of the Oceans and Coastal Areas Pro- gramme Ac- tivity Center for the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, takes a broad sur— vey of such problems in this 96page book. He first outlines the environmental threats facing humanity, ranging from ocean pollu- tion to the loss of species. He then proposes an integrated, global approach to solving such problems — an approach that draws heavily on the teachings of the Baha’i F aith.

Turning to religious sources for help with the environmental crisis is becoming increasingly common. In 1986 in Assisi, Italy, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) founded the Network on Conservation and Religion to explore the ways in which different belief systems in- fluence man’s relationship with nature. Many religious groups have since embarked on similar examinations.

In easily accessible language, Dr. Dahl’s book brings to this search an exploration of how the principles of the Baha’i Faith can be brought to bear on the environmental crisis— in an analysis that is grounded both in scientific principle and spiritual values.

“The scientific evidence shows clearly," Dr. Dahl writes, “that the long—term trend of evolution at any level, whether biological or social, is towards greater complexity and higher levels of interaction.” The Baha’i Faith offers distinctive principles for smoothing that interaction, he says, offer- ing prerequisites for a human society in harmony with itself and the natural world.

Baha‘is believe, for example, that eco-

Review

nomicjustice is an essential principle. “Any attempt to protect nature must address the fundamental inequities between the world’s rich and poor,” Dr. Dahl writes, saying that the economic desperation of the poor and the material appetites 0f the rich are at the root of many environmental excesses.

Recognition of the equality of women and men is important to balancing the equation between environment and devel- opment, Dr. Dahl said. In many countries, women are closely involved with food pro- duction and other development issues, and full adoption of the principle of equality of the sexes would ensure women’s involve- ment in environmental decision—making.

Perhaps the most important principle in addressing environmental problems, writes Dr. Dahl, is the creation of a unified world commonwealth. For well over 100 years, Baha’is have strongly supported the principle of collective security.

“Without structures and values ad- equate to the global environment as it is

UNLESS ANEUNTIL

,\ Bm i'i FOG! s 0\ I'm: Bmwmum

evolving today,” Dr. Dahl warns, “trying to resolve the major environmental problems of the world is like treating cancer with a bandaid.”

The Baha’i Faith promotes just such a set of structures and values, Dr. Dahl says. “Built around the idea of a world common-

(Continued on page 15)

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